How do you deal with stress?
In Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling metropolis, residents are discovering a novel way to relieve stress amidst the country’s most severe cost-of-living crisis in decades. They are flocking to the Shadow Rage Room, where, for a modest fee, they can obliterate electronics and furniture with sledgehammers.
The Shadow Rage Room, reportedly the first of its kind in Nigeria, has been touted as a “safe space” for releasing pent-up emotions. Dr. James Babajide Banjoko, the founder and a physician, conceived the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Having lost his mother and grappling with the intensities of work, he sought an unconventional outlet for his stress.
For 7,500 naira (approximately $5), customers don protective gear and are armed with a sledgehammer or bat to unleash their frustrations on various items for 30 minutes. These items are subsequently recycled.
Life in Nigeria, a nation of over 200 million, has become increasingly challenging. Youth frustration has recently escalated into widespread protests, resulting in several fatalities due to security forces’ intervention. An inflation rate soaring to a 28-year high of 33.4% and a plummeting naira further exacerbate the situation.
Mental health services are either scarce or financially out of reach for many in Africa’s most populous country, where 40% of the population subsists on less than $2 a day. The Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists reports fewer than 400 registered psychologists nationwide, equating to one psychologist for about every half a million people.
Even when therapy is accessible, stigma persists as a significant barrier, as noted by NACP president Gboyega Emmanuel Abikoye. Although rage rooms have been popularized in other parts of the globe, there is no concrete evidence supporting their long-term mental health benefits beyond temporary emotional release, according to Abikoye.
In increasingly overcrowded Lagos, where the population swells to about 20 million, the demand for long-term emotional support is particularly acute. Daily life is fraught with stressors, from interminable traffic jams to the oppressive heat and smog engulfing one of the world’s most polluted cities.
Some Lagosians find solace through social media platforms like TikTok or seek support in communal spaces like churches, mosques, and gyms. Now, the rage room has emerged as another outlet. Its weekend sessions are typically booked up to two weeks in advance, according to Banjoko.
After a vigorous session of demolition, visitor Olaribigbe Akeem emerged drenched in sweat but noticeably relieved and joyous. “As an average Nigerian, you get to deal with a lot every day,” Akeem remarked. “The anger has been piling up. Instead of venting on somebody, this is the best avenue for me, and I feel a lot renewed.”
Couples are also finding value in the rage room, using it to express built-up grievances. Occasionally, customers enter out of curiosity but depart with a sense of emotional release. “My favorite people are those that just want to try it, and at the end of the day, you see them break down, they cry, they become very expressive,” Banjoko said, adding that he often refers them to therapy.
Nonetheless, Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, a Lagos-based psychiatrist, emphasized that the benefits of such activities are typically fleeting and cannot replace professional therapy. She also warned of the potential for reinforcing aggressive behavior through repeated participation in such activities.
While some patrons find their burdens momentarily lightened, the weight of daily life in Nigeria quickly returns once they leave. Yet, the opportunity to be vulnerable with oneself, sledgehammer in hand, holds undeniable appeal, stated Eka Stephanie Paul, an actor and TV host. She acknowledged the transient nature of the relief, saying in pidgin, “Problem no dey finish anyway. But right now, I feel very light.”
