Episode 2 - Part 1

The series Welcome to Lagos focusses exclusively on the city's slums and as such is a far from a comprehensive portrait of the city. Thus it is possible for someone who knows nothing of the Lagos or of Nigeria to come away with the impression that there is nothing more to the city.

Part 2

On the other hand, more than half the city's population does live in slums, and this is one of the places where the energy, resourcefulness, community spirit, optimism, determination of regular Lagosians manifests itself most forcefully and visibly. The BBC could have made that point a bit clearer, but in using Lagos as an example of where the humanity may be headed as the world becomes more urban (by 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in cities) it doesn't do too bad a job.

Part 3

For a change this isn't about corruption, helpless poverty and hand-wringing, and the fact that the individuals trailed by the documentary crew live in slums does not detract from their humanity. In fact, it does the opposite, and any Nigerian watching this knows that the qualities revealed are not only recognisable but highly familiar.

What do you think?

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Check these links
How slums can save the planet (Prospect Magazine, UK)
Lagos aims to be Africa's model megacity (The BBC)
Welcome to Lagos: how Nigeria's dirt poor scratch a living in a city teeming with business flair (The Guardian, UK)
Welcome to Lagos - it'll defy your expectations (The BBC)
Business flair in the slums of Lagos (The Financial Times)
The BBC, for parts 3 of the series (which goes out on the 29th of April).


Videos posted by Oo Nwoye and MrZbigniewBrzezinski

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