#danfo

Writer Ify Obi and photographer Manny Jefferson document the cultural significance of Danfos against the socio-economic challenges threatening their very existence.

CMS, Lagos 

“Ancient of days, as old as you are you remain the same... “ In 2017, governor Akinwumi Ambode decided to get rid of “Danfos” in Lagos because they didn’t fit the modern city that Lagos is. This is because most of the Danfos appear old and rickety. But in all of these actions that threatened the existence and operations of Danfos, the stakeholders remained resolute and till now these buses are still operating and serving about 30million people in Lagos. . . 📷: Nana Osei - 2019 . . #lagos #nigeria #broadstreet #africa #transportation #danfo #buses #city #modern #governor #akinwunmiambode #ashantiimmigrant #streetstyle #streetphotography #afrospacetime #dancegathering #ancient #operations #existence #everydayafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique (at Lagos, Nigeria) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvw1B56gnL1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pt99uejryusk

Our one true colour!

Danfo is the name for the commercial yellow buses that operate in Nigeria. These buses serve the transportation needs of about 21 million in Lagos alone. They usually appear old and rickety but are very much up to the task they are ‘designed for.’ The Danfos have become one of the noticeable aesthetics of Lagos state, and literally a part of the lives of many Lagosians. In 2017, the governor of Lagos Akinwunmi Ambode, announced a “Bus Reform Initiative”, a three-year plan aimed at introducing over 5,000 air-conditioned buses to replace the Danfo buses. The state wanted to get rid of them because “the Danfo buses, which are mostly old and rickety, are no longer befitting for the state’s mega city status.” This initiative was met with resistance from the stakeholders (drivers, bus owners, conductors, and transport unions) in the Danfo business. For the drivers, they state was going to render them jobless, and that was going to have a negative effect on their lives and that of their families. It’s been two years since this initiative was implemented and the Danfos are still in business, as usual serving the city and its people. These Yellow buses and the stakeholders have lived on the edge of threats of extinction through the “Times and Spaces” they've known as their own for a long time. Whiles in Lagos for Dance Gathering 2019, I did a little study about this situation, and through a collaboration with Uruguayan artist @f___velazquez_ , Spanish filmmaker @migrosma and Nigerian performance artist @olowu_busayo , I created a photo and video work titled “Se Otife Malo ni…” which literally translates ‘Are you going…’ based on the theme of the festival “Afro Space Time.” . . #lagos #lagosstate #bariga #nigeria #africa #art #contemporaryart #dancegathering #dancegathering2019 #danfo #buses #transportation #afrospacetime #time #space #ashantiimmigrant #photography #research #everydayafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique #artists #contemporaryartist #streetstyle #streetphotography (at QDance Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BubI61Agq-x/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tim7grsl7i6c

“Se otife malo ni...?” Nana Osei Kwadwo ©️2019 . . #lagos #lagosstate #bariga #nigeria #africa #art #contemporaryart #dancegathering #dancegathering2019 #danfo #buses #transportation #afrospacetime #time #space #ashantiimmigrant #photography #research #everydayafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique #artists #contemporaryartist #streetstyle #streetphotography #afropresentism (at Lagos, Nigeria) https://www.instagram.com/p/BudaVROgBLP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ako3imoq9jhr

“Se otife malo ni...?” Nana Osei Kwadwo ©️2019 . . #lagos #lagosstate #bariga #nigeria #africa #art #contemporaryart #dancegathering #dancegathering2019 #danfo #buses #transportation #afrospacetime #time #space #ashantiimmigrant #photography #research #everydayafrica #dynamicafrica #visiterlafrique #artists #contemporaryartist #streetstyle #streetphotography #afropresentism (at Lagos State) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bul4PgmgUBQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1su9g3wdq1tnr

Rain-Kissed Danfo #nigeria #lagosnigeria #vscocam #snapitoga #danfo #volkswagen #vw #vwtransporter #transporter #yellow (at 1004 Estate)