Original subtitles

PLANE CABIN CHIMES

MICHAEL PALIN: My flight to Nigeria arrives very early.

PILOT: Welcome to Lagos, where the local time now

is just coming up to five to five in the morning.

'Landing in a new country is often an unsettling experience...'

CAR HORNS HONK, VIBRANT HUM OF CHAT

He's waving you on.

Yeah, he's waving you on.

TRAIN RUMBLES ON TRACKS

'..and Lagos is not for the faint-hearted.'

VEHICLE HORNS BLARE

This is exciting.

My first time in Nigeria.

A new country to me.

A place where there's always about 20 people

available to help you do anything you want to do.

HORN BLARES

And they blow their horns a lot.

I've known about Nigeria for a long time,

because it was a colony, and...

But I am fascinated by just how it works.

By 2099,

Lagos will be the biggest city in the world.

There'll be 88 million people here.

'Covering 450 square miles...

'..Lagos is the largest city in Africa.

'And it's the starting point of my journey

'across the most economically-powerful country

'of this vast continent.

'Nigeria...' ROAR OF CROWD

'..often perceived from the outside

'as prone to corruption...

'..fraud and the threat of Boko Haram terrorism.'

PROTESTERS: Bring back our girls now, and alive!

'But this country is a complex puzzle.

'It's on the rise,

'with a rapidly-expanding population

'that will soon make it the third most populated country

'in the world.'

Wow.

'To try and understand the contradictions of Nigeria...'

One ticket to Abuja, please. TRAIN HORN SOUNDS

'..|'m embarking on a 1,300-mile journey...

'..across a beautiful land known as the Giant of Africa.

'A vibrant country, where 60% of the population

'are under 25 years old...'

Nigerians just have a unique sense of wanting to thrive.

'..but whose potential is being held back.'

Politics is a means of enriching oneself. Yeah.

'Once part of the British Empire,

'Nigeria and the UK have a complex relationship.'

The British were the main proponents of the slave trade.

They should give us back our artefacts.

'Safety will be a big concern during my journey,

'but Nigeria's hazardous roads could stop us going anywhere.'

We're in really serious trouble now.

'I'll travel from the chaos of Lagos...

'..to the heat and rituals of the Islamic North.'

MAN SHRIEKS

Yeah. There we go. Whoo!

Oh, wow! Yeah!

'..across a country where worship prevails on a huge scale.'

CROWD SING 'It's life on the wild side.

'This is Nigeria.'

This is Nigeria.

'Lagos is home to over 20 million people.

'And an estimated 2,000 more arrive each day...

'..all with the dream of making it big

'in Africa's metropolis.

MUSIC AND SINGING

This is one of the biggest markets about.

It's actually the biggest market in Lagos.

SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

'Covering an area of more than a square mile,

'Balogun market is an assault on the senses.'

OVERLAPPING CHAT, LAUGHTER

HORN HONKS

'And my friend and fixer, Chriss Nwobu,

'is on hand to explain it all.'

Lagos is... Lagos is chaotic, especially in a place like this.

In this chaos, there's also harmony.

There's peace in every layer of chaos.

You understand?

But naturally, when you have this kind of traffic of humans,

you have friction, one way or the other.

I can't help noticing

that I'm probably one of the few white men

you'd see in a market like this.

I mean, what... People are shouting things at me.

Are they are they saying nice things, or what?

I mean, you know... Yeah.

I think, basically what, uh, a lot of these people are saying is,

"Oyinbo, oyinbo, oyinbo." Oyinbo?

Yes. Quite simply... Yeah.

just like you heard that guy just said that.

You know? That, uh, it simply means "a white man".

It's not anything derogatory.

It's not judge mental? No, no, not at all.

'just as I'm starting to enjoy the vibrant chaos of Lagos...

'..a woman tries to grab our attention.'

I'm Nigerian. We are suffering.

We are dying. We are rotting. Help us!

'Her cries remind me that many Nigerians are struggling to survive.

'Living costs have rocketed,

'and there's almost no support from the Government.'

There is no food. We are stressing and proud.

You help us in this country.

God bless you all.

'This is a country where people must fend for themselves.

'And to discover how people survive,

'my next stop is this neighbourhood...

'..a place that is entirely self-sufficient.'

'Built on both land and water,

'this is Makoko.'

There we are, the boats.

There seems to be a few taxis available.

