The Cube Cafe

 

Our Uber driver pulled up to the closed gates of what appeared to be an abandoned amusement park.  We assumed he had the wrong address and asked him to back up past the chickens and overgrown stream bed, to retrace our steps through the upperclass district of Abuja called Maitama. Our destination, the stylish Cube Cafe, must be nearby. 

"Leafy Maitama is an upscale area of grand embassy buildings and chic hotels. Fine eateries offer global cuisine," a description that led us to believe the Cafe would be a popular destination for expats.  Some had described the place as offering live music and a craft fair as well as coffee and smoothies.  The district certainly lived up to its reputation, with wide tree-lined streets and guarded gated communities. However, the empty amusement park seemed out of place. Wandering around, we found Disney style rides, on a much smaller scale, in overgrown grounds. 

The Cube Cafe was tucked away between a memorial to George Floyd and a Beauty and the Beast themed teacups ride.  Inside the quiet atmosphere, the coffee shop offered an inviting menu and seating options.  I ordered a smoothie and perused the books on offer. Other than the fact that there were African patterns on the seat covers, we could have been in any tourist destination around the world. 

The only activity outside, in the park, was a very loud church service: lots of singing and "Alleluias" over the loud speaker. About 1:00pm the meeting broke up, (how long was the service, I wonder?) and the congregation made their way across the park of merry-go-rounds and pirate ships, in their Sunday best. Certainly not an expat crowd.

We followed the crowd out of the park, past the chickens and up the street lined with palms and bougainvillea. We stopped briefly at a farmer's market to buy some bananas and papayas.  A large group of men were in the middle of prayer, kneeling amongst the onions and potatoes, after using tea kettles for washing. Nigeria is roughly half Muslim and half Christian, however, in Abuja, the majority are Muslims.  

This got me thinking about the mixture of cultures that exist in the country.  Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Fulani, Ogani, Tiv, Nupe, Kanuri, Ijaw and Annang are just some of the tribes here, and with over 520 languages spoken, there is no wonder that there is a need for English as an official language. 

"Nigeria is a nation of people who eat beef and chicken and cow skin and intestines and dried fish in a single bowl of soup, and it is called assorted, and so get over yourselves and realize that the way of life here is just that, assorted." Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie in her novel, Americanah (2013 Knopf)