Fanti Carnival Returns to Lagos This Easter with a Vibrant Celebration of Afro-Brazilian Culture

Something shifts in the air when you walk into a Lagos rave. There is, for lack of better words, a quiet radicalism that settles over you. A knowing that here, you can move however you want, move however you like, because everyone else is doing the same. “Outside, I calculate every gesture, monitor my voice, watch my walk,” Deji, a 26-year-old graphic designer, tells The NATIVE. “But when I attend raves, I just exist and I dance. Raves taste like freedom.”

This feeling, the opportunity to finally breathe without reservations, is what these spaces offer to so many young Nigerians, particularly those marginalized within society. In a city where authenticity often carries devastating consequences, the thrumming basslines of underground raves have carved out rare pockets where vigilance can momentarily surrender to abandon, where calculation yields to expression, and the perpetual performance of conformity dissolves into the honest fluidity of movement.

A Community Built On Freedom

Cultural historians trace the beginning of Nigeria’s electronic music evolution to the mid-2010s, when local DJs began experimenting with blends of traditional African percussion and global electronic production. It started with house parties. WhatsApp & Telegram flyers passed like secrets. Intimacy mattered more than scale. It wasn’t about clout or big venues. It was about creating a space that felt safe. A space where people who often felt out of place in the real world could finally belong.

These gatherings were built around a shared love for the genre, a communal appreciation for sounds that weren’t mainstream. People found one another through EDM playlists and mutual connections, creating communities anchored by musical taste first. The spaces were accepting by nature, rejecting judgment and embracing differences. Queer people naturally gravitated toward this openness, finding rare solace in venues that didn’t question gender expression or sexual orientation. The rave community became a refuge not by explicit design, but through an organic understanding that everyone deserved to feel comfortable and free.

Gbadebo, a filmmaker who has been involved with the Lagos rave scene since 2019, recalls the early days fondly. “The buzzing DJs then were DJ Aye, DJ Combs, and Tigran,” he says. “It was low-key, chill community gatherings. There used to be mats and rugs spread on the floors during early raves, where people would lie between sets. It was lowkey, but it felt like home.” These spaces became and remain essential for queer people. Places where you could kiss who you wanted, wear what you wanted, move freely, and love loudly. The dance floor became one of the few places where it felt possible to exist on your terms within the melodrama of Lagos.

Back then, it was simple. You showed up with your drink, found your people, and flowed. 

What Even Is This Sound?

What struck me most at my first rave was how present everything felt. People were there for the music. They screamed genuinely at beat drops, at brilliant transitions, at that one unexpected song. It felt like communion. Like everyone was holding their breath for that exact moment. The soundscape is difficult to box in. It borrows from everywhere—Afrohouse, Amapiano, and weird soulful remixes of Afropop songs. It’s layered, warm, and often bizarre. It loops when you expect it to break. It stretches where it should snap. It doesn’t ask to get under your skin, it just does.

The scene still sits at the margins of Nigerian music, described as too “alternative” or  too “strange.” That strangeness holds its kind of magic. Strange, beautiful music for strange and beautiful people. The kind that gets side eyes at house parties or a confused “what kind of music is that?” But maybe that question feels familiar, because what kind of music is that, really, if not the perfect soundtrack for people who’ve always been asked: “Why are you so different?”

You Can Always Tell

You can always tell a raver from a Lagos outsider. Or at least, I can. The fashion is different.

Bolder colors. Intentional clashes. People wear things that might be seen as “abnormal” anywhere else—fishnet vests, platform boots, mesh, metallics, glitter, lace. What might be mocked on the street feels perfectly ordinary here.

Rave fashion, which intersects heavily with the alté aesthetic, has long been criticized online. But in these spaces, people dress without fear of mockery. And that alone draws many in. Still, as rave culture expands rapidly, new faces arrive—some merely curious, others less understanding—which threatens the safe and accepting environment that initially defined these gatherings.

StyledByNasky, a rising Lagos stylist, explains this phenomenon: “There’s no limit to self-expression here, no policing of it,” she says. “For me, rave fashion embodies freedom, fun, and comfort.” She points out that practicality is as important as style. “It’s usually warm, and things get very heated, so comfort is essential. The choice of shoes, the amount of skin exposed, the selection of breathable fabrics; every element serves both style and functionality within the rave setting.”

Going further, she says that rave fashion in Lagos represents an intentional defiance of cultural norms around dress and presentation. In her words, what we see is a “visual language that communicates belonging to a counterculture.” The clothes become flags of identity rather than mere aesthetics. Oversized silhouettes, gender-neutral styling, and DIY alterations all signal a rejection of mainstream Nigerian fashion constraints.

