“The band was playing a rhythm influenced by rumba or calypso. And Ade Bantu was sonorously singing, “Wave your weaves in the air/show the world you’re a Lagos Barbie” when a lady from the audience got on the stage. Backing the crowd, she shook her hips. Someone from the crowd shouted, “I love you Lola! Go Lola!” Only then, did it become clear that what was on show is a rarity—a novelist dancing with grace. Each turn, each twist showed-off her skill. Her adroit coordination supplied the verb—Lola Shoneyin twerks.
If there’s a place to find a twerking novelist in Lagos, it is in Freedom Park on an Afropolitan Vibes night. This is an indication of the kind of people who attend the event. Yet those who seek a summarised census will want to know: Who does one find at Afropolitan Vibes? In other words, who is the average Afropolitan Vibes-goer?”
