The Lagos Fanti Carnival returned in grand style drawing crowds to the heart of Lagos Island in a colourful celebration that attests to cultural revitalisation and preservation of the community’s enduring Afro-Brazilian legacy.
The 2025 carnival was revived by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Brazilian Consulate.
The event marked a symbolic homecoming, honouring the return of formerly enslaved Africans from Brazil and the heritage they built in communities including Isale-Eko, Brazilian Campos and Lafiaji.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of the event, the state’s Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, said the carnival was more than just a spectacle of colour and sound.
Benson-Awoyinka described the carnival as a living expression of history that linked generations through music, dance, costume and collective memory.
“It is being revived, not as reenactment of the past, but as a reimagined relevant celebration of our shared heritage,” she said.
Mr Oluremi Da-Costa, General-Secretary of the Brazilian Descendants Association, noted that while the Fanti Carnival remained a cultural practice in Brazil, its return to Lagos represents a deeper reconnection with ancestral identity.
Also present was the Consul General of Brazil in Lagos, Mr Manuel Lacerda Santos, who highlighted the historic ties between both countries.
He said the ties were rooted in centuries of cultural and human exchange forged during the transatlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries.
“Today, Brazil is home to the largest population of people of African descent outside Africa.
“Much of its Afro-Brazilian culture finds its roots in Nigeria heritage, from Yoruba religion and music, dance and cuisine,” he said.
The procession, which began at King’s College into the Rememberance Arcade for the parade featured communities including Isale-Eko Woro, Olowogbowo, Brazilian Campos, Epetedo, Lafiaji, Okoo-Faji and Okepopo.
In a vibrant display of inclusivity, children and persons with disabilities (PWDs) from the Brazilian Campos group received a standing ovation as they wheeled, danced and marched in colourful costumes.
People from different walks of life and age range were part of the procession of the various groups.
Noteworthy is the support from Surulere Fiesta 2025, who joined the Olowogbowo Fanti Carnival Association, to make their parade more colourful.
The atmosphere was thick with nostalgia from the aroma of seafood and local dishes wafting through the air.
Some of the local dishes included fried crabs and fishes, tapioca, eba, apon soup (African bush mango), snacks such as coconut candies, baked coconut balls, Sisi Pelebe, guguru and epa (popcorn and groundnut), and ChinChin flakes.
There were also excited cheers of revellers and spectators dancing to the sound of drums, trumpets and live music at the venue.
Mrs Omobolanle Amosu, a Lagos Island native who attended with her children, described the experience as a homecoming.
According to Amosu, the event reawakened memories of the 1980s and 1990s, when she lived near Campos, and carnivals were organised annually by the different communities.
“It’s been years since we last saw the carnival like this.
“I am so happy to share this with my children,” she said.
Amosu, however urged the organisers to make participation less restrictive, so spectators can have a better experience.
Another attendee, Mr Ajibola Junaid, who recently returned to the Island for the carnival, said the event was a symbolic reconnection with his roots.
Junaid, who is affiliated to the Isale-Eko Woro community, said the carnival reunited him with childhood friends, schoolmates and extended family members.
He urged the state government to increase its support toward the carnival so it could be more inclusive to attract natives, and friends in the diaspora.
The event also featured a thought-provoking exhibition on the personal stories of returnees from Brazil, curated by Kelechi Anabaraonye.
The exhibition explored themes of forced migration, resistance and adaptation, and cultural memory through archival materials and immersive media.
Anabaraonye said: “This is an exhibition about migration, but it is equally an exhibition about homecoming.
“It is about how cultures remember, reshape and reimagine themselves across oceans and generations.”
Government agencies, including the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Lagos State Safety Commission, were on ground to ensure the event’s smooth operation.
Governor of the state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other top government officials, diplomats, traditional rulers were also in attendance.
As dusk settled over the Rememberance Arcade and the live stage entertainment went into full swing to the excitement of the youth, one message was clear: the Lagos Fanti Carnival is back. (NAN)
