Serendipity

  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...

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 diversit...

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 w...

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...

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,...

Image: Wikipedia I think many would agree that Christianity as a religion has evolved over the years. As we have evolved as people and as societies, so has the way in which we practice religion. One could argue that the core tenets and message of Christianity have remained largely the same since biblical times but the other, somewhat complementary aspects of religion have been influenced by time and culture. The distinction between religion, the faith and religion, the practices, may not always be a clear cut one. There are a number of issues today that challenge our understanding of scripture and what is acceptable within Christianity. Some are as old as the issue of salvation for non-Christians while some are as contemporary as the ethics of stem cell research and recombinant DNA technology. Is there any wiggle room in interpretation for these matters? Or is God’s word cast in stone? - [pun intended]    Let us consider the fact that the Israelites in earlier parts ...

Image: Fenderbender Overtime, I have come across two important lessons with respect to achieving goals. It is a still a struggle for me to imbibe the inherent truths in the lessons but I am convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that they hold the key to commitment to specific objectives 1.     1. You will never be good enough – We all have been blessed with fantastic ideas that can change and re-engineer our world. We are literally busting at the seams with life changing concepts and initiatives. But our mind never seems to agree with us. It tells us not to delude ourselves; great ideas are the preserve of an exclusive few and we are most certainly not part of that few. Even when we are convinced that we are on to something special or that has potential, our will is quickly worn down by the thought of the effort required to actualize the goal.     The excuses then begin to pour in, reason after reason why we are not qualified to chase that dream. And it doe...