Broadcasting
Google’s ‘Eko for Show’ Reveals the Creative Brilliance of Nigeria’s Vibrant City
The commercial hub of Nigeria is known for its bustling sidewalks, busy streets and some of the world’s most congested roads. On the other hand, Lagos’s teeming youth population, top entertainment options, beautiful beaches, skyscrapers, exciting attractions and unique cultural experiences are inextricable from the city’s status as a creative hub.
Google Nigeria country director Juliet Ehimaun Chiazor in a pose with some bikers to hearld launch of Street view and other features
Lagos is a confluence of creativity that is celebrated through Nigerian music, art, photography, fashion, theatre, literature and food.
For those looking to satisfy their curiosity, here are just five highlights from Eko for Show, a collaborative project from Google Arts & Culture and YouTube, that gives culture and travel aficionados a glimpse into what makes Lagos an epicentre for creativity and endless inspiration.
Taste Lagos with Davido: When Nigerian singer and songwriter, Davido, accepted his Best International Act award at the BET Awards in 2018, he invited the world to taste Africa. “Come to Africa! Eat the Food!”, he said.
On Eko for Show, Davido shares his African cuisine preferences and some of his favourite Nigerian dishes in an exclusive interview where he gives us a taste of delicacies like jollof rice, plantains, and ofada stew. In the interview,
Davido also also reveals where food lovers can find the best Nigerian food while also sharing his earliest memory of soulful home-cooked food.
Discover Lagos Fashion Week: Omoyemi Akerele, the Founder of Lagos Fashion Week, is taking African Fashion into the future. She realised that there was a huge market gap that needed to be filled and created a platform to spearhead change and work towards positioning fashion as a business in Nigeria. Eko for Show spotlights Africa Fashion Week as the platform celebrates a decade of fueling Africa’s creativity.
Also, check out 8 African designers that you need to know who are shaping the future of fashion. They are some of the most exciting fashion talents from across the continent that have been featured at Lagos Fashion Week over the last 10 years.
From Lagos, Accra, Côte D’Ivoire, to Johannesburg, explore the vibrancy and creativity in fashion that is recognised across the continent.
Visit Lagos’s cultural hotspots: Lagos has some unique cultural hotspots that are interesting to visit. Opt for an online experience by stepping inside Terra Culture, a one-stop venue for the creative arts, African Artists’ Foundation or Lagos National Museum which houses a collection of Nigerian art including statues , carvings as well as archaeological and ethnographic exhibits.
Get a 360 degree view in street view style of cultural hotspots such as Freedom Park, a memorial and leisure park area and contemporary art space, Rele Art Gallery.
Tour Lagos with Folorunsho Coker: The Director General of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) shares his personal highlights of Lagos on Eko for Show, revealing interesting places to visit.
Discover the energy of Lagos through open air markets like the Epe Fish Market, Mushin and Alaba. Rediscover Terra Culture and the Homecoming festival as destinations for experiencing musicals while in Lagos or the sun-kissed beaches that add to making Lagos a world class destination.
Listen to the story of Lagos: Read from, and listen to, ten female writers who share their personal reflections on living in a mega city. Hear Lagos through the words of Sefi Atta, Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn, Precious Arinze, Jùmọ̀kẹ́ Verissimo, Unoma Azuah, Chika Unigwe, Mọlará Wood, Sarah Ládípọ̀ Manyika , Ọpẹ́ Adédèjì and Ukamaka Olisakwe.
In describing Lagos, Sefi Atta, Nigerian-American author, says “Lagos gives me more stories than I can tell. Every city is a gift to storytellers, in the sense that they all have extremes, divisions and contradictions. What makes each of them different is how these elements present”.
The Eko for Show project launched by Google Arts & Culture shares over 8000 photographs, 80 online stories, 3 Street View experiences and 175 videos presented in one unified online experience spotlighting Lagos’ creative scene.
Watch behind-the-scenes interviews with Afrobeats stars Teni the Entertainer, Kizz Daniel and Reekado Banks. Explore an exhibition by artist Victor Ehikamenor and let paintings of Lagos lagoon take your breath away with the Art Camera, and learn more about the thriving arts scene with curator Azu Nwagbogu, artist Nike Davies-Okundaye and creative director Bolanle Austen-Peters.
Spotify, the Swedish audio streaming and media service provider, paid over $38 million in royalties last year to Nigerian artists who are riding on the wave growing interest in music from Nigeria and African continent.
Elsewhere, South African performers reached $21 million, up 54 per cent year- on-year.
In total the two biggest African markets got around $59 million last year.
Meanwhile, the Swedish company paid out some $10 billion in royalties worldwide in 2024.
And while Africa represents only a small part of its offering, interest in African artists has ballooned, buoyed in part by internationally recognised acts like South African singer Tyla and Nigeria’s Burna Boy.
Around 250 million user-created playlists now feature at least one Nigerian artist, and 220 million contain a South African, the company said on Thursday.
“What we’re seeing is an excellent evolution around more and more mid-tier or up-and-coming artists making a living,” said Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Much of that came from outside their home markets.
Nigerian artists have seen a 49% increase in export growth over the past three years, while South Africa saw export growth of 104%.
The number of Nigerian artists earning 10 million Naira, meanwhile, doubled year-on-year and has tripled since 2022.
In South Africa, the number of those earning between 100,000 and 500,000 rand has doubled over the past three years.
CNN International’s magazine programme, African Voices Changemakers, sponsored by Globacom, will this week celebrate two of Africa’s biggest gospel music stars, Nathaniel Bassey and Mercy Chinwo.
The 30-minute programme will showcase the gospel stars who are expected to bring their unique gospel vibes to the show.
Nathaniel Bassey, a Nigerian singer, trumpeter, and gospel songwriter, has gained massive popularity with his songs like “Yahweh Sabaoth”, “Ebenezer”, and “Tobechukwu”.
Born on August 27, 1981, Bassey studied International Relations and Politics at the University of Lagos and later Music at Middlesex University Summer School in the UK., Bassey’s music has inspired countless fans around the world.
The second guest, Mercy Chinwo, is a Nigerian gospel singer, actress, and songwriter who began her music career at age six. She signed with EeZee Conceptz in 2017 and released her first single “Excess Love” in 2018.
Chinwo has won several awards, including the Gospel Artiste of the year at the AFRIMMA Awards in 2020. With her powerful voice and captivating stage presence, Chinwo has made a significant impact on the gospel music scene across the globe.
African Voices Changemakers will air on Saturday at 8:30 a.m., with repeats on the same day at noon, and on Sunday at 4:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The show will also air on Monday at 4 a.m. The same broadcast schedule will be repeated next week.
Netflix has expanded its language options for television viewers, allowing users to select from the full list of available subtitles and dubbing languages for any title.
This update aims to make Netflix’s global catalogue more accessible, especially as nearly a third of its viewership comes from non-English language shows.
Previously, TV users could only choose from a limited selection of languages based on their location and settings.
Now, they can access the complete range of available languages for any title, similar to the flexibility already offered on mobile devices and web browsers.
For instance, a user can watch an English title like “Bridgerton” with Spanish dubbing and Korean subtitles, or opt for Japanese dubbing with Portuguese subtitles.
Netflix offers subtitles in 33 languages and audio dubbing in 36 languages across its catalogue, though the exact number of available languages may vary by title. This change responds to numerous user requests for more language options on TV platforms.
This move reflects Netflix’s commitment to enhancing accessibility and catering to its diverse global audience by providing more inclusive viewing experiences.
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