Lagos is loud, crowded and relentlessly energetic - but Vanessa Jev believes first-time visitors soon learn to move with it. In this episode, the director of the Lagos International Theatre Festival joins Daniel to explore the food, neighbourhoods and creative communities of her adopted home.

For More: https://www.destinationunlocked.com

Vanessa explains why Victoria Island and Lekki are convenient bases for visitors, how traffic can shape an entire day and why app-based taxis are generally the simplest way to travel. She also shares the best time to experience Lagos at full throttle: November and December, when the city’s calendar fills with theatre, film, fashion, concerts and festivals.

The conversation takes in the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market, Nike Art Gallery, the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History and Terra Kulture - the arts centre that first persuaded Vanessa to exchange Canada for Lagos. There are suggestions for exploring beyond the principal visitor districts too, from the New Afrika Shrine on the mainland to the beaches and resorts stretching east along the Lekki Peninsula.

Food is never far away. Vanessa introduces Daniel to suya served hot from the evening grill, small chops packed with puff-puff, samosas and spring rolls, fresh palm wine, àmàlà and the unmistakably Nigerian combination of suya and a cold Chapman.

Theatre provides the episode’s inside view of Lagos. Vanessa describes audiences who talk back to performers, actors who respond without missing a beat and productions that use humour to approach dating, sex, tradition and the pressures of everyday Nigerian life. She also reveals what goes into transforming the MUSON Centre into a festival ground filled with simultaneous performances, workshops, food, music and family entertainment.

In the quick-fire round, discover Vanessa’s favourite Lagos experience, the tourist overcharging trap to avoid, the film and book to enjoy before travelling, and why a miniature yellow danfo bus makes the perfect souvenir.

The Lagos International Theatre Festival runs in November. Find details and forthcoming programme announcements on the official festival website.

This is destination unlocked with me, Daniel Edward.

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Hey, welcome back to Destination Unlocked.

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Hope you are well and today excited

for a journey across to Nigeria.

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Destination Unlocked is a conversational

travel podcast that's all about

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bringing you destinations with

authentic locals and expert travellers.

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Today we're going with an authentic local.

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She lives in Lagos and she is at

the heart of the art scene there.

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Vanessa Jev is the director of the

Lagos International Theatre Festival,

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and it's on for its third year in 2026.

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So if you'd like to book your

tickets, now is a great time to book

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them ahead of this year's festival,

which is coming up in November.

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Well, I think it's about time

we get into it and meet Vanessa.

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Enjoy.

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So Vanessa, where are you

unlocking for us today?

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Vanessa Jev: Today I'm going

to be unlocking Lagos, Nigeria.

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Daniel Edward: So cool, and it's

turning into such a culture hub.

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Vanessa Jev: Absolutely.

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It definitely is.

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November, December, it's when

all the festivals happen,

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so lots of culture going on.

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Daniel Edward: Let's get into an

introductory guide for Lagos, for

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somebody who hasn't been and is either

thinking about it or is booked and now

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wants to map out their first few days

in town, what are the things that you

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say are must see or must dos for Lagos?

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Vanessa Jev: There is

so much to do in Lagos.

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I would definitely say, get

yourself to the Lucky Arts market.

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if you're in town in November,

the Lagos International Theatre

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Festival, of course, is a must go-to

for everything, culture and arts.

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and of course Terra Culture restaurant.

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Daniel Edward: Indeed.

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you've got some connections with

those, which we're gonna dig into,

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as we get into this conversation.

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if you were to sum up the spirit, the

vibe of Lagos how would you describe it?

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Vanessa Jev: Energetic, I would

say Lagos is energy everywhere.

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Lagos is one of those hustle

and bustle cities, so there's

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always something going on.

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There's always people outside.

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So energy,

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Daniel Edward: and that actually

links perfectly into a question

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that somebody messaged in for me,

and that is, is Lagos overwhelming?

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if you haven't been before, maybe

you've not been to Africa before.

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For somebody coming from the UK America.

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Vanessa Jev: It could be.

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It definitely could be.

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I mean, the first thing that

hits you in Lagos is it's noise.

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It's loud.

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It's a lot of people all over the

place trying to grab your attention.

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you're hearing horns blaring all

over the place, so it, could be

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overwhelming, but I think you settle

into it really quickly as a visitor.

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you kind of just get swept up into this,

life here in, Lagos, and all of a sudden,

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you know, you're navigating the streets.

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you're talking to like the

local businessmen or women

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and you're just enjoying it.

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it's overwhelming, but

everyone's really friendly.

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that's one thing I'll say,

it's not just a Lagos thing.

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Nigerians are friendly people, so

people are always willing to help.

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They're always gonna, ask if

you're okay if you need direction.

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So it's not too scary.

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It's not scary.

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Daniel Edward: And how much does Lagos

change depending on which neighbourhood

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you are in, where is a really good

place to stay, and then where are

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good places to go out and visit?