RAISED VOICES

'There seems to be some dispute

'over who's going to take me around Makoko.'

ANGRY VOICES

Is this my boat? OK. This one here? Yeah.

Yeah. Thank you.

At last!

This being Nigeria, there's several people here to help me.

I mean, several hundred, actually.

MEN SHOUT IN OWN LANGUAGE

Everyone's got the answer to our journey problems.

MICHAEL LAUGHS

And everyone has a different answer.

OK. Thank you. He's saying one way.

The other one's saying another way.

Bye, now. Good hat.

Everything... MICHAEL LAUGHS

Everything is a wonderful picture, I have to say.

'As we squeeze our way through,

'the waters bring a welcome calm.'

HE SNIFFS, SIGHS

'And then, it's the sheer scale of Makoko that hits me.'

'First established in the 19th century by a fishermen

'from the nearby Republic of Benin,

'Makoko is still considered an illegal settlement

'by the Government.

'And a place where the average wage is less than $2 a day.'

It's just... extraordinary, really.

I mean, the buildings are nearly all...

I mean, they're all makeshift, put together with bits of driftwood,

a bit of corrugated iron here and there.

You know, it's just almost all made of wood.

'What strikes me most about Makoko, is the number of children here.

'With a birth rate averaging five children for every woman,

'Nigeria's population is rapidly rising.

'By 2050, it's estimated there'll be over 400 million people here.

'A population behind only that of China and India.'

All human life is here.

CHILDREN CHATTER

At high volume, as you can hear.

You know, they like to make their presence known.

'Eventually, my boat arrives at the only two-storey building

'I've seen in Makoko. And it's a school.'

Taiwo. Oh. Hello.

Michael. Yeah.

Michael. Yes. This is your school?

Yeah, this is my school.

'The Part Of The Solution Primary School

'has almost 400 pupils, all crammed into small classrooms.

'It's run by Taiwo Shemede,

'who's a son of one of Makoko's village leaders.'

I mean, I see a lot of... a lot of children around.

The population of Nigeria is increasing very fast indeed.

The birth rate here, it's high.

We have more than 200,000 people here.

More than 200,000. On the water.

How big is your family? You have brothers and sisters?

My clad is a chief. He have two wife. Yeah, right.

The first wife gave birth to, uh, 18.

18? 18.

So my mum gave birth to 17.

Really? Yeah.

So we're a big family. Over 30. Yeah.

Yeah, over 30.

Must make Christmas a little bit expensive.

Yeah. THEY LAUGH

Do you get any help at all from the Government,

or the state of Lagos?

No, I don't get any help from the Government,

even from the state.

What's their attitude to it?

The reason is that during 2012,

the Government gave us 72-hour notice

to evacuate all of us on water.

'The local government has been trying to dismantle Makoko for years

'and would like to see high-rise apartment blocks

'built on the waterfront.

'But when they tried to forcibly evict residents in 2012,

'the community resisted and has stayed here ever since.'

'Taiwo tells me far more children want to come here

'than they have space for.'

Gosh, how many here?

Like, we have 130 here.

130, in one form?

'It's my turn to be the teacher.'

I've come to Nigeria, which is your country.

It's the first time I've ever been in Nigeria.

CHILDREN CLAP

Very good indeed. There you are, you see.

I've got some maps here, and I want to show you,

this is an old map.

You hold one end there, OK?

And you hold that end there. All right.

Now, this is the map that we all know now.

And this was first drawn about 400 years ago.

And it made... because the world is round, like that.

They tried to make the countries sort of round.

So Africa... that's Africa there, and that's where you live there.

And it came out rather small.

'For hundreds of years,

'maps have shown Africa to be much smaller than it is.'

So recently, they did another projection.

There we are, you see.

So you can see how Africa is one shape there, but quite small.

And look at Africa here, the proper dimensions of it.

You can see it's much bigger.

CHILDREN CLAP

Well, that's a hell of a day.

Makoko has been described as the biggest sort of slum in Africa.

I know that the poor... the conditions here

are pretty awful.

They don't have electricity.

Um, you know, they get around in sort of very simple wooden boats.

They don't have proper schools.

But what I've seen today is a kind of raucous celebration to the place.

And there's noise all the time.

There's colour, everyone's touting for business.

People are making money. Some losers, I'm sure.

Some people are having a really horrible time.

But the rest of it, these are people with very little

making a huge amount of it, you know, with it.

And it's really kind of quite a delightful, uplifting experience.

