Topic-led editorial written from published and local knowledge. We name contributors only where they have given consent, so most pieces are published under VisitAfrica editorial.
Indigo resist-dyeing in Ogun State is a craft economy as much as an art form. Workshops around Itoku market train new dyers, supply designers in Lagos and keep pattern names in circulation that would otherwise be lost.
The sound that travels the world was built on studio time, street parties, radio play and diaspora networks. The industry behind it, engineers, managers, videographers, remains overwhelmingly Nigerian and largely self-financed.
Nigeria's film industry grew out of direct-to-video distribution in Lagos markets. Its move onto streaming platforms changed budgets and formats, but the sector still trains most of its crews on set rather than in film schools.
The reserves along the Lekki peninsula survive because organisations and neighbouring communities maintain them against steady development pressure. Visiting is possible; the conservation work is continuous.
Kano's dye pits, city walls and markets are the remains of a commercial centre linked to trans-Saharan routes for centuries. The city's craft quarters still follow that older economic geography.
Regional food traditions differ sharply, pepper soup, tuwo, amala, afang, suya, and the differences map onto agriculture, migration and religion rather than onto state boundaries.