King Kong was not christened with this name, but he has been known as King Kong for many years in Makoko. When he told me his name it came as no real surprise; I had long stopped being surprised by any turn of events on this assignment. It was a random walk into the unknown and all the better for it.
King Kong is a bouncer in a nightclub in Lagos. I imagine his job is fairly secure as long as he wants it. One evening he came over to my hotel for a beer, which allowed me to gain further insight into a gentle family man who happened to be formidably muscular. In Nigeria, there is always hustle, but I was not hustled that night.
Makoko—the rough section on stilts on the outskirts of Lagos—is one of the most dangerous places in Africa. White people are very rare visitors to this area. Indeed, even the Nigerian police are infrequent visitors, the reality being that Makoko is self-policed by the local chief and his understudies. That is the way of things in parts of Nigeria— the chiefs look after you, not the police. No one knows how many people live in Makoko—it could be anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000.
The chief ’s support was securedwith the help of $5,000 in cash, at which point there was much hugging and clapping in his home at the edge of Makoko. It was an altogether surreal experience that my team managed to film for behind-the-scenes footage. After much shouting among his entourage, none of which I understood, but all of which I sensed was about the allocation of the money, he assigned me his lead bodyguard—King Kong.
I took this image on the way home from the main shoot – as he guarded me and my cameras. There was no original intention of doing anything with the photograph, but it has been so well received that we decided to release it – with the promise that all profits will go to schools in Makoko. I Am King Kong says “do not enter” as emphatically as any picture I know. Fathers need it for their daughter’s bedroom door.
Artwork Details
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