'It is thought around 70% of people in Lagos live in slums.

'But just 12 miles away from Makoko,

'is a very different part of the city.

'Lagos is a place of extremes,

and while there may be a lot of poverty,

'it's obvious that there's also a lot of money.

'I've come to the upscale neighbourhood of Lekki

'to see where wealthy Lagosians come to play.'

I mean, this is great here by the water.

Is it typical of nightlife in Lagos?

Michael, you haven't even seen the nightlife.

SHE LAUGHS

This is mellow. I lost my glasses earlier.

I couldn't see anything. HE LAUGHS

This chill, this is chilled vibe.

But don't worry, after this interview,

I'm gonna show you Naija. Are you?

'ldara ldemeko works in Lagos'

'internationally-successful music industry,

'worth over two billion dollars a year.

'It symbolises Nigerian success and ambition.'

What is it that drives people, you know, that makes them so...

They seem to be so ambitious.

ls everybody wanting to get to the top, or is it a relaxed...

Is it a relaxed place to be?

I would say, in my opinion,

the major vibe of the city of Lagos, the state, is hustle and bustle.

You know, the drive to, like, make something out of yourself.

I mean, I feel like one of the reasons why Lagos is, like,

overpopulated, is because people are coming from other states,

other cities, because this is the metropolitan, you know, spot.

This is the hot spot.

So this hustle, this, you talk about this...

is this uniquely Nigerian, do you think?

There's something Nigerian... Absolutely.

...no other country has in quite the same way. No.

No shade to other countries, you know?

Love other countries.

But Nigerians just have a unique sense of self,

of wanting to thrive.

There are many reasons and factors and variables as to why.

I feel like one of them is obviously because

we were colonised by the British, and you know,

we were, um, I guess it was instilled in us

from a very young age that, you know,

your white... well, their white is very different from your Black.

So you have to make sure that you work twice as hard

and get to the top and do all of that.

'Nigeria's oil-rich economy

'generates 500 billion dollars a year.

'But with 60% of Nigerians living in poverty,

'the wealth inequality is obvious.

'Many people blame a society they say is plagued by corruption.'

What I hear about Nigeria, people say before I came here,

you know, corruption is really bad, and there are all these things.

Who said that? SHE LAUGHS

I think it's... I think it's in the guidebook, you know?

I mean, there's no place that doesn't have its struggles,

you know what I mean?

But yeah, Nigeria, um, it's... Yeah, it's rough.

It can be rough.

The country, I feel, is moving backwards.

Our infrastructure is not growing at the pace that it needs to grow.

It's not like South Korea's or India's or China's.

The economy's terrible.

It doesn't make any sense.

'I'm starting to understand that while Nigeria may have its problems,

'the people here are driven, determined,

'and extremely good company.'

Cheers. Thank you.

Cheers. Fantastic.

Really, really nice to talk to you.

I love talking to you.

We should talk some more. We could go on and on. Yeah, yeah.

We'll go to a few clubs. I mean, might...

'Many say the roots of Nigeria's problems go back hundreds of years

'to a time when Britain was exerting huge influence

'over this part of the world.'

'Lagos is the Portuguese word for lakes,

'and the city is built around a series of lagoons and waterways

'that lead to the Atlantic Ocean.'

Tarkwa Bay. Hi.

Ta rkwa Bay? One?

'The ferry terminal on Lagos Island

'is vital for traders heading to local markets.

'And a key port for others, like me, who want to go further afield.'

Hi, guys! HE CH UCKLES

'I'm hoping to get to the coastal town of Badagry,

'which was once a key port in the transatlantic slave trade.'

Hi, morning.

But on the way, I'm stopping at Tarkwa Bay,

a popular beach, close to the city.

Yeah, well, finally, on the waters of the Atlantic, I think.

I'm not quite sure, but...

This is the first time I've kind of had a look at Lagos from the water.

And, of course, you remember it is all set on the water.

There we are. Oh, wow.

Off to Tarkwa Bay.

'And after 15 minutes, I arrive at Tarkwa Bay.

'Apparently, at the weekend, this place is packed

'with people escaping the city.

'But on a Friday lunchtime, it's deserted.'

Billed as Lagos' safest beach,

but you can see why - there's nobody here.

The contrast with the rest of Lagos

where there are just hundreds of people every square foot.

Here, it's this wonderful, you know, emptiness.