For queer folks and other marginalized communities, these clothes transcend aesthetics. They become armor and announcement simultaneously. “Before, they felt safe dressing however they wanted, breaking gender stereotypes,” Nasky adds. “But now, in a country where dressing ‘weird’ or outside norms is frowned upon, these spaces don’t feel as safe anymore. It’s exposing.”

These spaces offered something rare: the ability to perform gender—or avoid performance entirely—without punishment. To show up in the truest version of yourself and still be enough. In a country where stepping outside of gender norms can mean ridicule, violence, or worse, the freedom to dress as you feel has always been a gift. But that safety now feels less certain.

The Shadow of Surveillance

More than ever, Nigeria’s Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act of 2014 looms large over queer communities. Beyond banning same sex marriage, it criminalizes public displays of affection between same sex people, advocacy for queer rights, and even queer-friendly gatherings. Penalties can stretch to 14 years in prison.

The economy is withering, as it has been for years. But now, it feels like it’s on its last breath. Traditional nightlife is following the same path because purchasing power shrinks every day. Nobody can afford to order expensive bottles of alcohol anymore, and regular night crawlers are hunting for cheaper alternatives. Underground raves have emerged as a viable option, much to the detriment of the tight-knit communities that built them.

“Back then, there weren’t tickets; you just came and made ‘donations,’” Gbadebo recounts fondly. Today, a few raves still run on donations, but most have leaned into steep pricing. “Prices are now crazy,” Gbadebo admits. “I don’t attend races much ever since I paid 8k and had to stand from 11 to 4 am. I even saw a flyer for a rave with tables for reservation.”

In April 2025, a local online blog threatened to leak the location of Group Therapy, one of Lagos’s most beloved, queer-inclusive raves. The post was laced with moral panic and targeted language. It didn’t go viral, but it didn’t have to. In a city like Lagos, where rumors move faster than facts, it only takes one post to make people feel unsafe. 

The damage wasn’t physical, but it was deeply felt. It was the first time some attendees realized just how exposed they were. “I didn’t even wait to see if it was serious,” Faith, a regular attendee, told me. “I just didn’t go. I couldn’t risk it. All it takes is one wrong person showing up.” Even after the post was taken down, the damage lingered. For queer people who rely on these spaces to feel normal, it was a reminder that the safety they’d built was still fragile. 

“An attack on Group Therapy is actually an attack on the rave scene in Lagos,” one tweet said. “God forbid that actually happens. You cannot take out queer people from raves, it started from them as a refuge in music. We literally do not bother anybody”.

For some, these risks are worth it. For others, the threat is too high.

Holding On To A Fragile Future

Lagos raves are gaining popularity. As more people know about them, many more want in, and the energy is infectious. There’s talk about raves becoming mainstream. When that happens, many queer folks and original community members start retreating, creating smaller, more exclusive gatherings. These “mini-raves” become refuges within refuges — intimate, secret, and protected.

The question for organizers is: As raves gain cadence and popularity, is it worth risking losing the original community that gave them meaning? The people who built the scene, who know why it matters, who rely on it as a lifeline? Are we ready to welcome everyone — even those who might not understand the deeper value these spaces represent?

Rave culture in Lagos stands as a form of resistance, a reclamation of identity, and a fight for safe space in a world that too often denies it. It testifies to the resilience of a community that refuses to be erased. In a city as complex and vibrant as Lagos, where the stakes are high and the risks real, raves remain one of the few places where marginalized people can truly be themselves, if only for a night.

In these charged, fleeting hours, queer Nigerians reclaim what the world keeps trying to steal: joy, safety, belonging. By dawn, the masks of caution are back on. The city resumes. But somewhere, someone is already planning the next one.

Somewhere, safety is being rehearsed. In another place, the bass is warming up.

One of the more pressing topics of discussion amongst party-goers today is the curious question of why people don’t dance at gatherings anymore. While partying, theoretically, includes other activities like talking to strangers, getting drinks, and conducting business, it is primarily geared towards dancing and living in the moment. 

These days, however, there seems to be more emphasis on these other activities than actual partying. People are doom scrolling on the dancefloor or are more occupied with trying to take the perfect selfie. Enter: True Clrs, a travelling party series launched by Adeola Kofoworade and Menab Tesfu that aims to bring the dance back to the parties by centering on the richness of African sound and the communities that love it. 

“We found that there were a lot of parties in Dallas that had cultures that didn’t encourage dancing or interaction between customers,” Kofoworade tells The NATIVE about the inspiration for True Clrs over a Google Meet conversation in July. “Seeing how parties were being thrown in L.A., New York and other places in Europe, we thought to bring that idea here to Texas.” 

Since its inception in 2023, True Clrs has hosted over 15 editions of its travelling party series across cities in the United States. In addition to a dedicated real-life following that engages with their series, they have also cultivated a robust online presence thanks to their meticulous branding and active CRLS YouTube page that features various thrilling DJ sets. 

