Black woman with outstretched arms at the gym

A Nod For Motivational Speakers

Opinion Pieces2 Comments

They are one of the most derided professionals in the cyberspace. Introduce yourself as a motivational speaker and you’ll probably hear a wave of giggles or sniggers. The prevalent notion is that motivational speakers are frauds. Sweet-mouth con artists who have mastered the art of creating rhymes out of a slew of words. They are all about bourgeoisie suits and impeccable grammar. Tools they employ to bamboozle their gullible audience with their gospel of ‘aspire to perspire’. As a result, it has become not just unfashionable, but also embarrassing to be called a motivational speaker.

Cartoon of a man and woman dragging along an apparently heavy baggage

The Burden Of Labels

Essay6 Comments

I had a friend who thought I was a genius. Each time we were in a gathering and there was some knotty issue or a word everyone was struggling to understand, he would turn to me and announce that Lolade would have the answer. When it came to words, he saw me as a walking dictionary. I warned him that he would one day embarrass the both of us when I came up blank after one of his random “Lolade would know it” episodes. Thankfully, that never happened. But it could have because my friend couldn’t have been more wrong.

Big Brother Naija 2020 Logo

How To Gain Stans On Reality TV Shows

Satire6 Comments

Anyone who spends a considerable amount of time on TV is likely to have fans. Admirers who appreciate and follow their work. Artistes, Presenters, and Actors all have fans who cheer them when they are doing well and lend support to them by way of patronising their work. And fans are quite powerful. By their sheer numbers, they possess the influence to determine how their subject of adoration is perceived. Popular people know this, and that’s why they never fail to acknowledge the crucial role their fans play on their journey to sustained stardom.

Kinky-haired black woman standing in the open air with hands cupping her head

Cultural Appropriation And The Gatekeepers Of Black Culture

Opinion Pieces4 Comments

Bretha was dad’s colleagues’ daughter. She was 23 years old. A white blonde with the most charming smile my ten-year-old self had ever seen. It was the first time she and her dad were visiting Nigeria, and indeed the African continent. Before then, dad had told us how Bretha’s dad presumed Africa was a place where people still lived in huts with thatched roofs, where there were no tarred roads, and monkey swung on trees. Dad hadn’t tried to convince him otherwise. Instead, he had fuelled his anxiety as the time he would be coming drew closer by telling him we also ate worms straight from a baby’s buttocks.

Birthing Purpose: My EBook For Writers And Content Creators Is Out!

Reviews2 Comments

Today is a special day for me.

I’m thrilled because a book whose concept I conceived about a year ago and worked to bring to reality over the last couple of months is birthing. My journey to the world of creating art through words was borne out a nagging desire to find my path in life. At some point, I was so discontented with my career path and where it was headed that I knew if I failed to take charge of the situation and find something I truly loved doing, I would sink into depression. I had to find purpose or die trying. It was that critical.

"Keeping on Track" written as the header of a black and white image

You’ve Got This! How To Regain Your Self-Esteem After a Setback

Guest Blogger2 Comments

Every person on the planet has bad days and setbacks they are ill-prepared for.

Nevertheless, a setback does not have to define your future negatively. It’s what you do with yourself after the setback that determines if it takes hold over your life or not.

Understand that the most successful people do not advertise their setbacks and failures, they highlight their wins. This is true in any field and it’s obvious on social media.

If people were more open about their struggles and setbacks the same way they are about their wins, we would see more social media posts about time spent healing in alcohol treatment programs, or seeking help for overeating, relationship problems, and other issues.

Black shirtless man cradling a white rose

The Impostor

Flash Fiction, Stories6 Comments

He was due to arrive in a couple of hours.

Mum had worn her wig and that floral scent she reserved for those times when dad was coming from one of his regular trips.

“Guys, I know I promised we would go to grandma’s place this weekend, but I’m sorry that won’t be possible anymore…”

Before he finished, Ire had yanked off the arm that held him on dad’s lap and flung himself on the blue Persian rug in the middle of the living room.

My younger brother was only seven years old, but already, everyone knew about his legendary emotional reactions. He was quick to get hurt and throw a tantrum, but that was just because he had a soft heart.

Car side mirror showing a trail of traffic

How To Survive As A Female Driver In Lagos

Satire4 Comments

You need a certain level of courage and dare-devilry to drive in Lagos. Everyone who gets behind the wheel on the streets of the populous city in Africa knows they need more than basic driving skills to navigate the puzzle Lagos roads represent. For the woman, it’s even dicier. Lagos roads are one place where your femininity is a disadvantage. Indeed, your first gaffe is daring to think you are capable of surviving the onslaught and mischief that is characteristic of Lagos roads; and that’s why you need a strategy.

Typical busy day in the city of Lagos

The Real Village People

Politics/Governance2 Comments

 

We allude to the existence of a category of people who are working overtime to ensure we never quite reach those heights we are capable of reaching. In our mind’s eye, they are relatives; the bad guys who don the toga of blood to inflict pain as only they know how. Everyone has “village people”. It’s a staple banter on the streets of social media. When things are not going well or gaining the required traction, we are quick to attribute it to the wiles of village people.

Big Brother Naija And The Closet Fans

Opinion Pieces8 Comments

We have been here before. We are here every year the reality television show makes an appearance. Anytime, the Big Brother social experiment hits our screens, the moral police are always there, waiting in the wings to pounce. It’s amusing to see how they are never tired of deriding a show they claim to loathe so much. I mean…if I hated something or someone, I’d pretend they didn’t exist. I’d do everything to avoid it and do a mental block. This concept is however alien to critics of Big Brother Naija.