IN AN UNCUT WORLD: A Picture Story

One of my favourite cities in the world is Calgary.  I love it not because my best friend lives there (and I get to disturb him a lot any time I visit), but because it is Clean. I was looking at an awesome website, where they listed out a  list of the world cleanest cities. Places like Adelaide (Australia), Honolulu (Hawaii), Kobe (Japan), Wellington (New Zealand), Minneapolis (USA), Freiburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), etc made the top ten list and looked like something created from the mind of a ‘Pablo Picasso-like’ personality.

These cities are clean. They are beautiful. The whole environment has this surreal feeling but the truth is, whether we chose to believe it or not, they are as real as they come (My best friend can testify to that)...

I’m a freak for a clean environment. Living in a dirty environment is a total nightmare. And if given the opportunity, I would change the whole world and paint a picture of green grass and happy beings all over the world. I would also take on the job of a full time environmental police, try to be a female 'Al Gore'. Who wouldn't?? 

However, I wonder if the cities mentioned above have slum-like places; the places hidden behind the facade of green grass and world class architectural facilities. The places also called the ‘Ghetto’ where the struggle for survival is norm for everyone. The places where ‘social’ child abuse is important and children fend for their families. The down town place where sand, rock, and dirt pave the road, and seem forgotten by the government. The place where the ‘happiest people’ live in a blissful abandonment not bothered by the state of their environment. The backyard. 

I wonder if these places have been edited so that they can look perfect and welcoming to an average tourists...I wonder what their 'Uncut state' is like...

Yesterday, I sat in the bus with a man talking to himself. I was scared and distracted myself by looking at some pictures I took of the ‘Backyard environment’ I’m talking about (Out and about in Lasgidi)...

I wish something can be done about our environment...

Presenting my 'uncut world' Collection...

Another beautiful day in Lag

Stucked in traffic, taking pictures and trying to figure out how the road side sellers do what they do? Do they make money from what they do? Do they save? Do they ever get off the streets? You can buy anything you want in Lagos especially when our traffic 'tie wrapper'...~Sighs~ Even little kids join in the hustle, selling on the highway, traffic or no traffic, at their own risk, fending for their life :(

Struggle to the front of the road. Sighs

Told you. You can buy anything you want :(

Whew, traffic clears and its a race and struggle with the Okada riders...It's not the safest mean of transport but they ride like they own the road....In a Lagos traffic though, they are your sure bet to getting home early...

Standing at the busstop, and grateful that the crowd had thinned ...

My favourite means of transport, The BRT, they have their own lane and all but nowadays, it's like the regular 'Molue' bus (My Opinion)...People are packed like Sardins in the bus and for some, the mini stair and doors are bad...

The downside of life...Pegs as hair clips :(   

Movies and wires :(

A beautiful working mom who is doing all she can for her kids. Sometimes, I wonder if she wanted more for her life....The struggling guy who came to town for a better life, I wonder if he's found peace yet...
I'm grateful they allowed me take their pictures..The guy behind even posed for me....

'Rocks, papers, dirts, pave my street', He said 

'We even had to use a rock to hold an electrical pole from falling', He continued

A typical road side shop...Man must survive...

One of the few 'good' houses in down town lagos...

Yeah, I know, my ‘Utopia’ mind is at it again, wishing the world a blissful perfection.

Sometimes, when I take sad pictures like these, a lot of questions bug me; I wonder what went wrong in their lives. Is it fate that they end up like this? I heard someone say that the demarcation between the rich and poor is here to stay. Nothing can be done.  I don't agree with that statement, still, I wish it weren't so...

Is a cleaner environment, affordable 'good' housing and better standard of living too much to ask for?

Just ranting...

Share your thoughts on these please.....

Thanks for reading...Hugs!!!!