Welcome To Lagos Ethos

The BBC documentary ‘Welcome to Lagos’ is a series which explores life at the sharp end of one of the most extreme urban environments in the world: Lagos, Nigeria. At first sight one would assume this slum city is a rough, lawless, dangerous place. It is easy to assume that. Through this documentary we get to see what an everyday looks like for those who DO live and work there. It is amazing to see these individuals practice resilience, they are people to admired rather than pitied.
This film expresses the struggles each individual experience from living in this slum city. It also shows us just how much unity Nigerians have. They work together to keep each other alive. Whether it is working together, offering a service, or simply lending a hand should there be a need. This is extremely important. In some ways I relate this to the work my ancestors did to survive.
The people in this city have learned to improvise. Those who have a little more than others can purchase a small generator. Those who don’t bring back things from the dumps and light them up in their rooms. This isn’t something they’re told or things they are provided with. They are simply extremely smart and resourceful. Nothing in this city goes to waste. When I say nothing goes to waste that means everything is either consumed, used, or sold.
One of the biggest items on the market are cows. Through these cows about sixteen million people get fed. Not only is it a source of food it is also stripped and sold for all its parts. Besides the hair which gets thrown away, no other part of the cow goes to waste. The first thing sold is the digestive system. Secondly, hoo’s get sold to shoemakers. Horns get turned into plastic for television stands. The contents in them get sold as fertilizer and finally the blood is collected, dried, and then sold. I was extremely shocked and amazed after watching