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Vanessa Jev: Lagos is kind of split

into, you can think of it in two ways.

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Lagos is kind of on an island.

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So we've got the mainland,

which is where the airport is.

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So that's where you land.

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So you move from mainland over the

bridge, over the water into the island.

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And once you start coming

onto the island, it changes.

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I think the mainland is a bit calmer.

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And then you get to the island, which is

where everybody wants to be on the island.

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Everybody wants to be in Victoria Island.

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It's where all the businesses are.

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It's where all the hot

happening spots are.

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And of course lucky, just

in case any Nigerians.

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'cause they'll be like, ah, what about Le?

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But Lucky phase one and Victoria

Island are the places where I think

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a lot of people want to come to.

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And as a tourist, as somebody visiting,

it's definitely the easiest space

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to be around because if you're in

vi, so if you're in Victoria Island,

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you're connected to the major hotels,

you're connected to the restaurants,

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the museums, shopping, the spas.

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Of course these are things you

can find on the mainland, but

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just navigating around in an Uber,

it's easier to move on the island.

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So the island is the

place to come to for sure.

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Daniel Edward: Islands draw people in.

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Vanessa Jev: We do.

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Daniel Edward: Manhattan

is another island.

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Vanessa Jev: Yeah, Toronto too.

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Toronto has Toronto Island

and every summer people wanna

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head to the Toronto Islands.

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I, I don't know what it is,

it's just community, I guess.

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Everybody wants to head out.

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Daniel Edward: Yeah, yeah.

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you did mention Uber.

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Is that the main way people get around

or are there other forms of transport?

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Is public transport something that

tourists should consider as, either as an

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experience or as practical use or actually

say, as a tourist, avoid this or that?

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Vanessa Jev: As a tourist, I would

honestly say avoid public transport.

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there are a lot of safe,

transportation companies.

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There's Uber, we've got Bolt out here.

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there's E Drive which uses only electronic

vehicles, and all the cars are new.

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The trips are, monitored, and

they have cameras in there.

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So there's no way that anybody

can scam you or ask for more money

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or take you somewhere nefarious

or, you know, anything like that.

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So I would stay away from

public transport, unless maybe

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you're going with a guide.

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But then again, I would stay away from it.

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I would just say stick with Uber.

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you can put it on your phone.

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Same way you do it anywhere else.

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You know where you're going.

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It's the safest way.

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Daniel Edward: What about walking around?

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because I love walking that for

me, just getting lost in a city

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and, seeing where I end up is a

great way of experiencing a place.

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how walkable is it?

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Vanessa Jev: I think it's very walkable.

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A lot of people, walk around,

certain areas you'll see a lot of

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people jogging in the mornings.

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They have cycle clubs, so

people will be cycling.

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so it's very walkable.

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I don't know about the heat

'cause it does get really hot.

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Nigeria gets super hot, so I

would just be wary of that.

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But again, there's always places that you

can pop in, get a cold drink, cool down

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for a little bit, and continue on with

your walk if that's what you want to do.

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But you're completely

safe and fine to do so.

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Daniel Edward: And in terms of

the heat, when's it hottest and

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when's it at its most comfortable?

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Vanessa Jev: When is it

not hot is the question.

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I find Lagos to be hot all the time,

even when it's raining, I would say

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we kind of get into our rainy period,

from about, April to about August.

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We, we get a lot of rain, but we're

noticing that things are changing.

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I don't know whether that's climate

change, but, it's been raining

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a little bit into November and

December, so we're seeing a little

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bit more rain, which is nice 'cause

it does cool down the temperature a

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bit, when's the best time to visit?

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I still say December, November.

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December are beautiful times.

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I think a lot of people come into

the city for the ember months.

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as they say, we get into,

the film festival, you've got

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Lagos Fashion Week happens.

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You've got, LITF, the cinemas are packed.

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So November, December is always like,

you'll find lots of things to do

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. Daniel Edward: I get the sense, and I

haven't yet been, but I get the sense that

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Lagos is a cultural hub for the region.

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Vanessa Jev: Absolutely.

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I think when you think culture, when

you think creativity, arts, Lagos is the

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place, that I think everybody thinks of.

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We've got the John Randall Museum,

which is a beautiful, newly

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renovated Yoruba, cultural museum.

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And I mean, this place is,

this space is gorgeous.

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we've got the National Museum that's

got all of our, national history and

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then a little bit away out of Lagos.

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There's Bore, which is where

we have our point of no return.

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Like we're the slave ships and the

slave trade and all that stuff.

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So there's a lot of history and

culture and, things to experience.

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You've got the Nicka Art Gallery,

which has all of the artworks and

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new art and old art, all that stuff.

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And it's a beautiful, uh, place to go to.

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So yeah, culture is here.

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Lagos is culture.

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Yeah.

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Daniel Edward: Lagos is also food.

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Vanessa Jev: Yes, it is food.

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Absolutely.

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Oh, I think that's one thing, people

always say about Lagos is there's always

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a new restaurant popping up in Lagos.

