Local Football

Matthew picked me up at 2:00 and we drove to the mainland where we parked at a Tantalizers, a fast-food joint, to wait for Segun. He came in 5 minutes and we gathered in the car and drove to his shop where he was in the process of feeding his creativity. He makes leather bracelets with silver or gold studs. We climbed the steep steps, he cleaned off sitting spots and we watching him at his bliss. We had come because later he is going to take us to a local football championship.









When we arrived at the game they were just starting. I decided to cheer for the yellow team because this was the team Segun wanted to win. I loved watching the football. There was so much action and the speed and control of the ball was entertaining. I couldn't imagine playing on rough rock infested fields like they do. This demands an even greater skill of ball control.







Part of the fun of being at a football match was watching the people around me. I loved watching how people walking on the overpass would stop, legs dangling on the wall and they would watch for a short time before moving on. And boy do these Nigerians know how to celebrate when their team scores a goal. You would have thought they won the lottery with the promise of a million dollars. They run across the field with their arms spread like a soaring bird. Or the dance up and down hugging each other. A little boy even come onto the field up to one of the players and high fived him. They take their football serious here.







When I looked away from the field or from the view finder of my camera I notice peoples eyes are transfixed. Not on the field where the action is, but on me the white woman with a big camera lens. I don't think they totally know what to make of this scene. They want to see what I'll do next, they probably wonder why I am there in Nigeria and they are curious about the Nigerian who has brought me. At times like this, when I'm in the heart of Lagos I realize how separated our lives are. Us and them. The island and the main land. The ex-pats and the nationals. I don't mind the stares. I just say hello and smile until they smile back. I do realize though that a lot of people would feel uncomfortable being such a spectacle. For me, it's just a part of life here. The more time I spend in the heart of Lagos where the real action is the more I find I'm falling in love with the people and their struggle for life.

This little girl was one who was captivated by my camera. She was brave enough to ask me to take her picture.

Now back to the game! At half time it was tied 1-1 and remained that way until the end of the game. This means they went to penalty shots. Each team got 5 chances. Out of those 5 chances each team scored 4, so they went into automatic win for the team that made the next score. After a couple of goals from each team the blue teams shot was blocked and then the yellow team landed a quick, low one in the corner. The crowd flooded the field and as we left a huge group with the trophy extended above their heads poured into the streets totally ignoring any cars or buses and jubilantly danced down the street declaring to all their well earned victory.