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African Champion

Image source:punchng.com Stumbling on a news snippet of the most recent interaction between Israel Adesanya and defending UFC middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, at a pre-fight press conference, it cast my mind back to an earlier  take   on identity. Du Plessis became champion by defeating Sean Strickland whom Adesanya had lost the belt to in 2023. Du Plessis has described himself as the first African UFC champion, side stepping Israel Adesanya, Francis Ngannou and Kamaru Usman, other previous UFC champions whom he says are only of African decent. Du Plessis, for explication is caucasian South African while the others mentioned are black with Nigerian and Cameroonian heritages. He backs up his claim with the explaining that not only is he born and raised in Africa but he also trains with his team in Africa and has always lived and still lives in Africa. This is in contrast with the others, Israel Adesanya for instance who fights as a New Zealander in the UFC. The two fighter
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Recent posts

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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