1 week Ago By Francesco Risso
This was my first time in Lagos. I’d been to a few other places in West Africa before – like Ghana, for an amazing project I worked on with Acyde, and Benin – but wherever I went, everybody was like, ‘You have to go to Lagos!’, so I’d been craving this moment for a while. So how did I find it? It was completely unexpected, and such a tornado, but I loved it.
.. it was better than anything I could have imagined.
The night I landed, after navigating a three hour-long arrivals situation – which, to be honest, is still better than JFK – I immediately went to the New Afrika Shrine – better known as the Fela Kuti Shrine – on the mainland. There was such an incredible vibe to the place – something I felt deep within my veins. A sort of spontaneity that was palpable everywhere.
I’d come to Lagos with my boyfriend Alex Sossah, who co-founded Metallic Inc, the producers of Homecoming, with Grace Ladoja, and we were there to support our friends taking part in the weekend. The next morning, we landed at the main summit, which had multiple panels taking place simultaneously across a single building. Some were hosted by Grace and Ireti Zaccheaus from Street Souk , some by members of the Nike team, some by Yoon Ahn.
.. It was amazing to see this spirit of global exchange – people in the audience were able to see and understand the perspectives of these incredible companies and creatives, but it was also made clear that their way of doing things isn’t the only way.
Some of the most commonly asked questions were around the notion that there are fewer opportunities for those coming from Lagos, but I really believe that we’re living in a moment where the real opportunity lies in looking beyond old systems. Grace articulated this brilliantly, speaking about the opportunities we have to use creative languages that don’t feel redundant – to embrace this unfiltered sense of creativity and knowledge – these references that you see all around you – and bring a sense of newness to this old system that’s currently at a breaking point. The advice that everyone was giving was to do more, show more, make it stronger, and scream louder.
It really made me reflect. We then went to check out the new Homecoming space, which was fantastic – you walk through this nondescript corridor of buildings that suddenly opens up in this garden with this huge inflatable sculpture by the Lagos-born, London-based artist Slawn. He’s a friend and, along with Soldier, another London-based Nigerian artist, we recently collaborated.
Behind the sculpture, there’s a space that’s going to become a permanent Homecoming radio station, which will allow musicians to continuously broadcast new music, and then the space itself is beautifully curated. It’s made up of smaller rooms with really well edited product from brands like Mowalola, WAF, Street Souk and Stüssy, and right now there’s also an installation showcasing a collaboration between Slawn and Nike. I was going back and forth with Alex, trying pieces on, but I ended up buying an amazing piece by Zacchi Lagos, which is run by Ireti, her brother Teezee and their father.
It’s this long red kaftan in a super thick gabardine with incredibly deep pockets. I can’t wait to paint in it – completely naked beneath – with all my brushes filling the pockets. Over my four days there, I have to say that I experienced a bit more of Lagos by night than by day.
I left wishing I could’ve stayed a bit longer, and seen so much more – but I can’t say I have any regrets. The city by night is just so expressive. The first thing I had to adapt to was that nothing happens before 2am, basically.
That was when the action would start, and we’d go from clubs playing electro-afrobeats, on to these amazing strip joints, and then – after a short rest – on to Homecoming. One journey led into the other, with each one bringing an energy that somehow reminded me of when I was a club kid, aged 15 or 16. Back then, I experienced Ibiza at a very particular time: DC10 had just opened – it was literally just four walls, filled with ten or so people, dancing but really engaging with each other.
It was just like that here – there was a real sense of unity. Gentleness, smiles, hugs..
. and the clothes! So many clothes – and sometimes almost none, but it was still a look . Partying in Lagos was both like diving into my personal past, and into the future, at once.
After three pretty packed nights, I won’t lie, I arrived at the Homecoming concert on the final evening feeling a little defeated. We were backstage, where DJs were putting on some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time, but after a while, I was dragged into the main venue. Deto Black, who I LOVE, was performing, and I was going ballistic for her! That carried on with DJ Obi who came on with a hype man, bringing this incredible energy to the crowd.
I’d actually never experienced anything like it in my life, but, little by little, my defeated spirits lifted – I re-emerged, my energy restored, and I had one last incredible night. I know that Homecoming has been going on since 2018, so I’m a bit late to the party, but this just doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. What it is doing is incredible for Nigeria, and for Africa in general.
There’s a new wave of energy coming from here that’s incredibly inspiring. It’s unfiltered, spontaneous and it emanates from the creativity evident in the art, the style, the skaters, the way that people smash beats apart and together to create a contemporary sound. Homecoming is creating an invaluable cultural context for audiences in Nigeria – but it’s also exposing that wealth to the world.
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