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I don't know, there's

always a new restaurant.

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Anything you want, do you want sushi?

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You can find it in Lagos.

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Do you want traditional Nigerian cuisine?

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We've got it.

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Do you want Thai?

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Do you want Indonesian food?

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it's insane.

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Like, there's everything here.

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Honestly.

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Do you want like a 24

hour all you can eat?

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American Buffet.

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We've got it.

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It's so in, it's so interesting.

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But yeah, food is a big

thing in Nigerian Lagos.

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Daniel Edward: And is that because a lot

of people have moved to Lagos if they're

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gonna move to Nigeria internationally,

Lagos is probably where they've ended up

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and that's why they're such a big mix.

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Vanessa Jev: I think that's part of it.

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I think there's a massive expat

community in, Lagos, in Nigeria.

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But in Lagos, yes, we've

got, a really big Indian and

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Lebanese and, Chinese community.

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of course we've got the Americans,

the Canadians, the British, so

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of course our cuisine is, kind

of reflecting the society.

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And as people travel out and come

back, they're like, well, these

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are experiences they want to have.

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So we're seeing a lot of Nigerian business

owners open things like bubble tea shops.

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'cause bubble tea's becoming a

really big thing now and we've

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got, you know, that comfort food.

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things that they've experienced in

other places and they're now bringing

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it home for people to experience here.

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So definitely, part of that

is, people coming in and living

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here and making Nigeria home.

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Daniel Edward: And what would

you say is typical Nigerian food?

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if somebody's going to visit Lagos,

I'm sure they want their bubble

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tea, but they wanna have some stuff

which is traditional, some stuff

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which has been around for years.

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Vanessa Jev: Okay, so

some traditional food.

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First off, it's suya.

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I think everybody always talks about suya.

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Suya is our version of the barbecue.

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It's skewered meat.

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You can get chicken, you can get beef.

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I think you can get like liver and

they cut them into like thin slices.

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They put almost like a sa but a dry sa.

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So it's got peanuts on it.

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It's got a little bit of,

kick a little bit of pepper.

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And they grill that and they serve it

with cabbage and like tomatoes and onions.

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And that's like a staple night food.

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Soya starts in the night.

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It's a nighttime thing.

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at about seven o'clock you'll see

the soya stands start to pop up.

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You can smell and see all the

smoke coming up from the grill.

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So that's one dish for a drink.

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I think traditionally it's

always like palm wine or Chapman.

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palm wine comes from like the palm trees.

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And it's a local, traditional

drink, that you have nice and cold.

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It's a little bit fermented.

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it's really nice when it's fresh and cold.

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and then a Chapman is like a local drink

that you'll find at every restaurant

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you can order a Chapman and it's a mix

of like Fanta, Sprite, a little bit

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of Riba and like Augustine Bitters.

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it's such a refreshing drink

and it's just everywhere.

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So those are some, staple things.

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If you want something with a bit more

like weight to it, you can go for Amah.

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Amah is a dish that,

they serve with a soup.

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So you eat the Amah with the soup.

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I think people might

be familiar with fufu.

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So it's kind of like that.

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It's a dish that

accompanies a whole thing.

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I call it like the Nigerian comfort food.

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'cause it's really

filling, it's really warm.

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It's like a stew with some greens and

some beans and it's, I dunno how they

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do it, but it's delicious and it's,

it's my comfort food here for sure.

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Daniel Edward: I've heard about and

I've been told that I need to find

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out more about this small chops.

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Vanessa Jev: Ah, small chops.

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Small chops are at every event.

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small chops are a staple.

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that is a perfect question.

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small chops comes in like a nice

Ziploc bag and they put, um, you

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get puff puff, , you could think

of puff, puff as like a donut.

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It's like a donut hole.

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, they come with spring rolls.

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They come with samosa, and they

normally come with like one, like

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little piece of like grilled chicken.

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So there's basically small eats,

something to kind of nibble on

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and, and get you through an event

before the main course comes.

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But yeah, small chops

are legendary in Nigeria.

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Daniel Edward: And where

would you pick them?

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Up on the street or in a bakery, cafe,

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Vanessa Jev: Yeah, so there are

actual small chops, , restaurants.

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So there's like, uncle Stan's is a small

chop place where you can go and, and like

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order small chops, or you could go to

like 12 baskets and they'll deliver it.

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So most times it's companies that

will deliver it to you where you

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are, or you can walk into one of

those businesses and get small shops.

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Daniel Edward: Oh, that's on my list.

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Vanessa Jev: Yes.

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Daniel Edward: Let's talk theatre because

this is how I first heard about you.

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I love theatre.

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coming from London, I'm, blessed with

so much theatre going on around us.

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and it's something that I always

look out for when I travel the world.

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What's going on in the art

scene, what's going on in the

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theatre scene in particular.

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And you are the festival director

of the Lagos International Theatre

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Festival, which sounds so cool.

