The Everyday African : Gist, Grit & Glory.. 54 Pieces of History.

When I think about Africa, I think about how little of its history gets shared in school—and how much of what I do know came from my parents..

I remember eavesdropping on my family gathering late-night conversations in the living room, shouting about politics until the early hours of the morning!!

(Ooooo.. Maybe I could create a mini series: “Until Early Hours in the Morning” — a collection of conversations with individuals from different African countries, talking about topics relevant to their homelands. Almost like a podcast?)

Guysss, let me know what you think…🤔

What I love is how those conversations quietly shaped the deep love I have for Nigeria and Africa as a whole tbh! And now I get to have these conversations with you amazing people on Substack!

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My parents probably didn’t realise that their talks about “back home” were planting vivid images in my head of what the “African lifestyle” looked like. Without even trying, they instilled a love for the motherland into what has now turned into creating a space for people like me ..

The music, food, NOLLYWOOD! These are some of the attributes that have sparked this fire in me to want to connect more, now more than ever with the African Lifestyle…

You know how African parents always threatened to send us back home if we misbehaved in school?

For me, it was the complete opposite—I genuinely wanted to experience school life in Naij! Not me telling everyone in year 6 , I was moving to Nigeria to continue my education ( not the school thinking omg they’re shipping her back home) 😭😭

From everything I was told, and from what I saw during my visits back home, all I wanted to be was the ‘cool British girl’ from London attending school in Nigeria! (Badge of honour)

I’ve been a proud Naija babe for as long as I can remember. And now, I find myself reflecting deeply on why that pride runs so deep!

Was it my dad blasting King Sunny Adé/ Fela on a Saturday morning? Or my mum playing Koffi Olomide and Awilo Longomba on the school run?

Either way, my parents made sure they raised a proud African Girl!!

We had BenTV and OBE TV playing in the background while my mum & dad chatted with relatives back home. I knew that Saturday morning, my mum would be sending me away with £20 to buy a pack of calling cards, just to shout about ; the cost of petrol for the generator was too much or why my family back-home should vote for ‘APC( one of the two major political parties in Nigeria)🙃

Trust me when I say, probably from the age of 11/12 I’ve been knowing the names of all the politicial parties in Nigeria! (See why I could have survived in my homeland)?🤣🤣

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As my mum would say

‘ Sooo, to cut a long story short’…

I really want to be intentional with this Substack.

I’m not a “writer,” but when it comes to a topic I care about, I can gist for hours! I’m talking,

Fashion, Art, Culture ,The Lifestyle!!

That’s why sharing African visuals that represent the 54 coutries & culture excites me—it’s a chance to show the world what Africa means to me.

It’s not just about the Aesthetics (I hate that word)!!!

It’s about Representation—and the power that comes from seeing yourself reflected on screen or in stories I share..

I’m just a Naija babe who loves her roots and wants to connect the dots with the African Diaspora.

I want the world to see and appreciate the

‘Everyday African’ — because we’re African, every day…

Right?!