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| Odia Ofeimun |
(The Guardian)--Nigerian poet and critic, Odia Ofeimun, has been writing
about life in Lagos for the last forty years. This past summer on a rainy June
afternoon, I spent a few hours interviewing him while co-producing a radio
documentary about Nollywood (streaming in
full here). His observations reflect many of the key tensions in
contemporary Nigerian life. The following quotes are culled from the interview
at his home in the Oregun section of Lagos:
Odia Ofeimun: "Lagos is a
city you get to and feel like you can achieve anything in the world. It is not
the most beautiful city, but it has its seductions. It is a society that sucks
you in, and even when you are not part of the shaking or the moving of the
city, you begin to have the feeling that you too will be there one day."
"There is a headiness the average Lagosian has — you
do not really feel that the big man, no matter how big he is, is your boss, the
man you call "Oga." And he, the man you call "Oga," knows
that you do not really regard him as your master. "Oga" does mean
master, but the average Lagosian who calls you "Oga" is just doing it
to silly you. Those who take him seriously are fools."
