Teju Cole (2007)
Genre
Literary Fiction / Lifestyle
Reading Time
120 min
Key Themes
See below
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A Nigerian writer returns home to Lagos, navigating the city's chaotic energy, confronting a place both familiar and foreign as he tries to understand his past, his shifting present, and his own identity.
The unnamed narrator, a Nigerian writer who has lived in New York City for fifteen years, goes back to Lagos. He arrives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. He immediately sees the chaotic energy and familiar yet strange feel of his hometown. His first observations are sharp and separate. He notices the widespread sense of a city struggling with its systems, corruption, and a lively, though sometimes desperate, cleverness. His family picks him up and drives him through the busy streets. The surroundings are a mix of memories and harsh new realities. He feels like an outsider, a 'returnee,' watching the city with a critical but nostalgic eye. He is looking for something to write about and a way to reconnect with his background.
Soon after he arrives, the narrator sees the widespread corruption that shapes much of daily life in Lagos. He tells about seeing a police officer taking money from a driver, which is a common event. He also describes the 'area boys' who demand random fees for parking or passing, and the general poor service and unreliability of public utilities. These encounters do not surprise him, but they show a clear difference from the orderly society he has known in New York. He watches these events with a mix of acceptance, frustration, and a writer's analytical curiosity, thinking about how these issues are part of a larger system.
The narrator visits an internet cafe, a busy place where he watches young men, often called 'Yahoo Boys,' carefully planning and carrying out email scams. He describes how focused they are, how they use good English and psychological tricks to cheat unsuspecting foreign victims. He feels a complex mix of disapproval for what they do and an understanding of the desperate situations that might drive them. He sees it as a twisted kind of business born from a failing economy. This scene comments on the cleverness and moral questions in modern Nigerian society.
The narrator visits the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos, expecting to find Nigerian history and art. Instead, he finds a neglected, poorly kept institution. Many exhibits are badly shown, damaged, or missing, and the building itself is falling apart. He notes the irony of a country rich in culture failing to save its own treasures. This experience deeply saddens him. It stands for a wider societal disregard for history, art, and intellectual pursuits, which further strengthens his disappointment with some parts of his homeland.
During his stay, the narrator spends a lot of time with his family, experiencing their warmth and familiarity. He shares meals, talks, and the comfort of being among loved ones, which grounds him in the city's chaos. He also reconnects with old school friends, remembering their youth and talking about their different life paths. These interactions offer real connection and nostalgia, but they also show the different realities and views that have come up over the years, further cementing his unique position as both an insider and an outsider.
While riding a public bus, the narrator notices a young woman reading Michael Ondaatje's 'Anil's Ghost.' He is struck by her quiet focus and the unexpected sight of such a book there. He watches her with admiration and longing, seeing her as a symbol of intellectual beauty and a possible connection in the city. This short, silent meeting becomes an important moment of appreciating beauty and brief hope, a contrast to the harder parts of Lagos life he often sees.
Throughout his trip, music is important for the narrator. He often listens to John Coltrane, especially in the quiet late afternoons. Coltrane's complex jazz provides a background to his thoughts, helping him process what he sees and feels about Lagos. This artistic escape highlights his own identity as a writer and an intellectual, contrasting his inner world with the city's outer realities. Music becomes a way for him to find order and meaning, a personal anchor in the often confusing environment.
The narrator often sees the widespread presence of religion in Lagos. He hears the muezzin's call to prayer from mosques and sees the strong displays of Pentecostal Christianity, from big church gatherings to street preachers. He notes the deep faith that supports much of daily life, offering both comfort and, at times, a sense of fate or a distraction from systemic problems. His observations are neutral, focusing on how these practices affect society and culture rather than their religious meanings. He sees them as part of the city's unique rhythm and identity.
As his visit continues, the narrator constantly struggles with his identity. He feels both Nigerian and American, belonging fully to neither place. He thinks about how Lagos has changed and how he himself has changed, creating a gap between his memories and the present. His family and friends, while welcoming, sometimes treat him as a 'foreigner,' showing his detachment. He questions where his true home is and what it means to be Nigerian, especially someone who has lived abroad for so long. This inner struggle is a main part of his personal journey.
