Makoko: The Floating Community
As a young boy, I had always been fascinated by the sight of Makoko from across the Third Mainland Bridge; It was a scene that impressed me, and I have always wanted to visit the community.
Makoko was founded as a fishing village in the 19th century, with houses built on stilts. Many do not know that the community is divided into six villages, with four on water and two on land. With a population of over 100,000, Makoko is one of the largest floating slums in the world.
As I made my way into the heart of the community, my tour guide kept on mentioning the name of streets as we made turns around the buildings. I was shocked to find out that they had streets within the community.
In Makoko, kids are taught to swim from a tender age of 2; and to paddle a boat as soon as they are four. Fishing, timber and sand dredging are the major occupations of the people of Makoko, the men do the fishing while the women; help to smoke and sell the fish. However, other forms of trading activities happen within the community.
You will find women hawking various commodities on their canoes from street to street.
They tend to put their goods on the canoe and begin to paddle around the community. Most women do this to support their spouses.
Makoko might be beautiful from across the Third Mainland bridge, however down here in Makoko the same can not be said. The people lack any form of government presence, the only government school, “the floating school” got destroyed by heavy windstorm. The few private schools constructed by residents, are poorly equipped and well under staffed.
One of the striking things I noticed in the school, was the fact that pupils were being taught in French. I asked my tour guide why this was happening in an English-speaking country. He refused to answer and gave a smile. After pressing further, he said most schools found it hard to finance the cost of employing an English teacher from outside. So, they choose to employ someone from the community. Since the community is dominated by the Eguns, who trace their roots to Benin Republic, it became unavoidable not to be taught in French.
In my interaction with the kids, they were initially against having their pictures taken, one of the children even shouted at another saying, “They will take your picture and sell it for some money”. This is true because a lot of people come here, take pictures to seek sympathy and aids for Makoko, and these aids never get to the people.
Many of these school kids never get the opportunity to further their education beyond the primary school level. Once they drop out of school they learn a trade, or pick up the family business of fishing, sand/timber dredging or canoe making, as the case may be.
NB: This is part of a series documenting water communities in Lagos.
