Japa!

How do you deal with setback? Tough question. Cry! Swear! Make lists of what can be done and how to do it. Gather information. Cry and yell some more. Ask people I trust for help. One little step at a time. But that's easier to do here than for you in Nigeria, I'm sure. I...

To answer your question:

Nowadays do people get the police involved when a child has been given even a few, for lack of better word, reasonable lashes? To answer your question from our last post: Parents can be reported to child welfare and in extreme cases be taken away from their parents. Bottom line is that children need to be...

Parenting and Punishment

Your friend’s situation with his mother makes me think of Abishola. By our standards she is overly strict with Dele, and her mother is so controlling with her. Is that a realistic portrayal of Nigerian mothers? My parents were strict when we're growing up.  In some ways, Abishola reminds me of my father. When we...

More about food – Mexico to Nigeria

Tacos de birria in Mexico Shawarma in Nigeria

From soap to soup

Supposed to have lots of good things in it. I’m anxious to try it. Hmm. I'm curious to know what it looks like and how it tastes. When you guys talk about soup, my mind always goes to things like these: Sisi-Jememah-pepper-soup Okra-stew But I realize it's something different for you guys, which is also...

Life without libraries!?

I cannot imagine a life without books. As a child living on a farm, I remember having four books which I read incessantly. I did have Little Lulu comics which my dad bought for five cents. Sometimes, he even got me the fat deluxe issue for twenty cents. (Don’t ever underestimate the power of comics...

When the libraries are gone

Rochas Chapel replaces library - Owerri, Nigeria It's a shame life is hitting me from left and right in this jungle of a country. Surviving constantly keeps me on my toes, and more often than not anxious as a freelancer. I lose track of the things that are valuable to me or make me happy...

The Changing Face of Travel

Image - Taxi-brousse - Web When I was traveling in Africa, tourism wasn't so big and we were told that the Muslim religion taught that respect was owed to the traveler because they left the safety and security of their own home to come to Mali.  Given the state of affairs now with terrorists in...

When accepting a job offer puts you at risk

IDP camp, Borno, Nigeria Might be off the grid for a while, but that depends if I get the fieldwork I applied to.   Thanks for letting me know. I won't worry if I don't hear from you. The details of the fieldwork were made known to me this morning via text. A friend of a friend,...

When the fight to survive kills.

Do you have this in Nigeria? arisanal miners killed in mali - Search (bing.com) Broadly speaking, a decent percentage of our working population is compromised of artisans. Artisanal skills in the mining sector can't be far off from some parts of the north, I am sure. But what we hear more is theft involved in...