TEDGlobal 2017
OluTimehin Adegbeye: Who belongs in a city?
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Underneath every shiny new megacity, there's often a story of communities displaced. In this moving, poetic talk, OluTimehin Adegbeye details how government land grabs are destroying the lives of thousands who live in the coastal communities of Lagos, Nigeria, to make way for a "new Dubai." She compels us to hold our governments and ourselves accountable for keeping our cities safe for everyone. "The only cities worth building, indeed the only futures worth dreaming of, are those that include all of us, no matter who we are or how we make homes for ourselves," she says.
OluTimehin Adegbeye - Writer, activist
Writing on urban development, sexual and reproductive rights, gender and queerness, OluTimehin Adegbeye resists marginalization by reminding her audiences of the validity of every human experience. Full bio
Writing on urban development, sexual and reproductive rights, gender and queerness, OluTimehin Adegbeye resists marginalization by reminding her audiences of the validity of every human experience. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Cities are like siblings
in a large polygamous family.
in a large polygamous family.
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Each one has a unique personality
and is headed in a distinct direction.
and is headed in a distinct direction.
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But they all have somewhat shared origins.
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Sometimes I think postcolonial cities
are like the children
are like the children
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of the two least-favorite wives,
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who are constantly being asked,
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"Ah, why can't you be
more like your sister?"
more like your sister?"
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(Laughter)
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The "why" of cities is largely the same,
no matter where they are:
no matter where they are:
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an advantageous location that makes
trade and administration possible;
trade and administration possible;
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the potential for scalable opportunities
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for the skilled and unskilled alike;
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a popular willingness
to be in constant flux
to be in constant flux
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and, of course, resilience.
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The "how" of cities, however,
is a whole other story.
is a whole other story.
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How are they run?
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How do they grow?
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How do they decide who belongs
and who doesn't?
and who doesn't?
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Lagos is my home.
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You can always find the Nigerians
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by following the noise
and the dancing, right?
and the dancing, right?
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(Laughter)
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Like any major city,
that place is a lot of things,
that place is a lot of things,
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many of which are highly contradictory.
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Our public transportation
doesn't quite work,
doesn't quite work,
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so we have these privately owned
bright yellow buses
bright yellow buses
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that regularly cause accidents.
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Luxury car showrooms line badly maintained
and often flooded roads.
and often flooded roads.
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Street evangelism is only
slightly less ubiquitous
slightly less ubiquitous
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than street harassment.
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Sex workers sometimes
have two degrees, a bank job
have two degrees, a bank job
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and a prominent role in church.
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(Laughter)
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On any given day,
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there can be either a party
or a burned body
or a burned body
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in the middle of a street.
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There is so much that is possible in Lagos
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and so much that isn't,
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and very often the difference
between possibility and impossibility
between possibility and impossibility
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is simply who you are,
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and if you're lucky enough,
who you're connected to.
who you're connected to.
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Belonging in Lagos is a fluid concept
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determined by ethnic origin,
sexual orientation, gender,
sexual orientation, gender,
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but most visibly and often most violently,
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class.
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Before Nigeria became a country,
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fisherpeople from the inland creeks
started to come down the Lagos lagoon
started to come down the Lagos lagoon
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and establish villages along the coast.
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About 60 years later, my grandfather,
Oludotun Adekunle Kukoyi,
Oludotun Adekunle Kukoyi,
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also arrived in Lagos.
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Like me, he was an alumnus
of the University of Ibadan,
of the University of Ibadan,
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a young member of the educated elite
in the independence era.
in the independence era.
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Over time, he built an illustrious career
as a land surveyor,
as a land surveyor,
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mapping out now-bustling neighborhoods
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when they were just waist-high wild grass.
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He died when I was nine.
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And by that time, my family,
like the families of those fisherpeople,
like the families of those fisherpeople,
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knew Lagos as home.
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Among the Yoruba, we have a saying,
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"Èkó gb’olè, ó gb’ọ̀lẹ,"
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which can be translated to mean
that Lagos will welcome anyone.
that Lagos will welcome anyone.
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But that saying is becoming
less and less true.
less and less true.
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Many Lagosians, including
the descendants of those fisherpeople
the descendants of those fisherpeople
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who arrived generations
before my grandfather,
before my grandfather,
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are now being pushed out
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to make room for an emergent city
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that has been described
as "the new Dubai."
as "the new Dubai."
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You see, Lagos inspires big dreams,
even in its leaders,
even in its leaders,
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and successive governments
have declared aspirations
have declared aspirations
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towards a megacity
where poverty does not exist.
where poverty does not exist.
