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Catching Trips
Hello my beautiful, blossoming, blessed and beloved people. Though I am a bit late to the party, sometime this month, I finally took the not-so-new Ibadan-to-Lagos train. My mother and I had some business to attend in Abeokuta, and my sister was going to Lagos, so we all decided to take the train. Apparently I was the only member of my family who had not taken the train since launch; my sister has taken it at least ten times. Best in railway. In Ibadan, the train station is at Moniya, that’s after UI, after Ojoo, for some reference point. The train station is about five minutes away from the Moniya…
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The Beginner’s Guide to Owambes
Owambe: noun. a large, grandiose party thrown by Nigerians anywhere in the world, especially Yoruba Nigerians, which involves a lot of food, dancing, loud music, and spraying (the act of throwing money on a dancing person). There are often numerous guests, and usually the guests are divided into groups according to their aso ebi. These parties take weeks and months and sometimes years of preparation, and have been known to block entire streets and roads (a sign of a successful owambe) Aso Ebi: noun. outfits made from matching fabric to be worn by a group of people as a uniform to owambes. It has its benefits, as it dictates the kind…
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It’s Okay If You Haven’t Taken Down Your Christmas Decors
Am I judging you? Only just a tiny bit. I only just recently deleted my Christmas playlist, so please take your time. Happy new year people! I’m the kind of person who would still say ‘happy new year’ in September if that’s the first time I’m seeing you that year, because why not? As much as I don’t want to, I’m usually quite optimistic and full of hope at the start of the new year: new year resolutions, vision boards, and such; I’m into all of that. An opportunity to start afresh? Count me in.
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Thirty Over Thirty
Now playing: Celebration by Kool and the Gang🎵 We did it guys! 30 days of writing. Do I feel a bit smug? Absolutely. On a hot afternoon in October, I said here that I would start a 30-day writing challenge. A couple of days in and I was already lamenting. Just what kind of problem had I gotten myself into? Who sent me? But through various trials and afflictions, I persisted and here I am finally at the finish line! Since that afternoon in October I have written about all kinds of things: this sensational one about why you’re still single, this one about pet peeves, this one about places…
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Of Mercury and Maradona
I. “I’d sit alone and watch your light my only friend through teenage nights…” Last night, sleep eluded me, so I stayed up looking for some good entertainment to watch. Past 1 am, I finally settled on watching Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic. In the dull moments of the movie, I would start to doze off but suddenly, Queen would start to sing electrifyingly: Don’t! Stop! Me! Now! and I would be jarred awake. As is the usual response after watching such a vivid and wonderful portrayal, I went on the internet to read about the legend, the very brilliant, very human lead singer of the band, Freddie Mercury. A complicated…
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Always On My Mind
“How many c’s are in ‘necessary’? But when will this coronavirus era end? I haven’t had shawarma in a while. It’s also been long since I heard Pretty Girls Rock by Keri Hilson. I should download it. What am I doing with my life? What’s my matric number? 183.. What did I come to get in this room again…?” There are usually about 3,058 thoughts going on in my mind per minute. How did I come up with that number? I don’t think it matters. Until recently, I used to think that things like ‘practicing mindfulness’ and ‘meditation’ were for our most beloved, most serious professional friends, also known as…
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Ninety-Nine Questions (Not Really)
Day 22: 15 facts about myself Helloo Nigeria my peoples. Today I shall be answering a list of select questions about myself, and they are interspersed by a few cute pics I took a while ago. You know what our ancestor Nelson Mandela said: When life presents you with it, one must never turn down an opportunity to be vain. So here goes! 1. If I had one superpower what would it be? Teleportation/Telekinesis is where the life is at. If you had asked me when I was ten years old, I would have said flying, but now I’ve seen that life is not really like that. Flying for what?…
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20 10 20
There is a man at the end of Burna Boy’s ’20 10 20′ track, at the 3:18 mark, who in the midst of the gunshots, the running, the chaos, shouts ‘End SARS!’. I think about that man a lot. Last month, something happened. I remember it felt like we had all been simultaneously plugged into a system of consciousness. Unplanned, protests were springing up all over the country. All of a sudden, there were people organizing action in Kaduna, in Ogbomosho, in Port Harcourt. Despite the odds, people were donating money, food, offering free medical service and legal services. Nigerians from varying economic classes, Nigerians at home and abroad came…
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After the Reggae
…play the blues… Let me first mention that the title of this post is in no way related to the content of the blog post, but it looks good as a heading, don’t you think? It’s been a hot minute guys. In the last post I talked about putting a pause on the writing challenge because of all the revolutionary things that were happening, or seemed to be happening, in my country. I did not, however, foresee the unprecedented trauma that we would collectively experience as a generation. It is the type I know will stay with me. Though I am still reeling from the events of last month, life must go…
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The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Hi guys. Sorry for my unexplained absence for the past couple of days. Thank you so much to everyone who has reached out to check if I was doing okay. I am so grateful. I’m taking a break from the writing challenge to contribute to the current conversation going on right row. In these past few days, I have experienced a roller-coaster of emotions, from feelings of overwhelming pride to intense sadness to burning passion. I know it’s easy to stand back and look away from all that’s going on because nothing ever works in this country. But it appears that unplanned and unintended, the match has been lit, and…
