The Litany Of Noisemakers!

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As an individual, I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that I’ll always suffer noise pollution and unless the government takes proactive measures to fix it, then there’ll be nothing that can be done. Either by myself or anyone else.

Noise is something that everyone does as they like, regardless of how it affects their neighbors. They simply do it and when you try to complain, they tag you jealous and tell you to go get yours. If someone plays their music too loud at night and you complain, they tell you to buy your own sound system and play your own music. If you complain about a generator being too loud, they shun you and tell you to stop being so resentful.

That’s what we face on a daily basis, which is the reason many people have simply resigned to the idea that no matter where they are, there’ll always be someone making noise. If it’s not churches blasting music from their speakers, then it’s small business owners who won’t let the neighborhood rest because of their songs. Or should I get started on the numerous generators that go on every time power is cut?

Noise pollution is terrible, and if you’re the kind of person who can’t cope, it’ll mess with your mental health. This reminds me of a family friend in Lagos, they are landlords but this issue of noise drove them into becoming tenants. They’re both retirees and all they wanted was to live out the rest of their lives in the house they built with their blood and sweat.

Not long after, a hotel opened up a few blocks from them and that’s where their troubles began. Not just for them, but for the entire area. The music was nonstop. Morning and night, it was always blaring. There was never a time that the music went off. Can you imagine having to listen to such a thing every minute of every day? And these friends of mine were so close to the hotel that sometimes the speakers felt like they were right in their rooms. That’s how loud it was.

People couldn’t sleep, either at night or during the day. Soon, my friend's husband began to lose and he was always falling sick because of the stress. Constant headaches and fever. They couldn’t cope with that much longer.

They tried to complain, but there was nothing that could be done. The hotel had every right to be there and they had a permit to run business there. Besides, business was booming for the owner so there was no way he was going to let it all go. Eventually, my friends gave up. They simply counted money that could have been used for something else and went to rent an apartment in a more serene environment. It was painful, but they did it for their own sanity. I don’t know how things are now with them, it’s been a while since I got in touch with them. I really hope that they’ll be able to get back into their home soon.

That’s just how bad noise can be. And many times, it doesn’t come from speakers. Where I live in Lagos, there are some children who seem to have amplifiers fixed to their throats. It’s as if they’re unable to play without screaming at the top of their lungs. And it’s painful. Every time, I dread the evenings because I know that once they come back from school, the entire compound will be on fire.

Generators are not really our problems there because the houses are built in such a way that it doesn’t really disturb others. If a flat turns on its gen, by the time the sound gets to another flat, it won’t be so harsh anymore.

The only other problem we have back home with noise pollution is prayers. I’m not against anyone praying, but I’m very much against you holding a night vigil right outside my window. I don’t know why these guys just feel that they can do anything in the name of freedom of religion! They live upstairs but would come down to pray for long hours through the night.

They don’t use speakers and mics, but they might as well do. Their combined voices, their claps, and their screams, I find it all irritating. Like, why do they have to shout? They’re only five or seven in number, so what’s the point? Screaming at the top of your lungs won’t make your prayers heard any faster than if you whispered it in the privacy of your room, or even simply said it in your mind.

These guys robbed us of sleep and it affected my Mom really badly because as a teacher she always had to wake up early to prepare for school. But every morning, she felt weak and tired, a consequence of tossing and turning due to the constant shouts from these guys. When your prayers make others uncomfortable and even sick, when they put someone at risk of losing their job, is that even a prayer? Will it be answered?

Anyway, we eventually talked to them when it became too much. All of us in the compound had to speak against it. If you want to pray, do it in your own home and not in the compound. They agreed, but did that stop? No. These guys lived in the flat directly above us and when they did their vigil, we were still disturbed. They even made it worse by stomping their feet on the floor which was just deafening.

In the end, we had no choice but to track their movements. We learned when they had their vigils, the last Fridays of each month. And when it came, my Mom went to my sister’s place to spend the night. She returned on Saturday morning and that was it. We didn’t like it, but we couldn’t stop them from doing what they wanted in the house they paid for. So, we coped that way for a couple of months until they eventually moved out.

And today, the only problem the compound faces is the noisy children.

My stories of noise pollution are just too much! I’ve not even started on where I’m living right now. Almost everyone here is a big boy, and that means almost everyone has a generator and a good sound system. You can guess what it means for us.

Either way, I’ve gotten used to it. Many times, I don’t even hear it. I’ve learned to tune out the noise because that’s the only thing I can do. I also make some noise of my own, what with my gen and sound system. I can’t fault people for using things I’m also making use of.

So, let’s just keep killing each other with noise and enduring it because there’s no system in place that can regulate such a thing. I really hope this is a case that doesn’t remain like this forever.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in your comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the third topic of the week which is Noise Pollution. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images are mine.}

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