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tell me about the festival , but

also tell me about the experience

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of being the festival director.

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Vanessa Jev: the Lagos International

Theatre Festival is an annual festival,

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happens every November where we

bring together about 20 production

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houses locally and internationally.

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So we'll do, within Nigeria,

so Abuja, urt, and Lagos.

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And then this year we had, groups from

South Africa and the United States.

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So it's almost like a week long e event.

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We've got the pre festival

days where we'll do, networking

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nights, theatre meets food.

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Of course food is a big thing here.

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So theatre meets food, where we'll have,

industry experts, big theatre actors,

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film actors come out and hear about

the festival, watch some performances.

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And then we also do,

conversations and culture.

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In the middle of the week where we have

industry professionals come and speak to,

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up and coming producers, actors, directors

on different things like lighting.

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It could be directing for stage,

it could be how to use dance

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as a way to express yourself.

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and then the festival really kicks off

on the weekend, Saturday and a Sunday

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where all of the shows are showing

simultaneously throughout the day.

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we use one location here in Lagos

called the Mosan Centre, and it's

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got, five performance venues in there.

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we turn it into festival ground,

so we bring in, vendors like

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ice cream vendors, food, drinks.

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We do, souvenirs and things like that.

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We've got people on stilts.

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We've got jugglers.

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There's face painting.

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So it becomes like a really nice

place just to be on the weekend.

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So that's, the festival and

it's always such a blast.

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so being the festival director is

hard work, but it's rewarding work.

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it's always really cool to see what

people are doing in the theatre

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space, see different types of

theatre, from dances to masquerade

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performances to site specific theatre.

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it's always so fun to see how people

are, being creative in the theatre space.

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and to provide that platform, because

I think that's one thing that we

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are really doing is providing a

professional platform, professional

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stages, giving, access to lighting,

designers, sound technicians, sets

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all of that kind of space that people

might not originally have access to.

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it's a lot of work.

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It's a lot of administrative work.

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It's a lot of meetings, it's a lot of,

putting out little fires, but it is so

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rewarding to, get, to see them perform.

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And this year was just spectacular.

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It was sold out venues.

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people were literally trying to

buy tickets off of other people

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to get into different shows.

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So it was a lot of fun.

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I'm so happy and proud of how it

went and, and I'm so glad that

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our production houses did so well.

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Daniel Edward: How many

years has it been going?

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Vanessa Jev: So this is our second year?

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We kind of took over Lagos last year.

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we were in like different location.

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We were on the mainland,

we were on the island.

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we were in like six physical

different locations and we had it

330

all going on through the weekend.

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So it was great.

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We really landed on the scene

with a blast and then this year we

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wanted everybody to come together.

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So being at the Mosan Centre

really helped . So, second year

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and, can't wait for next year.

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We're already planning

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Daniel Edward: I wanna

be there for the 20 26 1.

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it sounds amazing, and your

background is in theatre.

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you are not just, admin and

organising and leading this festival.

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You are a practitioner in theatre as well.

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Vanessa Jev: I am.

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I actually moved from Canada

to Lagos, two years ago.

343

And, yes, in Canada I did

a lot in the theatre space.

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I worked, as an actor at first,

but then I realised that there

345

wasn't a lot of opportunities

for people that looked like me.

346

So I started writing shows and, those

started getting funded and produced and

347

we started directing and next thing I knew

we were doing theatre shows every year.

348

So that's, how I kind of got into it.

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Daniel Edward: I think one of the key

things with theatre is what gets put on

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and goes out on stage gives you an insight

into what's on the minds of people.

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What's the spirit of, where

people are at right now.

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The pulse of a place, because a producer

has to think what's gonna get bums

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on seats and what's gonna get people

talking once they've left the theatre

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to continue getting bums on seats.

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' that's the business side of theatre.

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what sort of stuff came

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what is the pulse right now?

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Vanessa Jev: You know, that's a

really interesting question, there

359

were a lot of love romcom stories

that people were putting on.

360

It was really interesting.

361

We had BAP productions, Mrs.

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B Austin Peters, she did Dear Kathy,

and my boyfriend calls B Ma, and

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those are both kind of love stories.

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Dear Kathy deals with a girl

Kike, who is dating in Lagos,

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and she's going through it.

366

she's dating the guy

who's cheating on her.

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She dates the guy who's only using her for

money, and then she finds this guy that's,

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the safe bet, but she finds it boring.

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And then my boyfriend calls

me, ma, is about an older

370

woman dating a younger girl.

371

And then we had, before I let you

go by Maud Fat, all about what

372

happens if you meet the love of your

life at the bus stop while you're

373

waiting for the bus, and you've only

got like a few minutes to talk to.

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That was really interesting.

375

There was a play called 99% Virgin, you

know, what happened to the other 1%.

376

Um, and it's dealing about,

ideas around sex, which is a very

377

interesting topic in Nigeria,

which is a very Christian country.

