Yinka

Shonibare's

Travel

Guide

to

Lagos:

Where

to

Eat,

Shop

and

Hang

Out

For a long time, Lagos existed as a memory for Yinka Shonibare. “I was born in London, and then I went back there with my [Nigerian] parents,” he says. “I was there from about three to 16 — definitely my formative years. And then I didn’t go back to Lagos for quite a long time.”

The celebrated artist and MBE, whose vividly coloured work explores cultural identity, power and the legacies of empire, finally returned in 2011, at the age of 49. “It had become very culturally vibrant,” he says. “I was surprised by how many people knew my work, and by the enthusiasm of young creatives who wanted to engage.”

Since then, Nigeria’s largest city has become somewhere Shonibare visits regularly, particularly during Lagos Art Week in November.

“Since I’ve returned, one big difference I’ve noticed is that people take far more pride in using locally sourced materials, which wasn’t the case in the 1970s,” he says. “Back then, everybody wanted to be like America. That’s completely changed. It began with music — Afrobeat has gone international and grown hugely, with artists like Burna Boy.”

And of course, there is the climate. “Very evidently, the tropical weather has something to do with it,” he says. “There’s a lot of sunshine, so there’s usually an optimistic, colourful, vibrant mood — and that comes across in everything, from the music to the food.”

What follows is Lagos as Shonibare experiences it now. “It’s very energetic, very pulsing,” he says. “It’s hard to recreate that energy anywhere else.”