A date with Mama Nike

 It’s just after 2pm on Easter Sunday, so the roads are calmer than usual — by Lagos standards. Even the weather is lenient, with scattered clouds and probably the lowest temperatures I’ve experienced since touching down at Murtala Muhammed International Airport four days earlier.

With the mercury peaking at 32°C, I’ve come to appreciate that for Nigeria this is as cool as it’s going to get this time of the year. For the fresh breeze, we can credit the thunderstorm the night before. First lesson when travelling to West Africa — invest in a mini handheld fan. Last September, Accra, Ghana, was more of a melting pot — metaphorically and literally.  

To say I’ve been looking forward to visiting the world-renowned Nike Art Gallery (the largest privately owned art collection in West Africa) is an understatement. For my look of the day, I opt for something that screams “wearable art”, to complement the contemporary and traditional artworks.

I settle for a blue-and-white ALC Menswear spring/summer 2023 creation that plays on textile and is finished with a sweeping train. To give the look ease and modernity, I dress it down with matching MaXhosa Africa socks and white two-strap Arizona sandals from Birkenstock. When I emerge in the hotel lobby with a strut in my walk, social-media blogger Phil Mphela expresses concern about the practicality of the ensemble. “Won’t it catch dirt?” he asks. “That’s the point,” I quip. 

Driving past the 1.36km-long Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, I notice that many locals are rocking their Sunday best, with vibrant shades of traditional wear dominating the streets. After parking outside the gallery, we spot a transcendent African goddess in the entranceway, surrounded by a small group.

The wind blows her effortlessly chic adire kaftan, creating a more exaggerated balloon silhouette. The rainbow toe-box of Crocs peeks from under the floor-length hemline. Her reading glasses hang from a beaded neck design. But it’s her self-assured walk, combined with great posture and confident body language, that demands your attention. It’s Nike Davies-Okundaye, affectionately known as Mama Nike.  

Rocking a shaven head, she is almost unrecognisable without her towering gele head wrap. But her biggest fan and my travel companion Tobeka Lwana could pick her out in a crowded place (sounds like a James Blunt song). Lwana yells out “It’s Mama Nike!” and she responds with a resounding “Welcome. This is home!” Chills go down my spine. Am I dreaming? Is she here in the flesh? Mama Nike welcomes Lwana with a warm embrace and so we follow. 

After a quick introduction, she picks up that I’m trying to prevent the dramatic train from collecting dirt. We lock eyes and she smiles, “Don’t pick it up, let it be one with the ground, that’s how our people used to dress back in the day. You are royalty.” At this stage, I’m so starstruck I think I might faint, but I’m holding it together. She then proceeds to announce that I’m a prince and today she’s going to crown me as one. “At the end [of the tour], we are going to dress you up,” she says. I smile and dismiss it as a joke. While she has a strong presence,  she’s also soft-spoken, gentle, maternal and polite. Her smile lights up the room.

As far as her work is concerned, Mama Nike can only be described as the textile queen of the continent — she is globally recognised as a pioneer of African arts and culture. Her career, spanning over five decades, is synonymous with cloth- and artworks that use batik and adire textiles and employ wax-resist techniques.  

Mama Nike leads us into the gallery. When she opens the adire-patterned door, it’s like the grand entrance scene in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Only there are no candy-coated sugary treats. Just a feast for the eyes, mind, body and soul, with over 20 000 artworks in the five-storey building. Curated by Nike, on display are exhibitions of predominantly Nigerian artists’ works, including Badejo Abiodun, Abdulrazaq Ahmed, Nelson Okoh, Mavua Lessor, Rom Isichei and Tolu Aliki. 

After an hour of exploring a portion of the building, I come down the stairs accompanied by my tour guide. Downstairs, Mama Nike has now transformed herself into the image we have come to expect. She sports her signature towering headwrap, accessorised with shoulder beads, matching red earrings and bracelets.

She informs my tour guide that she shouldn’t bother finding a pullover boubou for me because she has already handpicked one and set it aside for the crowning of the prince. It’s an indigo adire design and it slips on like a glove. “Blue is regal; you should always walk with pride,” she advises. We then sing, play dress up, take pictures and dance the afternoon away. It i a spiritual awakening and a highlight in my journalism career.

As for food in Lagos, Kaly Restaurant and Bar Lounge on Victoria Island is easily my favourite spot in the world. As you step into the elevator and ascend to the seventh floor, you immediately get the sense that you are in for a mouth-watering experience. The stunning flowers and ultra-modern décor offer a first glimpse of celestial fantasy. Then, when you reach the rooftop, you feel closer to heaven.

The to-die-for terrace is perfect for Instagram snaps. It’s no surprise that on Friday night it is a popular spot for multiple intimate birthday celebrations. But the real party is on the Mediterranean menu compiled by a Lebanese head chef. We indulge in a tapas-style dinner. The chargrilled chicken wings served with a pepper-and-cumin dip is a winner, while the signature hummus is just as delicious. Grilled tiger prawns and lamb chops get the taste buds equally excited. I’m not a dessert person, but the mascarpone cheesecake is packed with layers of sugary flavour. The unbaked dessert, served with red berry sauce, is light, smooth, and creamy. To this day, I still dream of it.

For African flavours, I recommend NOK by Alara. You have to find a seat outside to enjoy the bamboo-framed garden feel and architectural design of the contemporary African eatery. Although the staff could be more friendly, when it comes to the food, expect an explosion of wild and spicy flavours.

The sautéed snails with garlic, parsley and chilies are scrumptious and the goat roll has the right crunch. To get an idea of the flavour profiles on the menu, order the Alara platter. The jerk chicken with waakye (Ghanaian rice and beef) is soulful and the portion is generous enough to take some back to my hotel, although the flavours could have been more balanced in the lamb mafé with peanut-butter sauce. Wash it all down with palm-wine crush — a cocktail made of passion fruit, orange nectar, palm wine, lemon, and Cointreau.  

As for my stay at The George Hotel Lagos in affluent Ikayi, it is comfortable and quiet, and the king-sized bed is as soft as a marshmallow. I stay in a dreamy penthouse suite, with a spacious balcony that overlooks the outdoor swimming pool. It goes down well with all those bottomless mimosas.  

Tjiya was a guest of Amazon Prime Video.