Makoko (Lagos)

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Coordinates: 6 ° 29 ′ 44 ″  N , 3 ° 23 ′ 39 ″  E

Makoko (2010)

Makoko is a community consisting mainly of stilt houses in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area (county) of the metropolis of Lagos in the Nigerian state of Lagos State .

geography

Makoko is located on the western edge of the Lagos lagoon . The population estimated in the 2007 census was 85,840 people. The majority of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing, timber processing and retail trade.

history

According to local tradition, Makoko was founded by fishermen in the 18th century. Since the 19th century, the community has become an important center for processing tree trunks, which are still floated into the pile dwelling settlement today. In the 20th century, the extraction of sand for the construction industry became more important.

In 2012, the Makoko stilt houses should disappear and the area between the mainland and the Third Mainland Bridge should be converted into building land by adding sand from the lagoon. The violent eviction of the residents resulted in one fatality and the operation was suspended for the time being. The status quo has not changed since then.

Future development

Makoko continues to be an area within Lagos where security and order are "guaranteed" by the Area Boys and where municipal and state institutions have little influence. There are currently only a few schools and the floating school project is attracting a lot of attention. The ARD reported on January 12, 2014 in the program Weltspiegel about Makoko and the school. On the morning of June 7, 2016, the wooden structure of the floating school was destroyed by a thunderstorm. Your future is so far uncertain.

The Nigerian photographer Oluyinka Adeparusi received the German Media Prize for Development Policy 2013 for his photo report on Makoko .

literature

  • Iwan Baan : Photos by Makoko: School at Sea, online , New York Times Magazine, May 26, 2013.

Web links

Commons : Makoko  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Destroying Makoko in: The Economist, August 18, 2012
  2. ↑ Report of the Al Jazeera television channel from November 11, 2013
  3. ^ Makoko Floating School
  4. ↑ Guardian Report
  5. ↑ http://www.dw.de/oluyinka-adeparusi-nigeria/a-17005739