Towards the end of his stay, the narrator thinks about why he came back — to find something to write about. He has gathered many observations, stories, and thoughts, but he has not found one clear 'story.' Instead, he has collected many experiences that show the complexity of Lagos and his changing relationship with it. He leaves Lagos with a deeper understanding of its contradictions, its beauty, and its difficulties, but also with unanswered questions about his own place in the world and the exact nature of the story he is meant to tell. The trip has been more about internal discovery than finding external answers.
The Protagonist
He begins as a detached observer and gradually moves towards a more nuanced, if still complex, understanding of Lagos and his own place within it, ultimately embracing the ambiguity of his identity.
The Supporting
They remain a constant, grounding presence, representing the unchanging aspects of his personal history.
The Supporting
They remain largely static, representing different life choices and outcomes compared to the narrator's.
The Mentioned
Her brief appearance serves as a symbolic moment of beauty and intellectual connection, without a personal arc.
The Supporting
They are observed as a societal phenomenon, without individual arcs, illustrating a pervasive issue.
The Supporting
They serve as static representations of societal issues, without individual arcs.
The Mentioned
They are ambient presences, contributing to the city's atmosphere and themes of culture and belief.
The narrator's main struggle is his dual identity as a Nigerian who has lived abroad for many years. He feels a strong connection to Lagos and a deep sense of being a stranger, often seeing himself as an outsider watching his own culture. This theme shows through his talks with family and friends who sometimes treat him as a 'foreigner,' and his inner thoughts comparing his memories of Lagos with its current state. He questions where his real home is and what it means to be Nigerian when another culture has shaped him, reflecting the experience of many people from the diaspora.
“To be a Nigerian in New York is to be a part of the Nigerian diaspora, to be a part of an imagined community. To be a Nigerian in Lagos is to be a part of a real community, a community that is messy and complicated and beautiful and difficult.”
A widespread theme in the book is the constant corruption and inefficiency in Lagosian society. The narrator repeatedly encounters small bribes from police officers, demands from 'area boys,' and a general lack of public services and infrastructure. This theme is presented as an observed reality that shapes daily life, not as a moral judgment. The 'Yahoo Boys' phenomenon further shows how economic desperation can lead to illegal activities, making the narrator deal with the complex ethical situation and the systemic problems behind these issues.
“Corruption is a kind of tax, a tax that everyone pays, but it is also a tax that everyone collects.”
The narrator's return to Lagos is always seen through his memories of the city from his youth. He often compares present-day Lagos to the Lagos of his past, showing how much both the city and he have changed. This contrast brings a sense of nostalgia, disappointment, and sometimes pleasant surprise. The run-down National Museum, for example, is a sharp contrast to what he might have hoped for, symbolizing a wider decay. This theme explores how personal and shared histories are seen and reinterpreted over time, and how hard it is to match a romanticized past with a complex present.
“Lagos is a city of memory, a city that lives in the past, even as it hurtles into the future.”
As a writer, the narrator approaches his experiences in Lagos with an analytical and observational mind. He is always looking for a 'subject' for his writing, filtering what he sees through a literary viewpoint. This theme explores the challenges and duties of an artist trying to capture the essence of a complex place and culture. His inner thoughts, his love for music like John Coltrane, and his detailed descriptions of scenes all emphasize his role as a separate yet deeply involved observer, trying to understand the world and explain its details.
“I am a thief of lives, a collector of fragments, a witness to the daily drama of the city.”
The state of the National Museum is a strong symbol of this theme. The narrator sees the neglect of cultural heritage, with poorly kept exhibits and a general lack of appreciation for historical items. This neglect extends to other parts of public life and infrastructure. This theme criticizes the focus on immediate survival and making money over saving national history, art, and intellectual life, reflecting a wider societal challenge in many developing countries.
“The museum was a ruin, a testament to what we had lost, and what we refused to remember.”
Provides an intimate, subjective, and observational perspective.