378

So it was really, really cool to

see people using these platforms

379

to deal with topics that are

not necessarily spoken about.

380

So openly dating a younger guy,

being a woman, dating a younger guy,

381

what's that like being a girl who's

coming of age and she doesn't know if

382

she's pregnant or not, and what, what

do you have to do to get pregnant?

383

And all those kind of questions

and dealing with it in a really

384

funny but engaging way that you

could talk about sensitive topics

385

and not feel uncomfortable or make

an audience feel uncomfortable.

386

The Children's Theatre was, beautiful.

387

we had one that was very folklore

storytelling esque, which there's a

388

throwback to something that they used

to do here called, Tails by Moonlight.

389

And it was when everybody would kind

of sit around outside and the elders

390

in the community would come and tell

folk stories So it was lovely to see

391

a version of that happen on stage.

392

And then we had, 80 students present

a Chean, which is a woman who was

393

a ruler warrior here in Nigeria.

394

So it was great history through theatre

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Daniel Edward: One of the things that

really strikes me about what you've

396

described with the shows that you've

pulled out as examples, but it also

397

connects with me in terms of Nigerian

people that I've met, there's the

398

humour, but then there's also the

conservatism, and so it's this balance,

399

isn't it, between a really lighthearted,

bubbly, fun environment and spirit,

400

but also really grounded in tradition.

401

Vanessa Jev: Yeah.

402

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

403

it is finding that fine

balance of, you know, humour.

404

What's funny, getting people

laughing, it's one of the things that

405

I've noticed in Lagos, in Nigeria

is that, people want to laugh.

406

Life is stressful.

407

you're living in Nigeria,

so it's not the easiest.

408

Of course, there are

everyday stresses everywhere.

409

So, entertainment and, theatre becomes

a space to decompress and relax.

410

Humour is something that

is key in Nigerian society.

411

I think it's, how we deal with a

lot of things actually is through,

412

is finding ways to laugh about it.

413

People don't want to wallow.

414

They, they're like, okay,

something's happened.

415

We're gonna continue, and they'll

find a way to laugh about it and

416

continue, which is just so amazing.

417

It's beautiful.

418

Daniel Edward: If you are going to Lagos,

but you are not able to get there in

419

November time, so you're not gonna be

able to hit the festival, what's the

420

theatre scene the rest of the year?

421

Vanessa Jev: it's still going.

422

If you come in December, Terra

Culture, which is like the number one

423

arts and culture centre here, does

a Christmas play or does a holiday

424

show every Christmas and Easter.

425

So you'll, you'll definitely have

something to see . It's music, it's

426

dance, it's live music, and, and you've

got like 60 dancers on stage dancing.

427

so there's definitely lots going on.

428

We've recently also just revamped

our national theatre in Lagos.

429

We've got this beautiful

4,000 seater, national theatre

430

that's absolutely gorgeous.

431

So I know that we're going to

see more programming coming out

432

of there, in the next months

and, and for next year as well.

433

So definitely a lot of things to see.

434

There's always, always,

always theatre shows going on.

435

Daniel Edward: 4,000 seats.

436

That's huge.

437

Vanessa Jev: it's massive.

438

it's really big.

439

Daniel Edward: What sort of

things go down really well?

440

Is it plays?

441

Is it dance?

442

Is it music focused?

443

Vanessa Jev: I think it's, it shows

that encompass all, so it has to have

444

a little bit of drama, but music and

dance always gets people, singing,

445

dancing, especially if you are finding

a way to incorporate songs that are

446

kind of a bit popular right now.

447

Or even if they're throwbacks, oh,

people, people will be singing in, uh, you

448

know, Nigerian audiences are, so unique.

449

every time I tell people I'm like

watching a show, whether it's in

450

the theatre or the cinemas is such

a different experience in Nigeria.

451

If you go to theatre in London,

if you go to theatre in Canada,

452

you know, everybody sits down.

453

They applaud at the right

times and that's it.

454

People are talking back to the actors.

455

They are making their one-liners,

like they become part of the show.

456

Like, they're so engaged.

457

It's so much fun.

458

you definitely need something that,

that can keep people engaged and alive.

459

So you need music, you need dance, and

a little bit of that drama, everything.

460

Yeah.

461

Daniel Edward: That's so funny.

462

Gosh, it's a different skill

to be an actor than in Nigeria.

463

' you're being heckled in a scripted play.

464

Vanessa Jev: I commend the actors because

when I sit and I watch, I'm laughing.

465

So I'm like, how are they

not breaking on stage?

466

How are they able to stay in this?

467

And there are times when, you know,

depending on the show, if it's a show

468

that can allow it, you'll see them kind

of break that fourth wall and they'll

469

you know, encourage it a little bit.

470

Like, somebody will be

like, can you imagine?

471

And the actor will be like, I know, right?

472

Like, can you imagine

he's doing this to me?

473

the actors are phenomenal.

474

They're quick on their feet, it's

always such a great experience.

