Elaborate costumes, blaring music and vibrant processions took over Nigeria's Lagos Island on Monday as the annual Fanti Carnival hit the streets.
The festivities have lit up Lagos' financial hub for more than two centuries, celebrating the legacy of the Afro-Brazilian returnees who once settled in the city.
This year's carnival featured musical performances, bedazzled horses, huge dragons and dancing stilt walkers.
In the 1800s, some formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants migrated back to the continent from countries like Brazil and Cuba.
Many Afro-Brazilians settled on Lagos Island, bringing with them new customs. These customs fused with those of Nigeria's Yoruba people, leading to creations like the Fanti Carnival.
Attendees expressed their love for the event, with one participant, Glamour Sandra, highlighting "the energy, the artistic splendour, the creativity" on display.
The celebration is sustained by seven historic associations, each identifiable by their signature colors, showcasing deep-rooted community pride.
The carnival's organizers are proud of their unique celebration, describing it as neither wholly Brazilian nor wholly Yoruba, but entirely its own. The festival is anticipated to return next April, continuing to preserve its historical significance for future generations.