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Unfortunately, instead of focusing
on the eradication of poverty
on the eradication of poverty
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as you would expect,
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the strategy of choice focuses
on eliminating the poor.
on eliminating the poor.
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Last October, the Governor announced plans
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to demolish every single
waterfront settlement in Lagos.
waterfront settlement in Lagos.
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There are more than 40
of these indigenous communities
of these indigenous communities
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all over the city,
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with over 300,000 people living in them.
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Otodo Gbame,
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a hundred-year-old fishing village
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with a population about
three-quarters that of Monaco
three-quarters that of Monaco
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and similar potential
for beachfront luxury --
for beachfront luxury --
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(Laughter)
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was one of the first to be targeted.
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I first heard of Otodo Gbame
after the demolition started.
after the demolition started.
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When I visited in November 2016,
I met Magdalene Aiyefoju.
I met Magdalene Aiyefoju.
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She is a now-homeless woman
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whose surname means, "the world is blind."
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Magdalene's son Basil
was one of over 20 people
was one of over 20 people
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who were shot, drowned
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or presumed dead in that land grab.
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Standing outside her shelter,
I saw the two white-sand football fields
I saw the two white-sand football fields
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where Basil used to play.
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Spread all around us were the ruins
of schools, churches,
of schools, churches,
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a primary health center, shops,
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thousands of homes.
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Young children enthusiastically helped
to put up shelters,
to put up shelters,
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and about 5,000 of the residents,
with nowhere else to go,
with nowhere else to go,
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simply stayed put.
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And then in April,
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state security personnel came back.
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This time, they cleared
the community out completely,
the community out completely,
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with beatings, bullets and fire.
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As I speak, there are construction crews
preparing Otodo Gbame's beaches
preparing Otodo Gbame's beaches
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for anyone who can afford
a multi-million-dollar view.
a multi-million-dollar view.
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The new development
is called "Periwinkle Estate."
is called "Periwinkle Estate."
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Forced evictions are incredibly violent
and, of course, unconstitutional.
and, of course, unconstitutional.
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And yet, they happen so often
in so many of our cities,
in so many of our cities,
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because the first thing we are taught
to forget about poor people
to forget about poor people
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is that they are people.
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We believe that a home is a thing
a person absolutely has a right to,
a person absolutely has a right to,
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unless the person is poor
and the home is built a certain way
and the home is built a certain way
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in a certain neighborhood.
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But there is no single definition
of the word "home."
of the word "home."
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After all, what is a slum
besides an organic response
besides an organic response
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to acute housing deficits
and income inequality?
and income inequality?
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And what is a shanty if not a person
making a home for themselves
making a home for themselves
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against all odds?
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Slums are an imperfect housing solution,
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but they are also prime examples
of the innovation, adaptability
of the innovation, adaptability
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and resilience at the foundation --
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and the heart --
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of every functional city.
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You don't need to be the new Dubai
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when you're already Lagos.
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(Applause)
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We have our own identity,
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our own rhythm,
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and as anyone who knows
Lagos can tell you,
Lagos can tell you,
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poor Lagosians are very often
the source of the city's character.
the source of the city's character.
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Without its poor, Lagos would not
be known for its music
be known for its music
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or its endless energy
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or even the fact that you can buy
an ice cold drink or a puppy
an ice cold drink or a puppy
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through your car window.
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(Laughter)
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The conditions that cause us
to define certain neighborhoods as slums
to define certain neighborhoods as slums
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can be effectively improved,
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but not without recognizing
the humanity and the agency
the humanity and the agency
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of the people living in them.
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In Lagos, where public goods
are rarely publicly available,
are rarely publicly available,
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slum dwellers are often at the forefront
of innovating solutions.
of innovating solutions.
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After being disconnected
from the grid for months
from the grid for months
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because the power company
couldn't figure out how to collect bills,
couldn't figure out how to collect bills,
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one settlement designed a system
that collectivized remittances
that collectivized remittances
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and got everyone cheaper rates
into the bargain.
into the bargain.
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Another settlement created
a reform program
a reform program
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that hires local bad boys as security.
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They know every trick and every hideout,
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so now troublemakers are more likely
to get caught and reported to police
to get caught and reported to police
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and fewer of the youth end up
engaging in criminal activity.
engaging in criminal activity.
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Yet another settlement recently completed
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a flood-safe, eco-friendly
communal toilet system.
communal toilet system.