475

Daniel Edward: if people want to check

out the theatre festival and maybe, book

476

some dates ahead, where can they find more

information about the festival online?

477

Vanessa Jev: you can always go

to our website, which is Lagos

478

International Theatre Festival, ng,

or you can check us out on Instagram

479

at official LI fest underscore.

480

Daniel Edward: brilliant.

481

I will be checking both of those out.

482

beyond the festival, but staying

with the art scene, I'm imagining

483

that's what drew you across from

Canada because it's a big move.

484

Canada's got everything going for

it, especially in the art scene.

485

Great art scenes over there.

486

so I'm imagining that it was, a

bit of a, tug on your heart to

487

get involved in the scene here.

488

Vanessa Jev: Absolutely . It's

pretty much the sole reason I moved.

489

I was doing a master's, so

I was actually living in the

490

Netherlands doing a master's.

491

And luckily the programme was, you had

to come to the continent, 'cause it was

492

a master's in African Studies, so you

had to come to the continent and, do

493

some research, like a research internship

for, I think it was three months.

494

and I came and I interned

at Terra Culture.

495

'cause I was like, I have to, I

need to work at Terra culture.

496

I need to know what's going on.

497

Like, there's just some beautiful

theatre shows coming out of there.

498

I need to see what these guys are doing.

499

And it was supposed to be three

months and I was supposed to go back.

500

And I fell in love with it.

501

I fell in love with just, seeing theatre

being done like this at this scale.

502

And I was like, I wanna be a

part of this in any way I can.

503

so I, I had a talk with my now

Boss and I was like, I would love

504

to come back and work for you.

505

I would just love to be in this space.

506

And she was like, come back, come on down.

507

So I, you know, went back to the

Netherlands, packed my bags, called

508

my parents, said I'm not coming back

to Canada, I'm moving to Nigeria.

509

And I moved and I've been here since.

510

And it's been amazing.

511

Uh, you know, this space is growing.

512

I hope we see more funding

opportunities in the theatre space

513

here because people are so talented.

514

Daniel Edward: Can you tell me about

some of the little creative hubs and

515

communities that might be a bit more

hidden in the city if someone's maybe

516

got a little bit more time, maybe not

three months, but maybe they're staying

517

for a couple of weeks, on a holiday.

518

they see the big sites in the big centres,

but they want to dig in a little bit more.

519

Vanessa Jev: I've mentioned a few of those

little ones, like if you are heading to

520

Nico Art Gallery, the Lucky Arts Market,

those are really like cultural spaces.

521

there's a space called Crates,

which is kind of May, it's this

522

beautiful building that's incorporated

the use of like milk crates.

523

So they use that in their design

and they've got a comic bookstore

524

in there, but they also have, um,

live performances on the weekends.

525

They'll put out, throw

pillows and, and mats.

526

And it's almost like a

folklore thing that they do.

527

And they'll have sings come and sing.

528

Sometimes they do little presentations.

529

So that's, that's a crates.

530

what's another little hidden thing?

531

you know what, there's

one thing I will say.

532

It's, it's hard to pinpoint

places because something that

533

they do a lot in Lagos is, popups.

534

So they, there's an improv group, for

example, that does live theatre, but

535

every week, it's at a different venue.

536

So they'll use different creative

spaces that might not traditionally

537

have been used for improv,

and they'll do improv there.

538

So they might use like a really nice cafe

one day, or the next day they're using

539

a bar area that they've kind of taken

over . So it's really about making sure

540

that you're following some good, uh,

Instagram pages, like c Lagos, SEE Lagos

541

does a lot of that where they'll like

tell you what's going on and for this

542

coming week, there are apps that will tell

you kind of what's going on in the city.

543

'cause there is just so much going on.

544

it's a lot.

545

But yeah, if you go to those key places,

Terra Culture, of course, Nico Art Gallery

546

go to crates, people there will also be

able to guide you and say, Hey, this is

547

going on across the street, or There's

a souk that's happening this weekend.

548

There's a popup happening in Iko.

549

You should go and check it out.

550

People will always know what's going on.

551

Daniel Edward: And that's

the best way, isn't it?

552

Just chatting to people.

553

Vanessa Jev: Yeah, honestly.

554

and people are always, very

friendly, people always willing

555

to sit down and have a chat.

556

Daniel Edward: Where's the best

, place to buy clothes and textiles?

557

'cause that's something that always

comes to mind for me as well.

558

Vanessa Jev: Okay, so for clothes, I would

say the lucky arts market, that's where

559

you're gonna get all of the boo boos.

560

That's where they'll, it's one place.

561

Everyone's kind of there selling

the booboos, the danki, those

562

are the like African style tops.

563

you've got the big, pants, the asho cape

pants made from the traditional fabrics,

564

and you can barter so you don't have to

go with the first price they give you.

565

just do a little back

and forth and then pay.

566

That's the market.

567

And then again, as you're driving

around, you'll see that every

568

week there's different popups.

