Anthony Bourdain Visits Lagos

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by caribny

That is the point. He spoke to wealthy people but we didn't see what high end Nigerian food is.

Most of Nigeria's food is imported anyway. The high end cuisine would probably be Western or Asian. He probably was looking for a more authentic setting.

[EdwardA]

Originally Posted by NigerianNightmare

The problem isn't that he showed poverty. I love Anthony Bourdain and how he always goes to the tough areas. The problem is that when talking about Lagos and Africa as a whole, at least in western (American/UK mostly) documentaries. The most famous places are often the poorest of a generally poor place. While look at the famous places of NYC for example their is Harlem but are there any specific Bronx neighborhoods that are poor today, do most people think Brownsville when they think NYC? The problem starts when Lagos, one of the wealthiest cities on the continent (Only 20 million people but the 5th biggest economy in Africa if it was a city-state and is expected to be the third after Egypt and Nigeria itself by 2020) has Maroko as the most popular neighborhood to visit when in Nigeria itself it is a little bit more than a footnote to the average Nigerian. Ikoyi, Lekki Victoria Island wealth is never shown except to talk about Eko Atlantic Project. Lekki alone is hard to find in many cities (half a million plus people mostly living in American sized middle class houses. I mean those areas don't look impressive but when you have people going to a rundown apartment near Victoria Island and acting like it is representative of the average household living in those neighborhoods and calling it "middle class" when half of the apartment dwellers don't even have electricity is disappointing. I don't expect you to focus on the million to two million doing well when 19 million are struggling but their going to the poorest of the poor or going to a depressed area/ apartment surrounded by actual middle class people and calling it middle class.

The problem isn't Anthony Bourdain as he is doing his shtick, the problem is that he is like the 5th person to show Maroko. He is like the fifth person to never actually show the Lekki-Victoria Island-Lagos Island- Ikoyi part of Lagos that is continuously ignored.

It's like making a documentary on New York City and never stepping a foot or even showing a picture towards Manhattan although that is likely were your hotel is located.

It's a catch-22 if you show how most people live you're accused of engaging in poverty porn. If you show just the rich then you're accused of ignoring the poor.

Nigeria has its faults but at least it's not run by a dictator whose nearly 50 year old son is flossing on Instagram every day.

https://www.google.com/search?q=teod...w=1014&bih=615

[Motion]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Most of Nigeria's food is imported anyway.

Why is that?

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Most of Nigeria's food is imported anyway. The high end cuisine would probably be Western or Asian. He probably was looking for a more authentic setting.

That literally have nothing to do with each other or even make sense.

Restaurants and chiefs can import raw foods from different counties and use it to make foods following their own traditions or local cuisine.

Also when Anthony be visiting places like Chicago he be going to Italian and etc restaurants. This because culture can be transmitted into another region and becomes local. It's still a restaurant or chief apart of local scene.

What Anthony had shown disdain for are chain restaurants he made that especially clear when he was in Cuba, though went to a waffle house in SC before.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by NigerianNightmare

The problem isn't that he showed poverty. I love Anthony Bourdain and how he always goes to the tough areas. The problem is that when talking about Lagos and Africa as a whole, at least in western (American/UK mostly) documentaries. The most famous places are often the poorest of a generally poor place. While look at the famous places of NYC for example their is Harlem but are there any specific Bronx neighborhoods that are poor today, do most people think Brownsville when they think NYC? The problem starts when Lagos, one of the wealthiest cities on the continent (Only 20 million people but the 5th biggest economy in Africa if it was a city-state and is expected to be the third after Egypt and Nigeria itself by 2020) has Maroko as the most popular neighborhood to visit when in Nigeria itself it is a little bit more than a footnote to the average Nigerian. Ikoyi, Lekki Victoria Island wealth is never shown except to talk about Eko Atlantic Project. Lekki alone is hard to find in many cities (half a million plus people mostly living in American sized middle class houses. I mean those areas don't look impressive but when you have people going to a rundown apartment near Victoria Island and acting like it is representative of the average household living in those neighborhoods and calling it "middle class" when half of the apartment dwellers don't even have electricity is disappointing. I don't expect you to focus on the million to two million doing well when 19 million are struggling but their going to the poorest of the poor or going to a depressed area/ apartment surrounded by actual middle class people and calling it middle class.

The problem isn't Anthony Bourdain as he is doing his shtick, the problem is that he is like the 5th person to show Maroko. He is like the fifth person to never actually show the Lekki-Victoria Island-Lagos Island- Ikoyi part of Lagos that is continuously ignored.

It's like making a documentary on New York City and never stepping a foot or even showing a picture towards Manhattan although that is likely were your hotel is located.

I think it was a good video, I think he did a good job showing the passion in the city and what the city can be.

But you have a point

He definitely gloss over Victoria Island. but outside a luxury car racing down the street he didn't portray much success or places that make people want to visit. Nor did you really pick up a sense of how big Lagos is, They said it had a mega-city population 21 million but the Ariel shoots they used made it look like it could been another Africa city around 3 million.

Honestly I think probably could solved that with better Ariel shots of Victoria Island,

http://lactualite.com/assets/uploads/2014/11/lagos3.jpg

]http://nigeriarealestatehub.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Victoria-Island-Lagos.jpg

http://i1.wp.com/www.becomeenglishte...skyline-03.jpg

http://www.visionsnigeria.com/images/lagos_skyline4.jpg
Lagos seen closer to LA then NY

https://ak2.picdn.net/shutterstock/v...ize(height:160)

In fact the only good ariel shot that were showed to represent any size at all was Makoko

http://i.imgur.com/maFnsXO.jpg
but besides bad Ariel and need more of Victoria Island it was pretty good.