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The First Stone

Image:Timeintheword.org   Not too long ago, a conversation on a podcast trended on social media. Women in entertainment were being dissected for having lifestyles beyond their incomes. A few female stars with commendable work ethic and multiple streams of ‘legit’ income were acknowledged for being on the straight and narrow. The guest male thespian on the podcast spoke about being irked seeing his female colleague rolling up on set in a whip that was way beyond his own reach. This was unsettling for him as they were supposed to be in a similar income bracket. The prognosis from the men on the show was that such ladies must be involved in seemingly inappropriate activities such as bedding wealthy men to fund their extravagant lifestyles.    On this same podcast, females that were part of a popular reality TV show were accused of lacking substance and only coming on the show to advertise themselves to their potential monied benefactors. One of the hosts had earlier spilled the beans
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Series of Interactions

Image source: khalilcenter.com I have come to view life from the lens of it being a series of interactions with varying individuals at different stages in our lives. From childhood to adulthood, our exposure, knowledge and experiences are shaped by our various interactions with the world around us and other people across time and location. Usually starting within our families, our sphere of interactive influence grows as we advance and move through the different phases of our lives. This line of thought came to me as I pondered on my apprehension when encountering new people generally and particularly in a work based environment. This unease becomes more apparent in situations where I have to depend on or rely on these other people for any number of outcomes; otherwise it’s usually fun meeting new folks. At the root of this anxiety I believe is a fear of judgement and an unwillingness to relinquish total control over the outcomes of my life and work. That feeling of dependency on o
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Shot In the arm

  Photo: AA My mum took the first dose of her Covid-19 jab yesteday, it was the AstraZeneca vaccine administered at a primary health care centre. This first phase of vaccinations covers different groups of people including healthcare workers and all emergency responders, security agencies, the judiciary, teachers and folks aged 70 years and above. There was an information poster on the gate at the entrance to the health centre with information about all eligible groups and procedure for getting the shot. A generous piece of real estate on the poster was reserved for an image of the local government chairman for that area; perhaps a reminder of his benevolence for delivering the vaccine to his propitious constituents.   The entire process from arrival to getting the actual jab took a little over an hour and this happened with a very light influx of people. The entrance to the health centre was manned by individuals who I would guess were local government employees but whose demeanou
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Fela, Validation & Magic

Photo:fahrenheitmagazine.com   I once opined that Africans should be careful seeking validation from foreign standard keepers; I argued that we should develop our own high value reward systems instead. I also do remember quite vividly in 2008, during the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards –aka the MAMAs – as Trevor Nelson unveiled Fela as the recipient of the ‘Legend Award’. In his remarks, Trevor had said something along the lines of it practically being a given that this honour for the inaugural edition should go to Fela; arguably the biggest artistic legend to come out of Africa. I hadn’t given the matter any much thought since then until I came across Seth Godin’s take on Fela’s nomination and possible induction into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. Perhaps because of my disposition, I had not been that excited about the prospect of Fela’s inclusion. Fela was to me and I want to believe for many Africans, the greatest musical legend ever. Seth argued for greater diversity wi
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Season of Protests

Image: @ayanfeolarinde There appears to be an awakening of sorts in Nigeria. It’s not that we have not always had a keen sense of awareness but we are more ready - it s eems - to take our collective destiny in our own hands. There is no stronger manifestation of this than the current agitation against police brutality, carried out by mostly young people.   Nigeria has and remains a nation of such great potential, with lots of amazingly brilliant and talented people. There’s no doubt that its people are its super power; what magic we would create, if we could only get out of our own way. This majestic nation with a rich history and abundant resources appears to be stuck in a rut. The curse of political leadership has the nation locked in a vicious cycle of malevolence and deficiency. We are nowhere near what we could be. But we seem to be gradually unlocking the power inherent in bringing our voices together in one accord, to clear away the blockades to our progress, so that we ca
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Decisionship

Image: Tony Robbins I am gradually weaning myself off the monthly supplement otherwise known as a salary; yes, the one that comes with paid employment. I made quite the ballsy move against the trappings and comfort that came along with the regular pay day. The withdrawal symptoms have been quite severe at times, leaving me mulling over my decision and contemplating if it was indeed the right one. I have beat up myself on occasion since I became a free agent , thinking back to the chain of events and decisions that led me to drop my letter . It wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly considering the ravenous appetite of the responsibilities on my plate and the unyielding urgency with which they would continue to come at me. And so, here we are. The action was made all the more complex by my resolve not to chase paid employment any further, at least not for the foreseeable future, allowing me to fully explore the extent of my other options. The unfolding developments to any observer
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Identity, misappropriation and choice

Image: Fair observer I recently came across an article on Anthony Ekundayo Lennon, a middle aged Irish Caucasian accused of cultural misappropriation and profiting from passing himself off as a mixed race person. The Guardian article offered me a fresh perspective on his story. He had before now seemed to me to be just another ‘Rachel Dolezal’, who was also white but presented herself as a black person. And if you’re wondering how this is even possible, it actually isn’t that difficult to achieve. I’ve always found this concept of what makes a person black or white to be quite interesting. So, on the one end you have white individuals with white parents and white ancestry as far back as they know, identifying and presenting as black people. Rachel was president of a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the most regarded bodies for civil rights in the US for African Americans. You don’t get to such a position by not being black,
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