THE 419 Comes to the Somerset House
The event runs 8 - 15 September 2025.
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 02, 2025
The 419 is a playful poetry and photography exhibition, where 14 sonnets and 14 portraits show how money flows through 14 lives on a typical day in Lagos, Nigeria.
Whilst researching his play Barber Shop Chronicles in Lagos, poet Inua Ellams kept seeing the warning “This house is not for sale. Beware of 419” spray-painted on houses. His guide explained this was to deter conmen from breaking into and selling properties when their owners were away.
Curiosity into what set of circumstances could drive such ’entrepreneurial’ risk-taking led Inua to write a series of interlinked ‘Nigerian Sonnets’ in the voices of men and women of various ages and socio-economic backgrounds, from a market labourer to a musician, to an elected official.
These poems are snapshots of the hurdles faced by each individual, and who they ask to help overcome them. Humorous and heartfelt, they collectively subvert the 419 stereotype.
Ultimately, The 419 sheds light on the economics of life in Africa’s most populous city.
Poet and playwright Inua Ellams (Three Sisters, National Theatre/Fuel, Half God of Rainfall, Kiln/Fuel) has worked with photographer and filmmaker Oluwamuyiwa Logo, who recently exhibited at Museum of Modern Art in New York, to create a stunning series of photographic portraits.
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