ONE LOVE! Bob Marley (Death) Anniversary, 11 May 1981

If just few years ago when I was a rasta kid in Bari (south Italy) someone have told me that I would celebrate a Bob Marley aniversary in a Island in West Africa dancing live reggae music on the sand under the moon I would say: stop dreaming my friend. Well sometimes dreams come true and thanks to my friend Bami, who invited me, this time the dream really happened. I arrived to Tarkwa Bay at 6:00pm and we went to the village to meet some friends. I have been many times in Tarkwa but that was my first day in the village. I felt like if I was in a movie or in a dream, walking around with my rasta friends, Bob's music everywhere and the warm people of the village that made me feel like at home. The party was great and I'll talk about it later, but the best part of that night was the hospitality I received in Mama's Elizabeth House. She saw me and she told me: "you cannot go the party without dinner". She invite me to her house where I met his husband and the rest of her lovely family. She cooked me a fantastic pasta and we spent a couple of hours chatting all together with only illumination of the light of the moon (in Tarkwa there is no public electricity) and the soundtrack of the sea. Then we went to the beach the band was there playing, we danced and enjoined all the night. We came back walking and talking about how Bob's world wide influence, about how the world would be different if he would be still alive, and comparing his influence with Fela's experience. The next morning sweet Mama Elizabeth prepared a wonderful breakfeast, we talked about the party and how I enjoyed it. It was very difficult to take the boat that brought me back to the city and leave all that peaceful atmosphere behind me. Today I'm writing from my house in London, I can close my eyes and I can still feel the breeze of the Benin Gulf, the music, the friendship and the warm of the house of the family that treat me just like another son. One Love!

OKADA RIDERS! The most popular and essential transport in everyday life in Lagos

You cannot say you had been in Lagos if you haven't tried to go around the city on an Okada. I'm conscious that transport in this city is a big problem for thousand of people that sometimes must to travel for hours to reach their job everyday, and okadas is for most of them the best solution for mobility, is cheaper and faster than a taxi, and is fresher than a minibus, but let me talk about it from another point of view. Some years ago (actually 18) I had read a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values where the author (Robert Pirsig) in one of the firsts chapters talk about the difference between to cross a land inside a vehicle, and when you do the same thing riding a bike. Inside a car you are physically separated from the environment and your perception of the world around you is filtered by the windows of your car, watching the reality like in a screen. From the other side when you are traveling in a bike you are a part of the environment you are crossing, you can feel the smells, the temp of the air, you can here the noises and look at the people face to face. Well I just can say that it’s true, and I recommend to try but first I will give to you some recommendations: Is important to choose the right okada if you don’t want to transform your supposed relaxed experience in a moto gp trial :). First choose one with a bike in good conditions. Second look at the okada rider, I personally prefer not too young and not too old, that’s means experience and more conscience. Then establish the price of the trip before and once in the road just remember to keep your knees close to bike especially in proximity of traffic.

Well my first experience was some month ago, from Adeola Odeku to my house. People were looking at me like “Hey! Look at that Oyimbo (white guy) on an Okada!” It was a very hot day and my company’s drivers were not around. This is my great opportunity, I thought, just a whistling and my okada rider was ready to pick me. Once the trip starts you can feel the breeze and the hot of the day is past for few minutes. I had arrived to my destination very fast, and like a child in a luna park I didn’t want to stop. Once in my house I realized I didn’t have little notes of money (my deal was 30 Naira), but one of the drivers of the company was there, James, and he told me with a smile in his face, “Don’t worry Sir. I’ll give the rest for you”.

Take a virtual tour from Mega Plaza through Ozumba to Musa Balarabe. Price:60 Nairas ;)

Hey Man!

Ok, I did it again and who knows me very well knows what I’m talking about (or not Squaz?). In September in my first week in Lagos a friend invited both Enrique and me to a church in Mainland, in the north of the city. Neither Enrique nor me are two that you can call a religious guy, but for us it would be a new experience because the type of ceremony, a Gospel mass. For a Blues lover like me it was very exciting to assist to this kind of event and after few minutes we were completely involved in the atmosphere and believe me we saw the light! Yes just like the blues brothers, the only two white guys in the middle of a Gospel mass singing and praying with our hands up to the sky … HEY MAN! HEY MAN! Yes I started to follow people telling Hey Man! After each pray of the pastor.

The experience was very intense and nice and all this time I was thinking in how Blues sounds speak to God calling him “Hey Man!”, but some days ago I was watching TV with a friend and someone in the movie praying said: hey man! And I said, “Hey! This is not a gospel ceremony, why he say Hey Man?“ … my friend start to laugh I correct me telling: no Raffaele, is not “Hey Man” when you pray you must to say AMEN!AMEN!AMEN!

Is time to talk

This is my first attempt to write in English in my blog,
so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

After all these months without making any comments, I think it is time to talk about my new country, in fact my new life. From my first day in Nigeria, I was thinking of writing about this country, its wonderful people and all the experiences I'm having here. It's not easy for me to find a starting point, it's not easy to summarize in just a few words all the experiences I'm having here every day., But I can say that every day I learn something new about Nigeria, Nigerians and life in general. Let’s start with my new hobby, surfing. A couple of weeks ago, I discovered Tarkwa Bay, a little bay near Lagos, a 15 minutes ride by boat from Ikoyi. There, I met Soji my surfing teacher and also a friend, who let me borrow his surfing board and showed me how to ride my first waves., Well actually I did not ride it but at least I learned how to paddle and take the waves in body surfing style :D. Anyway, surfing is a lot of fun, however, what I really wanted to tell you about was how Nigerians are . Here is my real story, I was trying to keep a wave when I started to feel sick , my stomach hurt and I needed to go to the bathroom urgently! Hey, it is true, don’t laugh, it was terrible! I asked Soji for a place to go and he said: “follow me, let’s go to my house, it is just five minutes away”. I didn’t have my shoes there, so he took his own shoes and told me: “Take this Raff, the sand is too hot!”, then he saw the pain in my face, and he understood I didn’t have time to go to his home,Thus he asked one of the neighbors for help. Of course they helped me , and the “Mama” told me to feel free to take a shower and relax. What can I say? I’m talking about real humble people who gave me all their hospitality. Let’s clarify this, I paid for my surfing lesson, and I gave some money to the Mama who helped me, but I didn't pay for their gentility and the Mama's warm smile.

That’s it, simple stories, simple things, simple lessons that I learn every day in my new Country and that I wanted to share with all of you.