I mean, this is not like Margate.

There are a lot of rules here,

if you come to this particular beach.

This wonderful, rather tatty sign, but there it is.

You know, "no building structure of any kind.

"No fighting. "No smoking of Indian hemp.

"No homosexual-ism, gay or lesbianism.

"No weapons allowed."

I mean, how can you enjoy yourself here?

What is there left in life, you know?

'Leaving Ta rkwa Bay,

'I travel 40 miles west

'to the historic slave port of Badagry.

'Britain once called this part of Africa "The Slave Coast",

'and I'm hoping to get a better understanding of the impacts

'of the slave trade on Nigeria.

'After half an hour,

'urban sprawl makes way for lush tropical vegetation,

'a reminder of what Lagos would have looked like

'to the first European travellers arriving here 500 years ago.

'Badagry itself is a small and sleepy town,

'a total contrast to Lagos.

'But there's still a charming air of chaos.'

It's very confusing now, because we've come by water

to this point here, and have to get off the boat,

and now I've got to get a taxi or tuk-tuk to another point...

...and then take another ferry,

which takes us across to the other side,

and then we get tuk-tuks again.

I mean, this is like some sort of game show.

Um. Hi, there. I need to get...

Thank you. I need to get to the Point of No Return.

Does that make sense to you?

Yes. Good. You can take me?

I will take you there. OK.

No, no, no. Bye-bye, now.

'Apparently, this is where I'll be catching my next boat.

'And luckily, I'm also meeting someone

'who knows where I'm going...'

Hello! '..and why I'm going there.'

I'm pleased to see you. I'm pleased too. Welcome!

I don't know what's happening! I don't know what's happening.

But you're here. I am, I'm here. I'm Michael.

It's so hot. Isn't it?

Do you have a hat? Yeah, I've got a hat here,

cos I know we're going to be doing some walking later on.

Yes, we are. So I've got a hat. It's not a hat as good as that.

That is... that's going to keep people miles around in the shade.

I bought it specially so that we can share. Thank you!

I'll shelter under your hat. There you go.

There we go. There you go. There you go. OK.

'Aduke Gomez is a local writer and historian of the slave trade.'

Ancl now, we have to go on a little boat across the water

to that island... OK. ..of Gberefu.

Ancl from there, we walk to the Point of No Return.

Oh, I see, that's an island over there. Yes.

Not this boat. No, not this boat.

This blue one, here. Oh, that's nice. Yes.

'As we arrive at the island, and dry land,

'we encounter another obstacle.'

'Recent rainfall means what is normally a pathway is flooded.'

It looks as though we've got to get on motorbikes now!

Look at this mess. This is bad. This is bad.

So we go on bikes now? Yes, we go on bikes.

just because of this little area here.

Because of the water, yes.

'Some locals have decided to provide the world's shortest taxi service.'

Here we go. Ah!

REVVING

We're walking to a beach known as the Point of No Return,

the place where thousands of captured men and women

would be taken before boarding the waiting slave ships.

They had no idea. They had no idea where they were going...

They had no idea... ..or probably why they were going.

To have gotten to this point,

generally, they would already have been captured for days,

if not months. Yeah.

They'd have had minimum food and water.

just enough - a minimum to keep them alive. Yes.

'Transatlantic slavery from Africa began in the mid-15th century,

'growing in scale as plantations in the Americas demanded

'huge numbers of workers...

'..over three million of whom came from what is now Nigeria.'

I imagine that they would have been completely petrified.

They've been beaten, starved, probably assaulted in various ways.

As your great-great-grandfather would have gone through all that...

Yes. ..that's in your blood, really, isn't it? Yes, it is.

The very first time I came here, truly, I really felt...

Ah, how, how must it have been like? Yeah.

I mean, trauma - I don't think it even begins to actually explain it.

'Halfway across the island,

'Aduke brings me to an old water well.'

This was the last spot where they could drink water.

So, as you see, it's the well of attenuation.

It's the well of reducing the spirits of the slaves.

Now, the traditions around it are that,

if you drank from this well, you would forget who you are.

So your spirit would be removed.

Now, whether it is a tradition,

whether the enslavers put some kind of potion in the water,

we'll never know.

But this is the final step of removing any humanity.

Because... because for me,

for the slave trade to be as successful as it was,

you had to look at the people you are enslaving as not human. Yeah.

If not, there's no way you could have clone it. Yeah.

