San Francisco Frontiers - Nigerian nightlife finds a new extravagance: cabaret

Nigeria might be going through its worst economic crisis in a generation, but in Lagos, the party hasn't stopped.

Patrons at The Library, where fake banknotes rained down on the stage, were being treated to both dinner and a show as cabaret takes the mega-city by storm.

Clubs like The Library have been fully revamped to cash in on the trend, tapping into the best singers and dancers across the African cultural powerhouse, but also drawing talent from across the world.

Co-owner Wemo Edudu transformed the book-themed nightclub into a fine dining establishment two years ago, hoping to bring in a wider clientele but without sacrificing the late-night rambunctiousness and spectacle that Lagos, a city of around 20 million people, is known for.

"Sometimes I see a 65-year-old man having a nice meal, watching the show. I knew that that could have never happened two years ago," Edudu told AFP.

- Ritz and glam -

Cabaret in its modern form traces its roots to 19th century France, but it has exploded in recent years across the ritzier parts of Lagos, Nigeria's cultural and economic capital.

Rococo restaurant, on the upscale Victoria Island, sports a French influence of an earlier era: crystal chandeliers, baroque frescoes, and projections of Napoleon and his wife Marie-Louise, animated so they can rap along to the music.

The opulence extends to the menu: for those not swayed by the high-end Nigerian or Western dishes, there's gold-flake covered foie gras, crocodile carpaccio or prawns thermidor.

"The show progresses as you move," said Rococo boss Ghada Ghaith, describing patrons warming up with dinner and conversation until "a song attracts you or a show attracts you".

Even amid the French throwbacks and modern excess, this is still Nigeria: a deeply religious country, where singers are often recruited from the churches where they originally honed their pipes.

The gold-plated menu meanwhile can cost multiples of the monthly minimum wage in a nation where inequality and poverty live side-by-side with massive oil wealth.

Two kilometres away, nightlife haunt Zaza sells the "Birkintini", billed as "Africa's most expensive cocktail", for $20,000.

It comes with a Hermes Birkin handbag.

There's enough of a party to go around to recruit international acts, like Blanka Munkacsi, a 21-year-old Hungarian acrobat.

- International talent -

"I've never seen this before," the performer told AFP. "It's like everything but in one place, and it's really beautiful."

"We have a night club, we have a show place, we have a restaurant, but it's not really common to get those together" in Hungary, she said.

For Bobby Francis, creative director at Zaza, the goal is direct: "We literally try to bring Vegas to Nigeria!"

Zaza has been a Lagos nightlife staple for years, its tropical motif capped by wallpaper with fluorescent parrots and butterflies, and an army of waiters clad in zebra and leopard prints.

Bottle service orders prompt the usual parade of hostesses with glow sticks -- and a server dressed as a giraffe.

"The idea of cabaret is really like to keep things alive from the moment you enter the room till you leave," said Johnny Frangeh, the 24-year-old assistant general manager.

"Just like any other nightclub, people just go and drink and dance. And so here it's another experience."

- Growing pains -

But in a city known for its late-night clubbing, the shift to other kinds of entertainment can be difficult.

"They're more into the party life" than arts, Rodrigo Adame, a circus performer from Mexico, said of some Lagosians.

"As an artist, sometimes you realise they're not looking. It's hard to get their attention."

And one thing the original 19th century French cabaret performers didn't have to compete with?

"The phones," said the 45-year-old. "Everybody is living now through the cell phones."

On a recent night at Zaza, which can hold around 700 patrons, there were probably just as many screens flashing through the darkened room.

But the booming music, while not great for conversation, did provide a nice background for taking repeated selfies.

L.Ramos--SFF