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Models like these are being
adopted across Lagos.
adopted across Lagos.
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Informal settlements are incorrectly
named as the problem.
named as the problem.
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In fact, the real problems
are the factors that create them,
are the factors that create them,
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like the entrenchment of poverty,
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social exclusion
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and state failures.
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When our governments
frame slums as threats
frame slums as threats
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in order to justify violent land grabs
or forced evictions,
or forced evictions,
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they're counting on those of us
who live in formal housing
who live in formal housing
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to tacitly and ignorantly agree with them.
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Rather, we must remind them
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that governments exist to serve
not only those who build
not only those who build
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and live in luxury homes,
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but also those who clean and guard them.
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Our --
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(Applause)
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our realities may differ,
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but our rights don't.
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The Lagos state government,
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like far too many on our continent,
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pays lip service to ideas of inclusion,
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while acting as though
progress can only be achieved
progress can only be achieved
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by the erasure, exploitation
and even elimination of groups
and even elimination of groups
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it considers expendable.
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People living with disabilities
who hawk or beg on Lagos streets
who hawk or beg on Lagos streets
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are rounded up, extorted
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and detained.
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Women in low-income
neighborhoods are picked up
neighborhoods are picked up
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and charged with prostitution,
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regardless of what they actually
do for a living.
do for a living.
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Gay citizens are scapegoated
to distract from real political problems.
to distract from real political problems.
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But people, like cities, are resilient,
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and no amount of legislation
or intimidation or violence
or intimidation or violence
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can fully eliminate any of us.
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Prostitutes, women
and women who work as prostitutes
and women who work as prostitutes
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still haven't gone extinct,
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despite centuries of active suppression.
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Queer Africans continue to exist,
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even though queerness is now criminalized
in most parts of the continent.
in most parts of the continent.
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And I'm fairly certain that poor people
don't generally tend to just disappear
don't generally tend to just disappear
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because they've been stripped
of everything they have.
of everything they have.
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We are all already here,
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and that answers the question
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of whether or not we belong.
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When those fisherpeople
started to sail down the lagoon
started to sail down the lagoon
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in search of new homes,
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it could not have occurred to them
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that the city that would
rise up around them
rise up around them
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would one day insist
that they do not belong in it.
that they do not belong in it.
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I like to believe that my grandfather,
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in mapping new frontiers for Lagos,
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was trying to open it up
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to make room for other people
to be welcomed by the city
to be welcomed by the city
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in the same way that he was.
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On my way here, my grandma called me
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to remind me how proud she was,
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how proud [my grandfather]
and my mother would have been.
and my mother would have been.
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I am their dreams come true.
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But there is no reason why their dreams --
or mine, for that matter --
or mine, for that matter --
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are allowed to come true
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while those of others
are turned to nightmares.
are turned to nightmares.
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And lest we forget:
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the minimum requirement for a dream
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is a safe place to lay your head.
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It is too late now for Basil,
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but not for Magdalene,
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not for the hundreds of thousands,
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the millions still under threat in Lagos
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or any of our cities.
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The world does not have to remain blind
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to the suffering that is created
when we deny people's humanity,
when we deny people's humanity,
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or even to the incredible potential
for growth that exists
for growth that exists
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when we recognize and value
all contributions.
all contributions.
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We must hold our governments
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and ourselves
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accountable
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for keeping our shared cities safe
for everyone in them,
for everyone in them,
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because the only cities worth building --
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indeed, the only futures
worth dreaming of --
worth dreaming of --
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are those that include all of us,
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no matter who we are
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or how we make homes for ourselves.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
OluTimehin Adegbeye - Writer, activistWriting on urban development, sexual and reproductive rights, gender and queerness, OluTimehin Adegbeye resists marginalization by reminding her audiences of the validity of every human experience.
Why you should listen
OluTimehin Adegbeye is a writer and speaker who does rights-based work in the areas of urban development, gender, sexualities and sexualized violence. Her social commentary takes the form of non-fiction, auto-fiction and poetry -- as well as sometimes quite strongly worded Twitter threads. A firm believer in lived experience as a legitimate source of knowledge, she often draws her broader political analyses from personal stories.
Adegbeye identifies as a de-colonial feminist, with a political praxis rooted in Womanist and Black Feminist thought. In deconstructing how power, social services, housing, capital and other resources are distributed and/or denied within globalized societies, her ultimate goal is to reinscribe the intrinsic value of human life.
OluTimehin Adegbeye | Speaker | TED.com