The use of an unnamed, first-person narrator allows for a highly subjective and introspective exploration of Lagos. The lack of a name universalizes his experience, making him an everyman figure for the diasporic Nigerian. His observations are filtered through his unique perspective as both an insider and outsider, enabling deep reflection on identity, memory, and societal issues. This narrative choice emphasizes the internal journey over external plot, focusing on the narrator's perceptions, feelings, and analytical insights as he navigates his return.
A series of loosely connected observations and encounters rather than a linear plot.
The book is structured as a series of short, self-contained chapters or vignettes, each detailing a specific observation, encounter, or reflection. There isn't a strong overarching linear plot with rising action and climax. Instead, the narrative progresses through accumulated experiences, mirroring the narrator's wanderings and the fragmentary nature of memory and observation. This episodic structure allows the author to explore a wide range of themes and aspects of Lagosian life without being constrained by a conventional plot, emphasizing the mosaic-like reality of the city.
Represents cultural decay and neglect of heritage.
The dilapidated National Museum serves as a potent symbol within the narrative. Its neglected state, with damaged exhibits and poor maintenance, represents a broader societal disregard for history, art, and cultural preservation in Lagos. It highlights the contrast between Nigeria's rich cultural past and its challenging present. For the narrator, it underscores his disillusionment with certain aspects of his homeland and prompts reflection on what a society values and chooses to preserve or forget, linking to themes of memory and cultural identity.
John Coltrane's jazz provides a soundtrack for introspection and contrast.
The narrator's frequent listening to John Coltrane's jazz serves as a recurring motif and a significant plot device. Coltrane's complex, improvisational music provides a backdrop for the narrator's internal monologues and reflections, offering a sense of order and intellectual refuge amidst the chaotic external environment of Lagos. It highlights his artistic and intellectual sensibilities, contrasting with the often-gritty realities he observes. The music functions as a tool for deeper introspection, allowing him to process his experiences and emotions, and emphasizing his identity as a contemplative artist.
“Lagos is a city of ghosts. The ghosts of the past are everywhere, but they are not the only ones. There are also the ghosts of the future, the ones who have not yet arrived but whose presence is already felt.”
— The narrator reflects on the haunting nature of Lagos upon his return from New York.
“Every day is for the thief, but one day is for the owner.”
— A Nigerian proverb the narrator recalls, reflecting on corruption and justice.
“The past is not dead. It is not even past.”
— The narrator muses on history's persistent influence in Nigeria, echoing Faulkner.
“In Lagos, you learn to see without seeing, to hear without hearing. It is a survival skill.”
— Describing the sensory overload and necessary detachment in the city.
“The internet café is a place of dreams and deceptions, where young men stare at screens as if they were windows to another world.”
— Observing a cybercafé scene, highlighting aspirations and digital divides.
“Home is not where you are from, but where you are going.”
— The narrator contemplates his sense of belonging after years abroad.
“The traffic is a metaphor for everything that is wrong with this country: the stagnation, the chaos, the endless waiting.”
— Stuck in Lagos traffic, the narrator draws broader societal parallels.
“Art is what remains when everything else has been taken away.”
— Reflecting on the resilience of cultural expression amidst hardship.
“The thief is not always the one with the knife. Sometimes, the thief is the one with the pen.”
— Commenting on bureaucratic and intellectual corruption.
“Memory is a fickle thing. It bends to the will of the present, reshaping the past to suit our needs.”
— The narrator questions the reliability of his own recollections.
“In this city, everyone is a performer, acting out a role in the grand drama of survival.”
— Observing the performative aspects of daily life in Lagos.
“The sea does not care for our small histories. It swallows them whole and returns only salt.”
— A poetic reflection on the Atlantic Ocean's indifference to human struggles.
“To leave is to die a little. To return is to be born again, but into a body you no longer recognize.”
— Describing the disorientation of returning to Nigeria after a long absence.
“The market is a living organism, pulsing with energy and deceit.”
— Vividly depicting the chaotic yet vibrant atmosphere of a Lagos market.
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