'Hearing the sound of waves crashing on the beach,

'I start to appreciate how terrifying this place must have been

'for the prisoners,

'many of whom would never have seen the ocean before.'

Ancl here we have the Atlantic.

WAVES CRASH

This is the Point of No Return.

This is the Point of No Return. Yeah.

WAVES THUNDER

Wow. Gigantic.

'As we look out across the ocean,

'the idea of thousands of men and women being taken

'from their homes and families,

'then sent across the Atlantic in barbaric conditions,

'feels all too real.'

The ship would have been further out

and then they would have had little boats. Yeah.

Whoa!

'What is difficult about all of this

'is that many of the slave ships moored right here

'would have been British,

'and Britain, the country I've lived in my whole life,

'led and profited from the slave trade

'for hundreds of years.'

The fact is that the British

were the main proponents of the slave trade.

Yes, starting from 1672,

when the Royal African Company was formed,

with the.. with the brother of the king at the time,

who was the Duke of York, as one of the...

So it was right from the top. It was right from the top.

And that's where,

um, cities like Bristol and Liverpool came to prominence.

And the big banks, a lot of... Ancl the big banks as well.

...grew up in the 1690s. Yes, absolutely.

From, from the slave trade. Yeah, yep.

Slavery...

brought about racism.

And so, as a Mack country,

it's harder and harder to prove yourself as well.

'Britain would outlaw slavery in 1807,

'but it continued in Nigeria for far longer,

'destroying communities and, many say,

'holding back the development of the country for centuries.'

It's quite a strange sensation being here on this very beach,

knowing what I now know,

where so many thousands, hundreds of thousands,

millions of slaves left, chained up for the Americas.

And to know that the major trading company slaves were British

and that I'm British,

it begins to swim into focus

how horrendous the whole business really was.

And, you know, what I've learnt today

and what I've seen today makes me feel, well,

at the very least...

...uncomfortable,

despite being on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Horrible things happened here.

There's no getting away from it.

'One of the earliest memories I have of Nigeria

'is the music of Fela Kuti in the 1970s,

'whose jazz-inspired Afrobeats music

'took Africa, and much of the world by storm.'

It's wonderful.

I only took my shirt up in the '70s for medical examinations!

CHUCKLES

'Born in 1936, Fela saw Nigeria, full of hope,

'break free of British rule in 1960,

'but then witnessed its descent into a brutal military dictatorship,

'something he would protest about throughout his life.'

# joro, jaro, joro Go and kill. #

# pro, 1am, 'yore. #

# Go and (he. # # pro, 1am, 'pro. #

# Go and quench. # # pro, 1am, ]oro...#

'Combining music and political activism,

'Fela became a hero of the Nigerian people,

'one public figure they could believe in.

'I'm meeting his daughter, Yeni Kuti,

'at a replica of his concert venue, the Afrika Shrine.'

We built this as a memorial to my father.

The original shrine, was that his idea?

What was it meant to be - a place where you could hang out?

It was African heritage... Yeah, yeah.

...and a place of worship for him.

Is it... I mean, the idea here is that it's open all the time.

Yes, it's open 24 hours a clay. Yeah.

People just come in and have a drink, you know. Yeah.

Something about being up on stage, you must know that, cos...

Yes, I used to perform with him. Yeah.

Ancl it was a wonderful... I loved the stage.

I mean, what sort of performer was he on stage?

Um... he was an all-rounder.

All round. He was a great dancer.

Even though I never told him that when he was alive.

MICHAEL LAUGHS I always say, no, you can't dance.

'Fela was also renowned for his personal life,

'once marrying 27 women in a single day.

'Sadly, he developed AIDS, and died in 1997.'

My father didn't really believe in AIDS. OK, ah, right.

So, after he got ill,

we decided to try and...

...pass the message to people.

It's real, I mean, right up till today,

a lot of people don't believe that that's what killed my father.

They think we are lying. Yeah. Why would you lie about that?

'Fela was fearless in his outspoken criticism

'of the self-serving military dictators,

'who he believed did nothing to help the people.'

The politics were very, very important for your father.

It was us wanting his country to be good.

He wanted his people to have a good life.

You know, so that's why he didn't understand our leaders.

The military and the government, how did they react to him?

I know that he was, he was quite badly beaten one time, wasn't he?

Mm-hm. Many times. Not once, many, many times.

They used to beat him. Yeah.

Beat him very well. Throw him in jail.

