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• 1 media/0428_Cordelia.jpg 2016-03-10T10:22:36-08:00 Cordelia 25 Iconic Area Boy image_header 2016-05-09T13:14:54-07:00 Cordelia is an iconic, even mythic, area boy, partly because she is the first girl in the entire group of area boys. The area boys have been active in Makoko since the early 1980s, but their presence has continually become more important to Makoko following increased tensions with Lagos.
  
  Cordelia is the female group leader of the area boys in Makoko. She lives with her mother and a younger brother. Her father left before her brother, Kalu, was born. Her mission is to protect her family. Without access to education and not willing to get married for money, Cordelia chose to join the area boys at the age of 15.
  
  
  
  Cordelia is iconically recognized as a hard worker who leads a disciplined life working to become stronger every day. In street fights, she has proven her ability - fighting as brutally as a man, and smarter than most of them. The group she leads is the only one which accept girls, and they provide protection to an area called Oorun (meaning Sun in Yoruba), which has three important intersections of the public bridges. Cordelia’s group takes charge of collecting the tolls and guaranteeing access to and from bridges. Her group also helps control some of the public media theatrical spaces in Makoko, providing security and also collecting admission fees.