GIDA Journal

If the global rise of Detty December tells us anything, Ebuka Nwobu says, it is that you do not have to be Nigerian to have your world rocked by a Nigerian party. Ebuka and Chisom (@phlenjo.events) have built one of Nigeria’s most intentional nightlife experiences around that understanding, a curatorial project rooted in the specific spirit of Nigerian celebration and dedicated to proving that it has a place in the global entertainment market.

In conversation with GIDA, Ebuka speaks on the vision behind globalising Nigerian nightlife, a project that goes beyond music to encompass the full texture of how Nigerians celebrate, dress, move, and congregate. He reflects on the cultural moment that makes this possible, on how the international success of Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema has reduced the barrier to entry for every other dimension of Nigerian culture, and on the curation philosophy that has allowed Phlenjo to grow from intimate gatherings to festivals of thousands while keeping intention at the centre. “𝘼𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣,” he says, “𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙.”

Swipe to read the full conversation!

Images courtesy of Phlenjo