infrahub.africa

Background

Sparked by the 2009 demolition of informal waterfront settlements, CMAP was formed when key individuals with diverse expertise, skills in media, marketing and graphics connected over their shared concern for the plight of waterfront residents. Over the years, CMAP has campaigned for the recognition of waterfront settlements and their place in the city via a number of interventions. The first was a pop-up cinema to screen films in the community, using film as a form of activism. CMAP has since gone on to use radio, mapping, music and other media to support these communities.

Approach

CMAP’s approach is flexible, allowing it to respond to the needs of the communities it serves as they arise. It runs a number of different initiatives, including:

1. Chicoco Radio is a floating radio station, built and run by residents of waterfront settlements.
2. Chicoco Studios is a music studio that supports artists from waterfront settlements.
3. Chicoco Cinema primarily shows films made by the waterfront communities and classic movies. The cinema is inflatable and travels to various communities across Nigeria.
4. Chicoco Maps equips residents of informal settlements with the tools required to map out their neighbourhoods.
CMAP is starting to explore physical infrastructure provision that is context specific and relevant for the future. It sees opportunities for experimentation at the neighbourhood level for the provision of services such as electricity.

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Environmental Impact

Success Factors

CMAP has achieved great success in using diverse media platforms to raise the visibility of informal waterfront communities and champion their interests.