NewzI recently attended Surround Sound Lagos, hosted by Spotify Africa, for a four-day immersive experience in Lagos, Nigeria. As a lifelong reader, my ideas about the city were first formed through the words of some of Nigeria’s most celebrated authors. Years later, online creators added to that mental world-building.
By the time I travelled, my excitement to finally see the country, flaws and all, was palpable. I’d wondered, too, what it is about this city that forged writers as formidable as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri, Nnedi Okorafor and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Before visiting, I thought of Lagos as inspired.
Culture shock, starting at the airport The first jolt was the airport. I’d been repeatedly warned it would be loud and busy, but nothing prepared me for the reality after clearing customs and heading outside for our hotel transfer: so many people at once, all going about their business simultaneously. We arrived in the evening, so there wasn’t much to see on the drive.
I still looked eagerly out of the window for some idea of life in Lagos. That idea expanded greatly the following day. Day one: heritage, fashion and the first taste of Lagos The next day was a curated journey through heritage, contemporary fashion, music and visual culture, designed to give our travelling party deeper context on Lagos as the cultural source of Surround Sound.
Randle Centre for a guided cultural experience exploring Lagos and Yorùbá cultural foundations, sound, memory and contemporary creativity. Then came one of my favourite parts of the day: Zinkata, where fashion stylist, consultant and former fashion editor Ezinne Chinkata hosted a curated fashion and visual culture experience. We got to peruse her envy-worthy collection of top Nigerian fashion brands, available for sale through her business.
The afternoon ended at Fired & Iced with a hosted lunch and cultural conversation with entrepreneurs Dolapo Amusat and Stephen Tayo. The venue once hosted Spotify’s Greasy Tunes activation, which also landed in Johannesburg and Nairobi, and it makes sense: it felt instantly equivalent to Braamfontein’s Kitcheners and the spot once affectionately known as Great Dane. It was our first official taste of Lagos cuisine and I was hooked, happily stuffing myself with food people often describe as spicy.
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