this is freaky. man in black glasses: that shift in music had a lot to do with the war. archival: nigeria s rebel eastern state, the republic of biafra, declared itss independence. man in black glasses: that music was needed to translate the darkness. archival: soldiers of the breakaway province suffered heavy casualties and ultimate defeat. 1000 biafrans a day died of starvation. anthony: the music was a defiant middle finger to war, to corruption, and to repressive military rule. man in black glasses: you know how military dictators try to control everything. anthony: but of all the music at the time, nothing and nobody took it directly to the people in such explicitly confrontational terms, its afro-beat and its architect, fela kuti. when the government were giving
cook everything at home, so you go you buy from the street. anthony: so who blogs about food here? atim: we all do. iqou: we all blog about it. anthony: all? atim: yeah. anthony: atim, her mom, iqou, and friend, oz, are all hard workers, holding down multiple jobs between them. but they hold on to their fierce love of food and cooking. who are your readers? atim: primarily nigerians. anthony: homesick nigerians also, i would think in the states. iqou: particularly homesick. atim: yeah, but then people who are married to nigerians that want to learn the cuisine. anthony: ah. these days, one often eats quickly in a place like this. yakoyo, serving traditional nigerian dishes made the way they should be made. iqou: this is called ewedu, juiced nigerian leaves. anthony: ewedu is a soup from the yoruba tribe. crayfish, chilies, locust beans and jute leaves. this is good. oz: have you had jollof rice?
every person seems to be tainted a little. anthony: police, politicians, business leaders. everybody gets their piece of the action. it s a daily fact of life in lagos. [ sirens ] this is a big oil rich country. why doesn t it look like dubai? kadaria: well, i hate to be on this show and talk nigeria down. you know what it is, because you hear all these things all the time. so yes, there is corruption, it is about corruption. it s about that fact that the resources that are supposed to be used for people aren t being used for people. anthony: kadaria ahmed is a progressive journalist, editor, and tv host who moderates the presidential debates. kadaria: years of military rule meant that people were brutalized. there was a fight against thinking. anthony: there was an anti-intellectual movement where you were punished for
this is pounded yam. anthony: of course. this i ve seen. iqou: and this is amala. anthony: you pound it and cook it kind of like this. oz: no. this is yam raw, sliced, ground into a flour, and then cooked into a meal. a bit like grits. iqou: it s about what you want and how you want to combine it. thank you. oz: you don t tilt your glass when you pour in there? anthony: i do, i m just lazy. man, you guys are harsh. oz: no, no, no. anthony: i m going to be reading about myself on your blog, he s an animal at the table. the food here is really, really good. iqou: we re seeing quite a bit of revolution going on. we re not all sit at home moms anymore. not many people want to pound yam. she certainly doesn t want to pound yam. and i m sure when she s getting married, one of her gifts to her husband s house will not be a mortar and a pestle. oz: unlike 20 years or
looking to make it big. banky: absolutely. anthony: the smartest, the fastest, the best, the brightest make it over here. banky: yup. it s that place. it ll make you. or it ll break you. sink or swim. anthony: shina pella owns quilox one of africa s most exclusive night clubs. shina: i built the nightclub by myself with my construction company. anthony: banky wellington is an artist and business man. banky: i m a record label owner. i m an actor. i m a director. i do videos and tv commercials. i m in advertising. i m in real estate. i m training to be a chef. anthony: why work so hard? you don t have to hustle. your life is good. business is good. why are you doing so many things? shina: that is something that is just common in nigeria. you know? banky: there s the eternal nigerian optimism, that tomorrow is going to be better than today. anthony: yeah. where does that come from? why are nigerians so optimistic? banky: i think it s born out of necessity. you k