Lagos - Culture

Lagos (Nigeria), city in southwestern Nigeria, in Lagos State, located on the Bight of Benin (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). Lagos is Nigeria's largest city, chief port, and principal economic and cultural center. It served as Nigeria's capital until 1991, when the seat of federal government was moved to Abuja, in central Nigeria.

Lagos has a very diverse and fast-growing population, resulting from heavy and ongoing migration to the city from all parts of Nigeria as well as neighbouring countries. In 1992 Lagos had an estimated population of about 1,347,000. The population of its metropolitan area was about 10.9 million in 1996. The United Nations predicts that the city's metropolitan area, which had only about 290,000 inhabitants in 1950, will exceed 20 million by 2010, making Lagos one of the world's five largest cities.

The Yoruba, an African people inhabiting southwest Nigeria, constitute the city's principal ethnic group. English is the most commonly used language, but Yoruba and other Nigerian languages are also spoken.

Lagos is an important center of Nigerian intellectual and cultural life. The University of Lagos (1962), Yaba College of Technology (1948), Lagos State University (1983), and Lagos State Polytechnic (1977) are located in the city, as are several major research institutes. Lagos is also the site of the National Library of Nigeria (1964) and the National Museum (1957), which has collections in archaeology, ethnography, and traditional art. The National Theater (1976) stages plays, dance performances, and music concerts, and also houses collections of contemporary Nigerian art.

Lagos is Nigeria's leading port, particularly for imports of consumer goods, foodstuffs, motor vehicles, machinery, and industrial raw materials. Its export trade in timber and agricultural products such as cacao and groundnuts has declined since the early 1970's. More than half of Nigeria's industrial capacity is located in Lagos's mainland suburbs, particularly in the Ikeja industrial estate. A wide range of manufactures are produced in the city, including machinery, motor vehicles, electronic equipment, chemicals, beer, processed food, and textiles.

Although Lagos is a cosmopolitan city, the traditions of the original settlers have been preserved and now form part of the rich culture of the State.

The arts and crafts of the indigenes are related to the geography. Most objects initially are of vegetable origin in which raffia, with fibrous bark, is commonly employed. Tools are few and simple. The chisel and knife are commonly used in carving. Simple, two and four harvest looms are employed for weaving while an improvised wheel; stones and corncobs are used for pottery.

People from virtually all the ethnic groups in Nigeria inhabit Lagos State. However, the indigenous people of the State maintain their identity while also interacting with a large population of foreigners who have contributed to the reinforcement of the cosmopolitan nature of the city.

Lagos is a highly religious African City where, alongside the normal pressures of urbanization and forces of modern development, religion is still a vital force of life. True to its heterogeneous population, the state has a religious system that is varied, complex and rich in texture often cutting across borders of social classifications.