The People We Pass: Lagos, Nigeria

Every day, each of us travels from one place to another. Perhaps it is for work, perhaps for pleasure or simply a need to get out. Regardless of whether it is a quick trip down the hall or a journey encompassing thousands of miles, more likely than not we encounter others undertaking their own journeys. Yet, the more people we meet the fewer we tend to give notice to. We look at our feet, stare at our phone or gaze off into the world ahead. How often are you able to recall the last 3 people you met on the street or passed in the shop? The denser the urban population the more isolated we can become. Cities can often be the loneliest places.

Located on the western coast of sub-Saharan Africa, Lagos, Nigeria is a megacity in the truest sense of the word, covering an area of approximately 452 sq. miles with a population estimated between 16 and 21 million people. It is one of Africa’s largest economies, all tied tenuously together through its roadways. Due to the sheer volume of traffic and a propensity for congestion, Lagos’ roads have become micro-societies in their own rights. They are intersectional spaces where all of Lagosian society become one. Spaces where “Slo-Go” merchants sell their wares amongst the vehicles. Where Danfo “conductors” call out to potential riders in the afternoon heat, seeking to coax them aboard crowded minibuses, while others pass the time in the cool air-conditioned comfort of luxury vehicles. Constantly moving, constantly in a state of fluctuating motion, the roadways of Lagos are the warp through which the threads of the city and its inhabitants are woven.

“The People We Pass: Lagos, Nigeria” presents a brief glimpse of some of those who traverse these roadways or make their livelihoods on and around them. They are the people who are passed by here, often unnoticed. Yet, they embody the hidden moments of beauty, culture, humor, tenacity, and grit that exist each day on these roads. To see them, all we have to do is take the time to look up…

-Scott M. Williams