The vibrant pulse of Lagos' underground music scene has found a new home in a groundbreaking exhibition. The Alliance Française de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre is currently hosting Mara Mania, an immersive showcase that documents the rise of one of the city's most dynamic cultural movements. The exhibition opened recently and will run until December 20, 2025.
From the Streets to the Gallery: Preserving a Cultural Phenomenon
This innovative project is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of France in Nigeria, Alliance Française de Lagos, Creation Africa Nigeria, Kadima, WeTalkSound, and Improv. It uses interactive installations, archival materials, and multimedia displays to trace the genre's journey from the streets of Lagos Mainland to gaining international recognition.
At the opening, the Consul General of France to Nigeria, Laurent Favier, expressed his fascination. "I was very astonished to learn that Mara means 'street' or 'madness'. Considering the sound of the music, I was not surprised to see that the BPMs are crazy, are speedy," Favier remarked. He highlighted that the French Embassy's support via the Creation Africa Fund underscores a commitment to amplifying youth-led cultural expressions.
An Authentic Journey Curated with the Community
Co-curators Anthony Dike and Marianne Ournac prioritized authentic representation by working directly with the Mara community. "It was very important for us to engage with the Mara community, as well as with people that work within the music space," Dike explained. They collaborated closely with Kadima, a central figure in the movement, who vetted all research. Every featured TikTok dancer signed consent forms, and all artists received proper attribution, ensuring the community's voice remained central.
The exhibition is structured as a journey through symbolic "bus stops," each exploring a different facet of Mara culture. A timeline, styled as the "Mara Forex," mirrors trading charts to reflect the movement's fluctuations, nodding to the forex trading activities of some community members.
Key pioneers featured include:
- The late Odogwu Mara
- DJ YK Mule
- DJ Cora
- DJ Khalipha
A significant milestone highlighted is DJ Khalipha's recent performance at Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Festival, where global producer Skrillex played his music, signaling Mara's expanding global reach.
Interactive Experiences Mirroring Lagos Reality
Visitors are invited to engage directly with the culture. An installation called the 'wall at the edge' uses projection software to let people learn dance moves by superimposing their image over a dancer's. Another powerful piece is a charging centre installation, displaying TikTok videos on phones wired together with generator cables. This mirrors the neighbourhood charging stations where many creators power their devices to produce content.
"People need to take their phones sometimes to charging centres to charge them so that they are able to create videos like this," Dike noted, connecting the art to Lagos' everyday infrastructural realities.
A stationed Keke Napep (tricycle) invites visitors to cover it with stickers, recreating the decorated vehicles common on Lagos streets. Another station features MPC machines loaded with stems from DJ Khalipha, allowing attendees to craft their own Mara beats while watching software convert sound into visual audio spectrums.
When asked about the timing of the documentation, Dike emphasized cultural preservation. "It’s not about why now. It’s about being mindful and showing up. Our job is to pay attention to something that is happening and being able to tell a story about it so it doesn't disappear," he stated.
The movement's roots trace back to 2007, with artists experimenting beyond traditional Afrobeat, influenced by sounds like Daddy Showkey and movements like Shaku Shaku and Zanku, before gaining widespread recognition in the 2020s.
The opening celebrations extended to Freedom Park with the Mara Mania Live showcase, featuring leading DJs and dancers, and the premiere of a WeTalkSound documentary. As a takeaway, visitors receive personalized postcards created with stamps representing different Mara elements—a fitting end to an exhibition designed to foster contribution, not just consumption.
Ultimately, Mara Mania demonstrates how underground movements can be documented within institutional spaces while fiercely maintaining authenticity and centering the communities that birthed them.
