Architect, designer and culture activist to deliver a talk at the Lagos@50 colloquium

The monthly Lagos@50 colloquium will be hosting architect, designer and culture activist, Theophilus Abiodun on Saturday January 28 at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

Yaaaay!! The monthly Lagos@50 colloquium will be hosting architect, designer and culture activist, Theophilus Abiodun Lawson on Saturday January 28 at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

Lawson will be delivering a talk on 'Development of a city of captives 1850 to 1960' at the Freedom Park, Lagos – a former colonial prison, which incidentally was converted into a massive art centre by the architect.

On the lecture, otherwise named “Planning a city for Colonization 1850-1960”, Lawson, also a history-enthusiast, wrote:  “A friend once said "In Lagos, we live in a prisoner of war camp." I took it as another of her 'socialist' arguments and paid little notice. Recently I have had cause to engage the Lagos environment physically and by study of maps through history; and I have had a rethink on the nation.

Theo Lawson

“Lagos, "Eko" meaning Camp in Edo, has had a long and intriguing history; with tales of betrayals, greed, conquests, international trade, and trade wars and sieges; of settlers from Benin, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Portugal and Britain; all contributing their quota its developmental history.

“From the lazy farmsteads and European trading posts to the institution of a colonial administration with expansionist goals, the development of Lagos had always been with a view of suppressing and exploiting the native community and unfortunately post-independence planning has not deviated from this course”.

The lecture will also feature performances by the youth-centric Footprints of David based in Bariga, Lagos, and the Team Nigeria, a group of young performers who are currently engrossed with a project aimed at breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest theatrical performance in one single show.

The Colloquium event is a monthly lecture series of the year-long Lagos@50 May2016-May2017 programme designed as a build-up to the main celebration of the 50 years of creation of Lagos State, which climaxes in a gala event in May 2017.

The Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka is the co-Chair of the Celebration planning committee.