Continental shift

Africa’s changing landscapes are beautifully captured by a new generation of home-grown photographers, introduced here and in a new book

- Ekow Eshun

In 1960, Nigeria declared independence, freeing itself of British colonial rule. At the time, Lagos, its main urban centre, was a modest coastal city. Cars were sparse on the road and you could drive out of town with ease, low buildings giving way to fields, forests and scattered villages as you went.

Two generations on, Lagos has undergone a breathtaking transformation. Now one of the ten largest cities on the planet, it is a vast sprawling conurbation that covers more than 1,000 sq km, with a population that has expanded 100-fold, from under 200,000 in 1960 to over 20 million today. By 2100, it’s estimated Lagos will be the largest metropolis on Earth, with some 100 million people.

Breakneck growth, though, comes at a cost. As more and more people flood into the city, an already overwhelmed infrastructure system struggles to cope. Fewer than ten per cent of residents have access to public running water or sanitation. Two thirds live in slums. Traffic jams (‘go slows’) choke the streets and fill the air with noise and exhaust fumes. Yet life goes on. From the vast openair markets to the street vendors hustling their wares amid the stationary traffic, the city buzzes with barely containable energy.