city, he found upon arrival, turned out to be a very calm, orderly suburb.

A religious man had founded the walled city in the 1980s when he had visions of a snake, a devil. The man, also a mathematician, spread his belief that the end of the world was near. Hearing this, local people believed it necessary to come together in this walled community.

Believers wanting to live in the community could build houses there for free. The stipulation: building an extra room in their home for visiting believers.

The end of the world did not come. What did come to the community there, though, was a proliferation of the initial task: seeking a sense of calm, of order. The community took many initiatives to alleviate unpredictability, the transitory nature ofin the world, the Kenyan author continued from the grassy stage in Amsterdam, this is success.

He found grace and nobility in the people at Lagos (and elsewhere) who were finding success in their quest for good and a defined sense of place.