NATIVE NIGERIAN

The Mist of Hope

All is taken But nothing is lost It was never yours In the first place

Go ahead Prepare yourself Be new Be renewed Be your best version And watch what happens

Wait! Look... See the things you desire Over the horizon Still Beyond your reach.

Mr Goodluck and the Maggi Superstar

Nanpan focuses on the furrowed ridge of Mr Gofwan’s forehead, right above the spot between his eyes. He wants to appear like a man of courage, straight-faced and intense. Nanpan wants to appear as a man looking a man in the face.

Mr Gofwan does not restrain his fury and resentment when he eventually speaks. His tone octaves above a heated whisper.

‘Have you considered that my daughter here…

The light is surrounded by darkness but it is there, you can see it, you need to come close.

Life goes up and down, round and round, but you can make it a fun ride, you need to come in.

The fear holding you back won’t hold you up, it keeps you down, you need to let go.

photo by Harpal Singh via Unsplash

For Men Who Use Logic To Ruin Lives

You take a lot 

For granted

Because 

You have a lot to take 

For granted.

Options, choices, possibilities

Present themselves

And with greedy hands

Like tentacles

You grab

To live out 

Multiple lies. 

I come from a man like you

Backed by

Logical sounding reasons

Echoes of fair judgement

With pale imprints of firm decisions.

First

He…

What’s In Your Pants?

Where I come from, it is highly unusual for parents to have “The Talk” with their kids. You know, the one with the birds and the bees. This is because there is an unspoken yet very weighty culture of shame around sex. With the almost puritanical way sex is inserted into “necessary” conversations, it is a miracle any of us are here. One will wonder how we came to be born. 

By necessary…

On Female Independence and the Power of Helplessness.

The second episode of ‘Behold The Natives!’ is out.

In this episode, we explore why there was an outcry over Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s comments over Hilary Clinton’s Twitter Bio. As well as the backlash against Moesha Boduong’s honest revelations about being a girlfriend to one of Ghana’s married men. And how she let Christine Amanpour know that her next ambition was to upgrade herself from…

For Men Who Use Logic To Ruin Lives.

You take a lot

For granted

Because

You have a lot to take

For granted.

  Options, choices, possibilities,

Present themselves

And with greedy hands

Like tentacles

You grab

To live out

Multiple lies.

  I come from a man like you

Constantly backed by

Logical sounding reasons

Echoes of fair judgement

Pale imprints of firm decisions.

  First

He had a woman

Forced on him

By culture and tradition

An…

Today is an exciting day because I am venturing into the unknown!

So this is the thing. Everytime I have an issue in my heart that I want to blog about, I end up abandoning it all together because it seems by the time I am done critically examining the issue, the blog post might as well end up as a dissertation. And I would love the reading experience not to be tedious no matter how engaging.

The…

Heavenly Father, Once again, I come to you with an un-understandable question. So the other day, while walking under a clear blue sky, golden sun rays bathing and activating the full potential of my melanin; I got stopped by a concerned elderly lady. She felt I was putting myself at risk and only inviting trouble by my current lifestyle. Okay, we know I stay confused about most things in life…

Why I Constantly Do Stupid Things.

Every time I am asked about my life choices and decisions, and why they don’t seem to align with what is seemingly wise or acceptable; I always lack the words to express my reasons and my vocabulary suddenly seems limited. And so I had taken to blaming genetics and my nomadic ancestry by an extended way of explanation. Because I mean it has to take a specialized skill of insanity to get up with…

Not long ago, I shared a Keke Napep (Rickshaw/ Tuk Tuk, my main source of transportation and inspiration) with two of the most unpleasant human beings I have ever encountered. I was on my way to a wedding on the outskirts of town. Baffling as it was, it didn’t occur to these two people that since the area is remote, we just may be going to the same venue; which we were. And so they went on with…

Tales From Behind A Dusty Window

via Daily Prompt: Quill This is a story that will be well told, I know it; but a sadness engulfs me because I will never know it. There is a distance and space between me and the writer, a barricade of tar and gravel that I am not allowed to cross. A unseen boundary that has been enforced by words. The very same words that might be in the writer’s story, “never cross the street alone!” These…

via Daily Prompt: Tether To be awake: is to be hooked to the sounds of the day, to the visions and images that unfold through the wandering of the body through the spaces it inhabits. To be awake: is to be upright, steady and motivated into searching for the passages that direct the purpose of living. To be awake: is to be emptied of the anxiety that brought the previous day to an end, as I float…

This Thing Called Love

For two mother loving long years, I tried to write a love story. This is something I subconsciously avoided since I started writing. And as it is with one’s fears, to overcome it, I had to start at why. Only I didn’t because… One freezing night, feeling delusional and inspired; I switched on my computer and decided to ‘get to work!’. And instead of the sweet juices of love pouring from my…

Open Letter To My Father

A very beautiful read…

In the land of life lies the book of the living; and in the book of the living lies a question to be answered for a name to be recorded. “How do you live a life of purpose?”, do you a) Face the danger that comes with your choice or b) draw from deep waters for strength and courage. You must do both and that is just one of the things you do.   I really love this picture, and therefore could not…

Don’t Mind Your Business: Help Stop Violence Against Women.

I was asked to speak about violence against women and my brain immediately shut down. This usually happens when a topic or theme seems bigger than me and encompasses the whole universe. It also happens when I am scared to death because suddenly something that is meant to come out of my mouth is suppose to make sense and provide answers. “What will be your point of view?” This was the next thing…