569

So they have like little, tents that will

pop up, all over the place on the island,

570

selling clothes and things like that.

571

Daniel Edward: I love this popup scene.

572

it keeps it exciting for locals

as much as it does for visitors.

573

You never know quite what's coming.

574

Vanessa Jev: Yeah, no, I was literally

driving down the street the other day

575

and I was like, oh my gosh, like this,

this is a little tent, popup of clothes.

576

I have to come back here.

577

And I went the next

day and they were gone.

578

I was like, I guess they've moved

579

Daniel Edward: So it's one of those

things, see it and like it, buy it.

580

Vanessa Jev: Yes.

581

Yes.

582

Daniel Edward: Don't hang about.

583

And I love the bartering tip.

584

that's very useful to know.

585

another thing which I think would

be very useful for people to

586

know, especially coming from North

America, is to people tip in Nigeria.

587

Vanessa Jev: Yes, people do tip.

588

You don't have to.

589

But, people do tip, sometimes if

it's depending on where you're going.

590

So if you're going to kind of a bit more

of a high end, restaurant or things like

591

that, they'll include the tip in the bill.

592

but most places, you can

do a thousand nira tip.

593

It's normally fine or depending

on what, how much you've spent.

594

Yeah.

595

But tipping people tip.

596

Daniel Edward: and what does a

thousand Nira sort of equate to?

597

'cause a thousand sounds

quite a lot in pounds,

598

Vanessa Jev: So

599

let's look I think one pound

600

what can you get for a thousand Nara?

601

You could get a stick of suya.

602

You get, um, one skewer of suya,

which is sometimes more than enough.

603

it can get you like little things like

a thousand Nira is normally, it can get

604

you little, little things like candy,

sweets, maybe a little bit of puff puff.

605

very, very small things.

606

Yeah.

607

Right.

608

Daniel Edward: if you're staying around

for a week, chance are, you've got a bit

609

of time to get out of the city as well.

610

Maybe you want to get outta the city.

611

Just to sort of cool off a bit, from the

hectic and frenetic side of city life,

612

where would you say are some really

nice day trips or excursions to get a

613

little bit beyond the heart of Lagos?

614

Vanessa Jev: that you can go two ways.

615

You can head into the mainland or

you can head deeper into the island.

616

So if you're going to the mainland,

I think it, that's really to

617

experience just different life.

618

That's where, it's a bit

more residential areas.

619

There's some really nice

restaurants on the mainland.

620

I believe the fellow shrine is

there, the Africa shrine is there.

621

So it's always a nice

place for people to go.

622

And then if you've got a little

bit of time, I would say head,

623

towards, deeper into the island

site and start going to the beaches.

624

there's resorts that are, are kind of down

there that you can spend a whole day in.

625

You can go horse riding, you

can do kind of the quad bikes.

626

I would definitely head towards resort.

627

It's a lack away.

628

which you can do those in a about a day.

629

You could do, you could go for a day

and come back in the evening for sure.

630

Daniel Edward: And ES

has got the fish market.

631

Vanessa Jev: Yes, there is a fish market.

632

Daniel Edward: That's it.

633

Brings it back to food.

634

Can't get my mind off of it.

635

what about beaches?

636

Given that it's so hot and given that

you've got plenty of water around,

637

where are some of the best options?

638

Vanessa Jev: Yeah, so there's El

La Ghi Beach, which is actually

639

really close to the NEA Art Gallery.

640

on a good day, if there's no

traffic, it's about a 20 minute

641

drive from VI to get to El la Ghi.

642

And then when you get to Eleg, GHI Beach,

there's different kind of beaches on one

643

strip of beach, so it's sectioned off.

644

So you'll have Seoul Beach, you'll have,

wave Beach, you've got the Good Beach, and

645

they all offer kind of different things.

646

So Seoul Beach maybe it's a little bit

more parties, they've got the cabanas.

647

Good Beach is more like food

and, DJs and things like that.

648

So depending on, which one you

want to go to, they all have

649

different price points to enter.

650

You pay one main fee to kind of

get into the beach so that, I think

651

it's like 2000 Nira to get in.

652

And then you pay to enter the

specific area that you want to go to.

653

Daniel Edward: Okay, so there's,

no such thing as a free beach.

654

Vanessa Jev: No, there's no free beach?

655

well, not that I know of.

656

No.

657

Most places are anywhere

that you're going to go.

658

As a tourist, you're gonna pay for sure.

659

Daniel Edward: And are you paying

in cash or you're paying on card?

660

how does that balance work?

661

Vanessa Jev: to get in,

you'll normally pay in cash.

662

so let's just say it's Allego Beach.

663

To get into El Lago Beach,

664

And then let's say when we get into the

beach, we want to go to the good beach.

665

We can pay with our card, or you can

pay in cash to get into the Good beach.

666

Daniel Edward: So funny that they called

it the Good Beach because it's basically

667

saying all the others are bad beaches.

668

Very clever naming there.

669

Vanessa Jev: Right, right.

