Lagos Day 7: Freedom Park and a literary salon

This morning I woke up at 6 and couldn't really get back to sleep.  So, I got some work done before meeting Kate to head into town.  We headed back to Freedom Park, where she toured me around.  The park had been a prison during British Colonial Rule, and parts of the prison still stand.  The walls of the prison surround the park, and the prison kitchen is now where vendors sell their food.  The layout of the first cellblock has been preserved, but it has been turned into a bunch of market vendor stalls.

Scattered throughout the grounds are life-sized statues representing the many tribes that make up Nigeria, each doing something meaningful related to their culture.

There were also busts of notable Nigerians.  Here's Fela:

Kate and I took a yellow motorized trike cab from Freedom Park to the theatre.  Along the way, we got stuck in traffic, and our driver didn't notice that the manhole in front of him lost its cover.  The front tire went straight in and we tipped up like a capsized ship.  I banged my knee a little bit, and all the passengers got out while a few local people helped haul the front tire out of the manhole. Then we piled back in the cab and were on our way!

The second show went well.  Another small house, but they were appreciative!

After the show, Bryan, Kate, and I headed back to Ikeja to a restaurant called The Mint, where one of Kate's friends was hosting a sort of literary salon about sensuality.  Kate read a few poems, another person played some songs, another improvised a dance, another had us all massage our own hands and wrists.  It was a pretty fun evening full of conversation and new faces.

Our guide/host/fixer Kate reading poetry.

After that, we walked back to the hotel and I facetimed D/R/P before heading to bed.  

Closing is tomorrow!