Mara Mania Exhibition Spotlights Lagos Street Culture in an Immersive Showcase

Yinka Olatunbosun

The pulsing energy of Lagos street dance took centre stage at the Alliance Française/Mike Adenuga Centre, Victoria Island, as the MARA MANIA exhibition opened its doors to TikTok mara dancers, art lovers and the city’s creative community. The exhibition, which runs from 29 November to 20 December 2025, celebrates one of Lagos’ most exciting underground cultural movements—mara, a fast-paced sound-and-dance style that has become a nationwide sensation.

Presented by the Embassy of France in Nigeria, in partnership with Alliance Française Lagos and Improv Practice, the show transforms the gallery into a sensory tunnel of sound, movement and history. At the centre of the hall sits a yellow-and-black keke, instantly immersing visitors in the sights and pulse of Lagos street life. Walls come alive with colourful portraits of street-dance legends, tracing Nigeria’s evolving street choreography from Ajegunle’s Galala in the 1990s, to Swo, Alanta, and the Yahooze craze powered by Olu Maintain.

The exhibition is curated by Marianne Ournac, Cooperation Officer at the French Embassy, and Anthony Dike, who explained that every installation was designed to bring visitors into the “world of mara.”

One section allows guests to learn mara steps by standing on a platform where their image is merged with that of a dancer on a screen. “You mimic the steps and learn by doing,” Dike said.

Another striking space recreates a Lagos charging centre to display viral TikTok videos that helped spread the mara movement. “Charging centres are lifelines in communities without steady electricity. We used that concept because many dancers actually rely on these spaces to keep their phones powered for recording,” he explained.

The “Faces and Stories” wall highlights 10 major contributors to the mara ecosystem: Odogwu Mara, DJ Khalipha, Zenny B, SKiLo Richie, DJ YK Mule, King Kong Mara, DJ Cora, DJ Tobzy, A221, and Kadima, whose music has even caught the attention of global DJs like Skrillex.

Visitors can also try their hands at mixing mara beats in a dedicated DJ booth designed as a creative play space.

Born on the streets of Lagos Mainland, mara has grown into a creative language shaped by young DJs, dancers and neighbourhood communities. It is fast, improvised, street-rooted and unapologetically expressive. Many of these artists recently represented Nigeria at the Nyege Festival 2025 in Kampala, supported by the French Embassy, helping to take mara to global audiences.

The exhibition grounds that momentum back home, honouring the local scenes that gave Mara its authenticity.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Laurent Favier, Consul General of France to Nigeria, praised the raw power of the genre.

“I was astonished to learn that ‘mara’ means street or madness. And with the sound of the music, I wasn’t surprised—the BPMs are crazy,” he said. “This is a pure artistic language on its own, driven by the raw energy of Lagos streets.”

Favier noted that the exhibition is funded through France’s Passion Africa Fund, which supports creative talents across the continent. “We are proud to do this in Nigeria, where the creative ecosystem is vibrant. This partnership connects Nigerian and French creators and strengthens cultural exchange.”

He also commended the researchers and artists behind the project, including We Talk Sound, producers of the Mara Mania documentary featured in the show.

While the gallery remains the heart of the exhibition, the opening celebrations continued later that evening with the MARA MANIA Live Showcase at Freedom Park, featuring top mara DJs, dancers and the public premiere of the documentary. The showcase translated the exhibition’s visual energy into live performance, bringing the mara experience back to the people who made it.