670

Daniel Edward: something that I find

really surprising, given that, we've been

671

talking all about how Lagos is essentially

this huge cultural hub and everything's

672

there, and yet it's not the capital city.

673

Vanessa Jev: It's not, it used

to be, it used to be way back in

674

the day, Lagos was the capital

and then they moved it to Abuja.

675

And it makes sense when you see Abuja and

Lagos, Abuja just has much more space.

676

Things are a bit, calm or it

definitely gives capital vibes.

677

It's a bit more, slow.

678

And it makes sense.

679

Lagos is so densely packed and busy.

680

And it would be, it would be so tough.

681

Daniel Edward: Would you recommend

doing a couple of days out to Abuja,

682

to experience it or as a tourist,

it's not really something to do.

683

Vanessa Jev: I personally love Abuja.

684

I think it's always great to go and

it's only an hour plane ride from

685

Lagos, and it's not too expensive.

686

So I would definitely say go to

Abuja and get a couple days in there.

687

It's, a beautiful city.

688

the landscaping, it's, like

I said, it's really big.

689

So driving, you've got Asso Rock,

which is where the president lives

690

and it's like a really big, rock

that they say has a face in it.

691

It's got all this like lore around it.

692

I would definitely say it's worth

doing a trip to, Abuja for sure.

693

Most definitely do it.

694

Daniel Edward: back to Lagos and I would

like to know your top thing to see or do.

695

Vanessa Jev: top things for

me to see would be seeing a

696

theatre show at Terra culture.

697

Absolutely must do it was

on my bucket list, so yes.

698

Daniel Edward: What's your

top Taurus trap to avoid?

699

Vanessa Jev: you can do a

lot of things by yourself.

700

You don't need a guide per se.

701

You don't always have to

pay for a lot of things.

702

A lot of things are free.

703

So, I would say avoid, people who

keep asking you for money or saying,

704

oh, you have to pay to get in here.

705

A lot of these places have websites.

706

Make sure you check so, you

know, nobody's trying to upsell

707

you on it with a fake price.

708

'cause something might be a 2000 nira

and they're telling you to pay 10,000

709

Nira 'cause they think you don't know.

710

So I would just avoid paying to enter

into a lot of places unless it's

711

like, you know, a museum or the beach.

712

Most places are free to get into.

713

Daniel Edward: What's your favourite

time of year for someone to visit Lagos?

714

Vanessa Jev: December,

absolutely de December.

715

Everything's going on,

theater's happening, concerts.

716

All of the stars are doing

like DeVito, whizkid burner,

717

boy, they'll all be performing.

718

December is the best time.

719

Daniel Edward: If somebody's thinking

about going, or indeed they've booked

720

and they wanna get into a good book or

a film about Lagos or just connected

721

to it to get them in the mood, is

there something you'd recommend?

722

Vanessa Jev: A film, I would

say Christmas in Lagos is a

723

great film to watch for a book.

724

there's one that went a bit viral

called Nearly All the Men in Lagos

725

are Mad, it's a really funny book.

726

Daniel Edward: And is it true?

727

Vanessa Jev: I would say so.

728

Daniel Edward: what's your top food or

drink to try when someone visits Lagos?

729

Vanessa Jev: You've got to go

with the Chapman and the Swia.

730

It's combination perfection.

731

Yes.

732

Daniel Edward: And final question.

733

If somebody's heading out there and they

wanna get a good authentic souvenir,

734

not a fridge magnet or a cap, what

can they get that's from Lagos and

735

is authentically connected to Lagos?

736

Vanessa Jev: So the public transport here

on the mainland, they're called Danfo

737

buses and they're very distinctly Lagos.

738

The minute you see them,

you know, it's a Lagos bus.

739

They're yellow, and they have a

black stripe that goes across them.

740

So I think getting a little carving

of them is always really nice.

741

'cause sometimes they'll say like leggos,

they'll like write leggos on the carving.

742

And they're really small.

743

So you can, you can get them, well, you

can get them in any size, but you can

744

get the small ones that you can put in

your, like hand luggage or something.

745

Daniel Edward: Vanessa from

the Lagos International Theatre

746

Festival, thank you so much for

our knocking Lagos for us today.

747

Vanessa Jev: Thank you.

748

Thank you so much for having me.

749

It's been such a pleasure.

750

Daniel Edward: Thank you very much again

to Vanessa Jev, the director of the

751

Lagos International Theatre Festival,

for giving us an insight into her adopted

752

home, and especially giving us that

inside of you of the art scene there.

753

If you head on out there, do make

sure to get some time in at the

754

music venues, at the theatres,

and send me a message afterwards.

755

Tell me what you think of it.

756

Can't wait to hear.

757

If you've just found Destination

Unlocked today, then do consider

758

following the podcast wherever you

are currently listening That way

759

you'll be able to easily find us again

the next time you want to discover

760

somewhere new around the world.

761

I'll see you then.

762

Bye-bye.