You know, they used to beat him seriously.

'Since his death, Nigeria's problems have only grown.

'And arguably, nobody has really replaced Fela Kuti.'

What do you think Fela would have felt

about the situation in Nigeria now?

If Fela had been alive...

as Nigeria has digressed?

What's the word... retrogressed...

he would probably die. Frustration?

Frustration, heartbreak... everything.

Not only are we in reverse,

we have turned round and we are running backwards.

But you are going the wrong way. That's what Nigeria is doing.

It's so frustrating.

I get passionate when I'm talking about Nigeria. I'm frustrated.

I can tell you're feeling his frustration...

I'm feeling his frustration. ..aren't you?

Maybe if you have a woman president, female,

maybe you have a better country.

We will if there's more people like you around.

I mean, you're terrifying. Ahh!

THEY LAUGH

You get on and run the country!

'It's been a long day.

'So a member of our crew, Lola,

'decides to introduce me to a famous Nigerian street food.'

I've had a lot of rice and chicken.

ls there any, any alternatives? Something I haven't eaten yet.

Since it's night time, we have to have suya.

Which is...? Street meat.

It's just beef with spices.

So, yeah, it's just seasoned meat.

Suya? Yes.

Does that mean anything?

I think I'm going to be a very bad Nigerian right now and say,

I don't think it means... suya is just meat.

Yes. Yeah. just the meat. Yeah, that's very British

to want to know what everything means.

just eat it. Yeah.

A Nigerian would say, "just eat it". just eat it.

Ooh. Since it's night time,

usually Nigerians will have this and, like, beer or something.

Oh, wow. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Fantastic. Yes.

So I dip it in there? Yeah.

That's extra suya seasoning. Ancl you put it in.

Mm, very good. Mm.

I like that it's a bit crusty anyway and it's got quite a,

quite a bit of spice in it.

Mm-hm. Ancl it's the smokiness of it as well.

It's really good. Wow.

Shall we grab a beer with this? Yes, definitely.

I need something to wash it down. Yeah.

'Early the next morning, it's time for us to pack our bags

'and leave Lagos.'

I've been in Nigeria a few days now, I'm still trying to take it all in.

Main impression is just loud voices, much laughter.

You know, for a reserved Englishman like myself,

you know, arriving in Lagos is like having 3,000 volts put through you,

the just enhanced energy of the place.

Um... and there's a feeling amongst the people that...

they're very welcoming to us,

but you can tell that things aren't working

perhaps as well as they should work.

But, as I say, the whole feeling about at the moment is really

what travelling for me is about.

It's enhancing your own, your own feelings about the world

and the globe and what you see and where people are.

Soon, we're back at Lagos airport so we can fly north.'

Put them all together in one space.

'This is the part of the trip I've been looking forward to the most.

'The north of Nigeria is less well-known than Lagos,

'which, for me, makes it even more interesting.'

TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT

'I'm flying to Kano, the main city in the north of Nigeria,

'a place often associated with the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram.

'After spending a couple of days in Kano,

'we will embark on a two-week road trip through the centre of Nigeria

'along the country's notoriously bad roads.

'On board, I notice the distinctive hula caps that are worn

'around this part of Africa.

'And the dusty landscape I see as we land

'makes me realise this is a very different part of Nigeria.'

Kah-no, is it Kano...

"Kann-oh", I think it's pronounced.

But Kano is so utterly different to where we've come from.

It's only about an hour and a half away.

Um, but this is the Muslim north of Nigeria,

so you can tell that straight away.

And there's a slightly more restrained, quiet feel to the place.

Not quite so much shouting.

It does seem, you know, much more sort of...

HE CH UCKLES ..| hate to say it - orderly.

'There is another difference.'

The thing about Kano and the north, of course,

is that the security situation is much more difficult.

This is where there have been real problems,

in the northern part of the country, on the border of Niger.

So, although it looks very pleasant and nice and relaxed,

we are going to have, I think, at least two police cars with us.

So, you know, there's that little...

element of risk.

'On the way to our hotel,

'the flashing lights of our security guards

'do little to settle my nerves.

'When we first started planning this trip,

'our security team told us the north was off limits.

'But now, we're here.'

'The city and state of Kano dates back over 1,000 years.

'And has long been one of the most important cities

'among the Hausa people, who dominate this part of Africa.

