Elevating graffiti at street mural festival

SPRAY paint and brushes in hand, the artists focused on their murals, tuning out the chaotic symphony of car horns and swirls of exhaust from the Lagos traffic behind them.

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They put the finishing touches to their contributions for the inaugural Lagos Street Art Festival, which opened on Wednesday and promises to turn the mega-city into an "open-air gallery", according to the organisers.

It is a novel promise in a country where street art and graffiti remain niche practices.

It also offers a chance to add colour to the concrete jungle that more than 20 million Nigerians call home, with works featuring expansive cityscapes, kaleidoscopic patterns evoking African textiles and proud women in bright headwraps.

"Lagos is a place where we have joy," artist Ashaolu Oluwafemi, 34, said, standing in front of his mural depicting a woman dancing, eyes closed and arms raised.

"There's joy, there's struggle. Even in the mood of your struggles, you have to be joyful. You have to make yourself happy."