New Afrika Shrine

A friend asked me about two weeks before I was due to leave Nigeria what I would do with the time I had left. I told him about my travel plans, but said that if at all possible my one wish would be to get to Femi’s shrine in Ikeja, Lagos.

If you would know anything about Nigerian or African music then you would have to have heard of Fela Kuti. An extremely popular musician who is credited as being the creator of afro-beat and equally well known as a political activist (declared his own State which was subsequently flattened by the Nigerian military), prolific womaniser (married 27 in one day) and marijuana smoker. Fela unfortunately died of an AIDS-related illness in 1997. But fortunately he has a son (Femi) who is equally (at least I think so) talented as a bandleader and musician.

A few years ago, Femi had a structure done up in Lagos to serve as a live music venue for Nigerian and other artists. Though quite notorious for more than just the music, I had wanted to go for ages and made quite an effort to get there before I left the country.

That weekend I had to travel to Lagos at short notice to confirm my flight details for my impending departure. Whilst at my friend’s house in the afternoon I expressed my great desire to visit the shrine since this would be my last opportunity. He was sceptical but we decided to make a few calls to people who might be able to take me. This was because the place is considered slightly rough, and besides which, no whitey should really be wandering the streets of Lagos at night. But ten phone calls later we could find no-one in town willing to do the job. It was only with our considerable wheeling and dealing (lies and manipulation really) we finally managed to get a group together.

So that night myself and three other blokes make our way to "the Shrine" via several danfos. Upon arriving the scene was very chilled and quite welcoming. On this, a Friday entry was just 100 Naira (AU$1) and I saw from the sign they have a similar, but longer concerts on Sundays and free rehearsals Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Shrine is notorious for its open marijuana use by patrons and performers alike, so outside there were clouds of smoke and plenty of boys attempting to look their coolest. Inside there was a gigantic sign that proclaimed "Drugs are not allowed, signed the management" but at the same time even the performer Femi found time between playing the keyboard, saxophone and singing to keep puffing away. For some reason the police ignore all of this.

Inside I found it a bit like being in a giant Nigerian bar. The converted warehouse had no walls on the sides, a stage at the front and a bar at the back. Hanging from the edge of the roof and the pylons were numerous memorabilia of notable Africans and in particular Fela.

Femi has a band of about fifteen or so musicians including guitarists, drummers, a brass section, a keyboardist and singers. The singers were all finely dressed gals who kept the patrons attention mainly with their gyrating hips rather than their vocal talents. Furthermore, two raised platforms with mock cages on either side of the stage held another two dancing girls who changed after each song. Evidently this was because of the extreme effort these girls exerted with each tune. This made it very difficult to focus on Femi in the middle of the stage.

Evidently the Shrine makes its money from the drinks rather than the entry fees as it was a little much for Nigeria. But I did take palm wine out of a bottle which was a new experience. Contrary to popular opinion the place never really got rough and I had a pleasant evening before my companions calls to attend a nightclub left me with no choice but to leave.

Incidentally, that nightclub we visited afterwards was quite an experience too - my first nightclub visit in Nigeria. I actually sat down for the first thirty minutes spending most of that time trying to contain my laughter at the spectacle before me. Countless numbers of horny young men making their best efforts to dress up as their favourite rap artist and get close to the ladies left me thinking I was in the middle of a black American hip hop music video. Also amusing was the act itself, as the numerically inferior girl population attempted to avert the throng of thrusting male bodies and whispered suggestions. One particularly clever young lass I noticed did this by feigning disinterest, eventually letting the eager ones get close for a song or two, getting closer to then and whispering in their ear to buy them a drink, accepting said drink upon his return from the bar, before finally pretending she didn’t know said guy any more and waiting for her next victim.

I did eventually manage to get to my feet despite the fact that every pairs of eyes then followed my every awkward movement. As a boost to my ego a few locals complemented me and even better for me was the queue of eager young females who seemed to think that dancing with old whitey would be good fun or least a good story for the next morning.

All in all, a wonderful night and well worth all that effort.
P.S. Just glanced at the newspaper entertainment section and noticed Femi will be here in Australia in April playing at the Metro, the Enmore and a festival. Guess it won’t be hard to see him again though the ticket price will be about 60 times as much!