Feranmi Abiola’s Mara Mania has been named a joint winner of the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, putting a spotlight on one of Lagos’ emerging youth-driven music cultures.
The documentary, which explores the rise of Mara music in Lagos, was recognised alongside Peter Oghenetega Oke’s Beyond Tarkwa Bay at the Nigeria LNG Limited Grand Award Night in Lagos on October 9. The two films share the $20,000 prize.
Mara Mania looks beyond the sound itself, following the DJs, dancers and cultural contributors helping shape Mara and examining how music, movement and digital culture are becoming part of a wider story about contemporary Nigerian youth identity.
The film was selected from 98 submissions for the first edition of the Creative Arts Prize, which focused on the theme “Identity.” After an initial longlist of 11 films, Mara Mania was among five documentaries to reach the final stage.
For Abiola, the recognition also reflects the people who trusted her to document their world. At the centre of Mara Mania are figures including Kadima, Azzion the Beat, DJ Khalipa, DJ Cora and dancers Larry, Zenny B, Skilo Richie and King Kong Mara.
It is a significant moment for a film documenting a culture while it is still being built. Mara Mania is not just looking back at where Mara came from. It is capturing where Lagos youth culture is going.