00:05This is not a real carnival in Brazil.
00:09This is Lagos, Nigeria.
00:11Today is an exciting day when we experience color and culture on a whole different level.
00:17I'm Bibi Rea and I am in the heart of Lagos Island at Afewa Bolewa Square
00:21attending the Lagos Fancy Carnival.
00:23The Lagos Fancy Carnival traces its roots to Africans who returned from Brazil after enslavement,
00:30bringing back not just memories, but culture reshaped across oceans and time.
00:35I feel like it may sound a bit macy, but I think the whole carnival itself makes me macy.
00:41So I'm from Lagos Island, apart from the Gomez family.
00:44So we have Afro-Brazilian roots, obviously.
00:48She's always like seeing people come and celebrate our culture, Lagos culture.
00:51I know they did the carnival a few years ago.
00:54So it's beginning of a year, like in the 1800s, when the returnees came back.
00:59Today, 140 years later, a new generation is fighting to keep that story alive.
01:05We've come together, saved me.
01:09This is all between the upper class or the grown-up class.
01:12It's everybody.
01:13You can see the Gokno, the Vice Gokno, everybody, the Esco.
01:18Teddy, where did you sign him from?
01:19I'm from Ecuador.
01:21I'm really excited.
01:22We also have carnival.
01:23Yes.
01:24So, you know, nice music, a lot of polars, dancing, good food.
01:30And it's just a celebration of culture, diversity, and life.
01:34So I'm really excited.
01:37This is more than spectacle.
01:39It's an identity in motion.
01:41The Aguda community fused Afro-Brazilian influence with West African tradition, creating something entirely their own.
01:50For Afro-Brazilians in Nigeria, the carnival is not just celebration.
01:54It's remembrance, a living connection to ancestors who journeyed far and found their way home.
02:14Yet, beyond the color and celebration, there's a quieter truth.
02:19Preserving this legacy in a rapidly changing Lagos is becoming harder with each passing year.
02:25As the time moves forward, the question lingers.
02:28Can a tradition survive when fewer people carried story?
02:31And even fewer have the means to sustain it?
02:34Lagos Fancy Carnival actually dates back to 1895.
02:39And that was when the very first carnival was held on Lagos Island.
02:42Wow.
02:43And it's a heritage that was brought back to Lagos by the Afro-Brazilian returnee.
02:49Wow.
02:49Okay.
02:50Fancy and Afro-Brazilian culture heritage is a story of resilience.
02:56It's a story of those who came back.
02:58Yeah.
02:58And that's why that story has to be continually told.
03:01Absolutely.
03:01Now, what would you say to those that think that perhaps it runs the risk of becoming a museum piece?
03:07That is to say that maybe young people are not really interested or adapting with it.
03:12What would you say to those people?
03:14Okay.
03:14The fact that I would say that look at all these young people here.
03:16There's young people everywhere.
03:17Look at all these young people everywhere.
03:18Yeah.
03:18Okay.
03:19But I think more than that, I think that if the heritage has been able to be continued from 1895,
03:26it shows that it has been handed down.
03:29Yeah.
03:30It has been continued.
03:31It has been curated.
03:33It has been cultivated.
03:34Yeah.
03:34And that has to be encouraged.
03:36It tells the story all the time.
03:38Absolutely.
03:38Absolutely.
03:39How important is it in 2026 that we keep these kind of traditions alive and that something
03:43like the Fancy Carnival is not forgotten about it and continues on growing?
03:47Okay.
03:48So apparently we've always had Fancy.
03:49I remember growing up seeing Fancy.
03:51So you know what we have now, it's for us to protect and guide our cultural values.
03:57Yeah.
03:57So our kids can know that yes, Fancy is indeed a place where you can actually learn about
04:02your cultural values and learn about the arts and culture.
04:05What story are you trying to tell with your costume today?
04:07Okay.
04:07My wings are actually like for you to show and depict the fact that they've given us freedom.
04:12Yes.
04:13So freedom for you to thrive in the political field.
04:15So you know, my horse is actually depicting another one that we can actually grow.
04:20We don't have to be, we don't have to be rebellious.
04:23We just have to ensure that we do the right thing.
04:25And once we do the right thing, I'm sure that people will actually come on board.
04:29Once at risk of fading, the Carnival is finding new life.
04:33As a younger generation steps forward, reclaiming it and reshaping what it means today.
04:39As the Fancy Carnival draws to a close, the vibes are still buzzing.
04:43The air is filled with sounds of samba and Afrobeat still echoes in our ears.
04:48Now it's been quite the celebration, I must say.
04:50I've learned a lot.
04:51I've eaten a whole lot of good food and my feet hurt from all the dancing.
04:55So it's time that I say goodbye.
04:57I'll catch you guys next time.
04:59Adios.
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