A marine biologist and her physically abusive cult crazed husband, a beaten soldier, a famous Ghanaian musician, a mysterious, shapeshifting alien, a prostitute and a cross dresser in the midst of an alien invasion of Lagos city, what else could possibly go sideways? The answer is found in Lagoon, a novel by Nigerian-American science fiction and fantasy author, Nnedi Okorafor.
“And if there is one city that rhymes with ‘chaos’, it is Lagos” -Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor.
In this novel, the author offers an answer to what might occur were aliens to invade the vibrant and lively Lagos city from the point of view of a few interesting and interconnected citizen characters with their own agendas, agendas which overlap as the story progresses. As I read through, I said to myself, “This is exactly what would happen if aliens invaded most African countries.” I couldn’t put the book down right from the onset. It follows four main characters who met on Bar Beach under the strangest circumstances, Adaora the marine biologist, Agu the cast out soldier, Anthony Dey Craze the Ghanaian-born rapper and the alien who chose to be called. Ayodele (yes, all their names begin with an A, author’s discretion, don’t probe).
“We’re Nigerians”, Agu said. “Just Nigerians.” He looked at Anthony and added, “And one Ghanaian.”
-Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor.
This isn’t a book review, the focus here is the social atmosphere. If aliens were to invade Lagos in reality, the social atmosphere would, in my opinion, be very similar to the fictional social atmosphere of Lagoon. In the book, there’s a scene that I believe sums everything up. While everyone and their mother was on the way out of Lagos because riots and violence were taking place citywide, heavy traffic occurred because most people chose to use the shortest way out of the city, street vendors were peddling their wares. In. The. Midst. Of. An. Evacuation.
“Lagos, the city where nothing works yet everything happens”
-Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor.
I remember laughing out loud. Take advantage of any situation no matter what to make money, what does that remind you of? The reactions of many citizens was disbelief and fear, in fact, a minor character went mad due to being unable to process what was happening. Essentially, change is what was happening. Okorafor details how change affects the characters in this book and it is unique to each one because how we all deal with change is different. Some of us welcome it, some people put up with it because they have no choice and others feel aversion towards it. There are also people who would take advantage of change to serve their own ends and there are also others who are scared of it. Sometimes, you change for the better and other times, you change for the worst. Change is not always good despite popular opinion. It ultimately comes down to what is changing and why it is changing. Once those questions are answered, we proceed to either embrace change or reject it. So we return to the question, what if aliens invaded Lagos? Well, aliens invaded Lagos before it took its name decades ago, alien people and alien culture. Lagos is Lagos today because of the change it has undergone in the past. Obviously, colonialism isn’t good change because it’s a change that was unfortunately imposed upon the land and the people but they were resilient and enduring and they will continue to be even if intergalactic aliens did invade the city.
“Lagos na no man’s land. Nobody own Lagos, na we all get am. Eko o ni baje!”
(Lagos is no man’s land. Nobody owns Lagos, we all own Lagos. Lagos will never be destroyed)
-Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor.
Read this book, you might love it.