The Melancholic Millennial

   Photo credit: Business Day NG “Approaching Murtala Muhammad Train Station, Alagomeji. Please…” Shit. David hadn’t stuck the camera to the roof yet.  I felt like slapping urgency into him, but the purpling gash across his face, courtesy of The Gambia, would make anyone unthink confrontation. The men stashed somewhere in Alagomeji had probably thought enough. So, this final photo was now or never. “Amina, I’ll ensure you’re fine.” His drill was still harassing the cabin’s roof. I wished I had that job instead of being in a burqa clutching a beretta—our contingency plan, if Ahmad, sprawled like  road-kill on the floor, awoke before cue.  A month ago, David’s plan for Trainwreck approached my hidden lens outside Lagos Pension Commission where I was demanding any available justice for my mum. He told me about Ahmad and how he had been priming the young man for today. “David, I won’t be fine.” I could be fine if David's photos were published before the President s...

  Laughter is the best medicine until you're the only one laughing and people look at you like you need medicine.  Out of habit, recently, I shared something I found absolutely hilarious. A tweet: You don't need me to explain the punchline do you? Some people laughed with me, and some others didn't quite like the sound of it. Orphanhood is linked to trauma, and this joke makes light of the sore spot. But I laughed.  It is said that one thing that sets Generation Z apart is a strange sense of humour. To other age groups, it seems like our sense of humour is broken. If I texted you this statement I lifted from here :    “tHE CheESE STiCK HATH AwaKENed.” Would you laugh? A typical Gen Z reply would be 'LOL WUT?'  While someone else would probably need a context to the cheese stick in question, a Gen Z would first be tickled at the way it is written. That style of writing is a specific tone. A tone you subconsciously learn from hours of media consumption. Howev...

  Nicole Chikwe once asked a room full of young women, I inclusive, if anyone wanted to volunteer to list five things they loved about their bodies and why. My hand shot up faster than Hermione in Mcgonagall's class. For some reason, I had heard 'wrong' rather than 'loved' and assumed the request was for '5 things wrong with your body'.  I stood up and yelled the one thing that irked me above all "my knees!". Everyone laughed when I was told what the question really was. I had to pause and think before opening my big mouth again. Then Nicole said something I'd never thought about "it's very easy for us to mention all the things we hate about our bodies, but we hardly ever focus on the things that are positive about it, why not?"  On the 6th of July, Frida Kahlo , one of history's most valued artists, would have been 114; but her body gave up before she could clock 50. Frida had an extremely broken body.  First, polio made her ...

  If you like fiery romance but do not care for pornographic scenes, there couldn't be a more perfect classic than Anna Karenina.  This Tolstoy's masterpiece, unlike most romance novels, does more than try to get a rise out of you or make you yearn for chiseled muscles/soft, rounded arms; it teaches you an important aspect about the meaning of love, and I'll tell you exactly what. Anna is the young vivacious jewel of St Petersburg's, Russia, high-class society. She married Alexei Karenin, a politician who is in love with her but has a personality that is often described as mechanical; in a way, Karenin is presented as a perfect product of systems, he doesn't really understand the humanity of the world much less of his own self. He struggles with understanding his emotions or even feeling them.  Although Karenin is 20years older than Anna, they have a nice and stable marriage that's crowned with their son Sekoyva. Early in the book, Anna describes him as a good m...

Ọ dịghị ihe na-akpasi ụmụ nwaanyị  ubgua iwe ka ihe ọ bụla mmadụ kuru ghasara 'Patriarki/Ndị Nna'. Mkparịta ụka ọ bụla na-adabere na ihu a nwere ike ịkwụsị na abụ olu egwu nke 'onye nwee ụwa? Agbọghọ! '. Ike ụmụ nwanyị bu ihe ọma. O meela ọtụtụ ihe ọma zuru ụwa ọnụ, mana enwe mgbe ụfọdụ mgbe uche zuru oke ga-ajụ maobu n'ụmụ nwanyị anaghị aputa ndị ha na-achọ ịkwatu. Karịsịa mgbe a na-elekwasị anya bụ ụmụ nwanyị ndi Afirịka N'oge na-adịbeghị anya, Renee Donaldson, nwa ojii Youtuber, na onye na-emetụta mmekọrịta mmadụ na mgbaghara rịọrọ ndi na-eso ya maka ịkwalite ụdị akpọrọ Clinichub. Clinichub bụ azụmahịa nke na-eme dị ka onye etiti  n'ụlọ ọgwụ ịwa ahụ plastik na Istanbul, Turkey, yana ndị achọ 'ịwa ahu plastik'. Ihe na-adọrọ uche banyere azụmaahịa a bụ etu o si agbado ụmụnwaanyị isi ojii anya ma jiri ndị mmetụta dị ka Renee rata ha n'okpuru mma. Renee rịọrọ ndị 'fans' ya mgbaghara mgbe 'ịwa ahụ' nweta ike Brazil 'gara ọjọọ, h...

  Il y n'a pas de meilleur adjectif que je peux donner ce que cette   année a été   sauf cela--alterant. 2020  a été  le montaigne russe plus inattendu que Je n'a pense jamais que je voudrais entrer, et je devine qu'il  a été  quelque chose similaire pour vous aussi. Mais bon! Outre les pandemiques et calamites naturalles, 2020 a mis l'humanite  à  reflexion, et cela evidente plus fort en musique. Dans ce bref article, je vais partager sept chansons qui resumer tout les choses a survenu cette annee.  Et, si vous pensez que c'est audacieux de supposer que je peux résument cet tyrannosaure d'un an,  attendez d’arriver à la fin. 1.  Le Corona Virus par Tom Macdonald Vos rapellez quand les gens  commencé à acheter du papier toilette  en panique?  Il y avait même  un homme  qui a achete tonnes de desinfectant donc il pouvai escroquer peuples en Amazon.  Dans cette chanson, Tom Macdonald r...

