Lagos Street Art: Picturing Donald Trump



I was on fieldwork in Nigeria in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected and I remember that his inauguration was highly anticipated. Many people I spoke to hoped that as the son of a Kenyan man he would take a special interest in Africa while others feared that he might be assassinated before officially taking office. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the recent elections were once again followed closely in Nigeria and that Donald Trump – as potential saviour or threat, depending on one's political leanings featured prominently in recent public imaginations. There were pro-Trump rallies in the Southeast by those once again asking for the independence of Biafra, while the Daily Trust warned that relations with the US would be unstable for the period of Trump's presidency … and, then, there are Nigeria's artists, of course, who reflect on contemporary developments in the US.

So, I just leave you with this photograph of an artist in Lagos producing a portrait of Donald Trump that I stumbled across on Twitter this morning. I'll refrain from further commentary. Except, let me highlight that Trump here is shown wearing military uniform rather than the suits that he is more commonly seen in. Any significance to that? I don't know. You tell me.


Anyway, here's the photograph.                                                                 



[Okay, this was meant to go up on Friday in time for Trumps inauguration but my equipment, a doctor's appointments that took all morning and my low pain threshold chose to conspire against my plans to once be on-topic with a blogpost here. Not that I terribly mind (being late, I did mind the pain.]

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