Ahead of the latest Houston edition of True Clrs, which featured ODUMODUBLVCK and Sarz headlining the Global Sounds Stage and others like Native SOUND SYSTEM’s DJ Sholz, Lowkey Ade, and Khulumars on DJ duties, we caught up with Adeola Kofoworade to discuss how they’ve managed to position True Clrs as the go-to party series in Texas, what makes them unique, and what their long-term plans are. 

What inspired True Clrs?

We originally started True Clrs about two years ago because we noticed that there was a space in Dallas that we could infiltrate. We found that there were a lot of parties in Dallas that had cultures that didn’t encourage dancing or interaction between customers. That’s something pretty notable down here in the South. In clubs, there are a lot of sections and no big dance floors, so people are stuck in their sections without really interacting with other people. Seeing how parties were being thrown in L.A., New York and other places in Europe, we thought to bring that idea here to Texas.  At first, we started with Afrobeats and Amapiano-centred parties, but then we started branching out to other genres as well. 

How have you been able to position True Clrs as one of the go-to diaspora-focused party series in the U.S, especially in Texas?

We try to be innovative. We always try to make every event better than the last one. So if you came to one of our events the previous month, we try to switch things up and make sure you have a better experience the next time you come. We do this by booking notable DJs from around the country and even around the world. We also started booking a lot more talents. Last year, we had Lancey Foux; we had Sholz, who brought ODUMODUBLVCK; and we also had Skyla Tyla. This year, we’re looking to do more of that so we can always give our audience a notable experience. 

How do you balance catering to the African diaspora with appealing to a broader audience that might be unfamiliar with the music and experience? 

There are a couple of ways we try to do this. First, since we have monthly events, we try to switch between different genres and vibes. So let’s say, one month we have an Afrobeats and Amapiano party, the next month we could switch to this concept that we call the R&B rave. In the R&B rave, we basically play all types of R&B music, whether it’s old, contemporary or alternative, and we curate a rave-like setting. 

We also run this concept where we have like two or three stages playing different genres. We could have one stage playing Amapiano, the other R&B and the other more global sounds. I guess it just depends on the venue we use. But we’re able to offer different experiences even at the same party. 

Are there any other unique elements that set the True Clrs experience apart from other nightlife events?

One of our main appeals is recording DJ content. I know DJ content has become saturated recently, but what separates us is that a lot of our content is very genuine. It’s not made up or staged. We get real-time reactions from people. A lot of the time, people don’t even know they’re being filmed. Our content makes us notable, and it’s helped push our brand forward.

Since you began True Clrs, how have you been able to cultivate a strong online presence as well as a thriving community in real life? 

With our online presence, it’s really been our content that has helped put us out there. We’ve had a couple of reels or YouTube sets go viral, and that’s definitely helped our online presence. Also, just being the kind of people we are, we take our time when it comes to branding True Clrs. We get a lot of feedback from people regarding our content, and we take it into account moving forward. For our real-life community, my partner and I had already been heavily involved in the entertainment space and the African community here before we began True Clrs. So we got a lot of support when we first started, and we’ve just kept building from there. 

What’s the long-term vision for True Clrs? Are there any plans to expand into other U.S. cities or even international markets? 

Definitely. Last year, we had our first international event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My partner was up there for a holiday, and we decided to throw an event there. In the future, we do plan to expand to other countries, whether in Africa or Europe. With our connections with talents like Lancey Foux, Skyla Tyla, we’re also looking to see if we can put together festivals. That’s what’s on the horizon for True Colors. 

What would you say to someone who’s never been to a True Clrs party? What should they expect, and why should they come?

Our goal is community curation through music. So what I would tell someone who’s never been to a True Clrs party is they should come with an open mind. They should trust our DJs because they might hear songs they’ve never heard before and still be able to have a good time. Also, while we don’t force people to interact, we encourage people to interact and dance while listening to good DJs.

Williams Chechet is a contemporary visual artist and one of the creatives breathing refreshing new life into the Nigerian art space. Known for his bold Afrofuturistic style, Chechet’s work merges traditional Nigerian iconography with pop culture and digital techniques. Through his work, he finds creative ways to celebrate Nigerian identity while reframing it through a modern, global lens.

Chechet’s latest collaboration with Glenfiddich, the globally renowned Scotch whisky brand, is titled “Celebrate the Bold.” The limited-edition packaging project honours three notable Nigerian creatives: Mr Eazi, Nancy Isime, and Ifeanyi Nwune and came to life through a Lagos exhibition that showcased the artworks Chechet created for each collaborator, alongside select pieces from his broader catalogue.