'The city's mosques are a reminder

'that Islam has been the dominant religion here

'for over 500 years,

'with Kano being one of 12 states in Nigeria under Sharia law.

'This is the royal palace of the Emir of Kano,

'the region's traditional Islamic leader.

'After long negotiations,

'I've arrived for a meeting with His Highness.

'And there seems to be a lot of activity.'

BELLS JINGLE

This is a rather amazing setup,

because every year in May and June, they have a Durbar here,

which is a general get-together - all the royal people come,

the Emir steps out, they have a parade,

they have horsemanship and all sorts of things.

It's a big, big event.

But of course, we've come at the wrong time of year.

But, for some reason,

it seems as though they've laid one on for us.

And, yeah,

I'm not quite sure where they're all going and what we're going to see,

but it's obviously a great, spectacular mix of tradition,

religion, well, tradition, really.

Um, so I mean, there's a lot to see, a lot to try and make sense of.

'A steady stream of elaborately-dressed guests

'and their horses continue to arrive, all in our honour.

'And then... CHANTS

'..things start to get even more interesting.'

SHRIEKS

DRUMBEATS

'The Durbar is a celebration of Kano's history and traditions,

'including its love of horses.'

Alligator pointing at me.

Lot of drumming...

CHANTING

A lot of people with a spike through their tongue.

I don't know what it all signifies.

Knives, knives are quite important.

What is he gonna do with this?

Licking the knife.

Everything we're told not to do.

Oh, wow!

'I'm told these blades are razor-sharp,

'but magical forces prevent them from drawing blood.

'Not that I intend to put this to the test myself.'

DRUMBEATS CONTINUE

CLINKING

It's taped up, so it's not gonna bite me.

Oh, he IS going to bite me!

CHANTS IN OWN LANGUAGE

The members of the Durbar committee are inside. Yeah.

They are waiting to receive you inside.

Oh, that's very nice.

We have to go and see them. Yes.

'just as I'm getting into the spirit of the Durbar...'

SHOUTS

..|'m called away for an audience with the Emir of Kano.

'After some inevitable confusion...'

Hold on, His Highness will sit first...

OK. ..until we enter.

'..|'m led into a rather dazzling state room to meet His Highness,

'followed by a large number of impressively-dressed members

'of the Emir's court.'

Thank you, thank you.

Very good to see you. Thank you so much.

'These traditional rulers were once all-powerful, but in recent years,

'the Nigerian government has stripped them

'of many of their powers.'

What is your role as an emir amongst the people here?

Well, dating back to history again,

political leaders, they come and go,

but traditional rulers are there forever.

We are like, ah... I will call it advisory role to the government,

but to the people generally, they still look at us as their leaders.

I know that there have been problems up in northern Nigeria,

and that people talk about that,

if you say you're going to Nigeria, "Be very careful going up north".

Are there still difficult problems here with, um,

the like of Boko Haram?

I'm happy you are a journalist and not an ordinary journalist.

Maybe other journalists will just sit down at one end

and write a story of another end.

But you are here, and I believe one of your reasons,

one of the benefits we have is when you go back,

you tell people what you see in Kano.

It's not the violence, it's not the fights,

it's not the terrorism.

Yes, it exists, but at such a level.

Ancl I believe the government is trying its possible best

to see that things are getting better.

'The Emir accompanies me back to the Durbar,

'where things were in full swing.'

DRUMMING

'And the alligator seems to have become the star of the show.'

HORN PLAYS

DRUMMING CONTINUES

'The parade spills out into the streets,

'and shows no sign of letting up.'

BELLS JINGLE

This is just a small Durbar.

I've never seen anything like this, I really haven't.

'It's hard to believe I've only been in Nigeria for five days.

'This isn't a gentle country, but it's an invigorating place to be in.

'I find myself feeling both excited and apprehensive

'about what lies ahead.'

BELLS JINGLE

'Next time...'

When the blow strikes, it's pretty hard.

'..| start my 800-mile road trip...'

One ticket to Abuja, please. HORN BLOWS

'..across Nigeria...'

We're gonna have to hold on tight.

'..meet one of the schoolgirls kidnapped in the terrifying

'Boko Haram raid...'

I wish I have power to free myself from their hands.

'..experience the natural wonders of Nigeria...'

This is one of the most immense rocks I've ever seen.

'..and see a very different side...'

Look at this!

'..of this amazing country.'

Feel like I'm England. I think I'm probably in a dream.

No, it's the real thing.