Community

The world may be a global village, but Lagos is a community. Coming together is a beginning, but a community working together is the real success and Lagos is the pace-setter state for communal success. Many who do not understand Lagos or have yet to experience Lagos see it as simply another state, but true Lagosians know that Lagos is first a community, a communal city on water.
The core occupation of the first settlers of Lagos was fishing and this informed the use of canoes to represent each Local Government within Lagos State. Community is made up of fifty seven (57) canoes, depicting the twenty (20) LGs and thirty seven (37) LCDAs with their maps carefully designed on individual canoes. The beauty of Lagos is in its level of accommodation of people from the many cultures and backgrounds, hence, the intentional clustered arrangement of canoes. The upright positioning of the canoes was inspired by the skyline of Lagos as a city and a successful metropolis. Asides being an art installation, it also acts as archival material documenting the map of Lagos.
The artist has created this art to showcase the beauty of Lagos, while not forgetting to inform that Lagos @ 50 is a united state, standing together, proud, with roots deeply embedded in the rivers of accord that the boats sail on. This installation art is an excellent display of the unity of community in Lagos because it is in the shelter of each other that people live, survive and grow.
By Abolore Sobayo.