In this interview, we speak to Chechet about the creative process behind “Celebrate the Bold,” his commitment to amplifying northern Nigerian culture, and how commercial projects like this push him to discover new elements within his own practice. He also reflects on the legacy he hopes to leave and the evolving relationship between visual art, identity, and storytelling in Nigeria today.

How did you approach designing the limited-edition Glenfiddich sleeve? What elements were most important to you?

Before diving into the designs, I had in-depth conversations with Ifeanyi, Nancy, and Mr Eazi. Understanding their backgrounds—their childhoods, what drives their boldness and innovation, and the risks they’ve taken as creatives—was crucial. For example, Ifeanyi is a fashion designer inspired by traditional Nigerian textiles like aso oke and adire. He also has a unique personal history, including studying electrical engineering and an incident where he was electrocuted as a child.

The partnership with Glenfiddich was special because the brand gave me room to dig deep and treat each design as a narrative. It wasn’t about just making something visually appealing—it was about crafting pieces that felt authentic and intimately connected to each personality. That authenticity was what mattered most to me.

Speaking more broadly about your work, it often reimagines traditional Nigerian motifs. Can you talk about some of those motifs and why it’s important to you that they are prominent in your work?

I’m deeply connected to my roots. My art is a reflection of who I am—a proud Nigerian, a Black creative, someone shaped by a rich, multicultural upbringing. I was born in Kano and raised in Kaduna, which gave me exposure to northern and central Nigerian cultures. My work draws from that tapestry—language, textiles, architecture, attire, and oral traditions—and reinterprets it in a way that feels fresh and globally resonant.

By fusing traditional iconography with digital and pop cultural elements, I’m pushing Nigerian aesthetics into new spaces. It’s about showing that our heritage is not static—it’s alive, modern, and deserving of global recognition.

Could you go into more detail about how your northern heritage has influenced your work

Growing up in the North, I noticed a gap in how Northern Nigerian culture was represented in the art world, which is often dominated by southern and western references.The North wasn’t represented as much, and I took that as a personal challenge. So I started highlighting northern fashion—men in turbans,traditional turbans and babariga robes worn by men—as symbols of cultural pride—because I believe fashion is one of the strongest cultural storytellers.

How do you hope your collaboration with Glenfiddich will inspire emerging Nigerian artists?

I hope it gives them permission to be bold. To take creative risks. To believe that their stories and identities are worth telling—and worth celebrating. Glenfiddich’s “Celebrate the Bold” wasn’t just a slogan; it became a mindset throughout the process. The brand really empowered me to tap into something deeper than surface-level aesthetics, and that’s a powerful message for emerging creatives.

Taking risks is essential in any creative journey, and I want young artists to see this collaboration and realize that our culture, our uniqueness, and even our personal histories are rich enough to anchor global projects. It’s about being unapologetically Nigerian—and globally relevant at the same time.

Do you feel that your work and the work of other Nigerian artists in general should have an impact beyond the art community?

Absolutely. Art should educate, provoke thought, and spark conversation beyond galleries or collectors. Early in my career, I did a series using the naira note, and I was surprised to discover how many people didn’t know the names or stories behind the figures on our currency. At one of my exhibitions, I found myself giving mini history lessons on Nigerian heroes. That’s when it hit me—art has the power to fill cultural knowledge gaps and preserve stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

Speaking of your earlier work, do you feel like your priorities in terms of how you approach art have shifted in any specific ways since you first started out?

Definitely. Initially, my focus was on storytelling, but over time I discovered Afrofuturism—a movement that blends African heritage with futuristic themes. This fusion of Western and African art influences has reshaped my approach, allowing me to create work that is both inspiring and culturally resonant.

What message do you want audiences to take away from your Celebrate the Bold exhibition?

I want the audience to understand that boldness isn’t just about loudness or attention—it’s about authenticity. Being bold means embracing your story, your craft, your quirks, and your heritage. Owning your uniqueness is your superpower. That’s the message I hope audiences carry with them.

Do you feel like these types of collaborations bring out a different side to your work than your more independent projects?

Definitely. Collaborations challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone. Working with Glenfiddich pushed me to explore themes and visual languages I might not have considered on my own. While researching this project, for example, I discovered that Nigeria has an official national flower which appears on our Coat of Arms. I had never noticed it before. That detail sparked a new appreciation for national symbols and their potential in visual storytelling. So yes, these kinds of projects don’t just showcase your work—they expand it.

What legacy do you hope to leave through your art and collaborations?

I want to leave behind a legacy of impact—of cultural pride, of innovation, and of fearless storytelling. I want my work to live beyond me, to be a reference point for future generations of African artists who want to do things differently. Collaborations like this one with Glenfiddich remind me that our stories are not small. They’re powerful. They deserve to be seen, preserved, and celebrated on the global stage.