  Nothing steams a modern woman's buns like the mention of patriarchy. Any conversation leaning towards its favor could end in honest chants of 'who run the world? Girls!' .  Female power is a wonderful thing. It has done a daunting amount of global good, but there are sometimes when a critical mind is drawn to wonder if women aren't turning into the monsters they are trying to topple.  Especially when the focus is black women. Recently, Renee Donaldson, a black Youtuber, and social influencer apologized to her followers for promoting a brand called Clinichub .  Clinichub is a business that acts as a middle man between plastic surgery clinics in Istanbul, Turkey, and potential clients around the world.  What is interesting about this business is how it specifically targets black women and uses influencers like Renee to lure them under the knife. Well, Renee apologized to her fans after her 'Brazilian butt lift' surgery went south, leaving her with lumps. And fro...

  There is no better adjective I can give to what this year has been except this-- altering . 2020 has been the most unexpected rollercoaster I never thought I would board, and I guess it has been something similar for you as well. But hey! Pandemics and natural disasters aside, 2020 has brought humanity to reflexive knees, and this has shown powerfully in music.  In this brief article, I'm going to share seven songs that sum up everything that has happened this year. And if you think it's bold of me to assume I can summarise this tyrannosaurus of a year, just wait till you get to the end. 1. Corona Virus by Tom Macdonald Do you remember when people started panic-buying toilet paper? There was even that one guy that bought tons of hand sanitizer just so he could rip people off on Amazon!  In this song, Tom Macdonald raps about the different responses to the virus outbreak that has made obvious the lack of humanity society has been running on for a long time. He offers t...

Dear Nigerians, Taking a cue from the new 'he-who-shall-not-be-named', I would like to begin this open letter to you all by saying that it has become necessary for you to receive the message you deserve, for your hearts to be soothed, and your hope restored. The events of the past two weeks that culminated in the #LagosMassacre, especially at Lekki toll gate have been met with varied reactions: grief and despair by those who understood the essence of the #EndSars movement, but smug indifference and victim-blaming by those who did not care for the disruption of their routine. Firstly, let it be known that in the history of this millennium there has been no movement of such magnitude initiated, managed, and peacefully maintained by a decentralized online mobilization of youth, aside from ours. When else has it occurred that over a thousand young people trekked 32km--nearly thrice the length of the longest bridge in Africa--to Akwuzu in honor of all the young people whose promisin...

  Ọ dịtụbeghị n'akụkọ ụwa mgbe akwa otu nwa maka nne ya dara na nti kọntinenti nile, ma ọ bụ mee ka mmeghari nke zuru ebe niile dị, ruo mgbe 'mama' nke George Floyd jidere ntị ụwa nille ma jụ ịhapụ ya. Nkwugide, siri ike. Ahụmihe, nkentunanya. Ma mkparịta ụka, esemokwu. Obere ihe nkiri nke Katung Aduwak na Jojo Silla, akpọrọ 'Not Supposed To Be Here' biazie jiri eriri jikọtara ha niile ọnụ. Ha juru na 'timeline' anyị: anyị kwesịrị na-eti #BlackLivesMatter maọbu #AllLivesMatter? Ọnụnọ Donald Trump na Ụlọ Ọcha ọ na-eme ka ha na-egbu ndi oji? Ndi ọcha ekwesiri na-arịọ arịrịọ mgbaghara maka ohu? Ọ bụghị ime ihe ike n'oge ngagharị iwe bụ ngosipụta nke ọnọdụ agbụrụ? Ikpọ ndị ọcha asi obughi rasisim? Katung na Jojo na-anata echiche ndị na-akwado mkparịta ụka ndị a ma mee ka ha tolite na enyo site na animashioni n'akụkọ di ike. Mana enwere mkparịta ụka na-anaghị apụtacha iche na mkparịta ụka ntanetị a ma ama nke Katung na Jojo setịpụrụ etiti etiti. Ọ bụ otu ...

Never in the history of the world has the cry of one child for his mother been heard on every continent, nor caused a movement equally as widespread, until George Floyd's strangled 'mama' latched on the ears of the world and refused to let go. The protests have been powerful. The experience, epic. But conversations, clashing. Then this short film by Katung Aduwak and Jojo Silla, titled 'Not Supposed To Be Here' comes along with a ribbon and ties everything up into an interesting bouquet of ideas. Our timelines have been full of them: should we be trending #BlackLivesMatter vs #AllLivesMatter? Is Donald Trump's presence in the White House enabling racial violence?  Should white people be begging for forgiveness for slavery? Isn't violence during protests a reaffirmation of racial stereotypes? Isn't hating white people racism too? Katung and Jojo take the ideas underscoring these conversations and make them grow on the screen through animation and compell...

Johaquin Phonenix en Le Joker (2019)    Si vous n'avez pas entendu sur Le Joker, donc permettez moi de vous accueillir de la fond de l'océan. Le Joker est un film excitant, qui provoque la réflexion, un typhon théâtral ! C'est la histoire de Arthur Fleck, un homme de santé précaire qui était oppressé par le mépris de Gotham City pour les 'personne' comme lui. Un de ses malades mentales lui fait rire en manière incontrôlable à temps inapproprié. Arthur essayé turner cette citron à citronnade afin du carrière comme un clown professionnel, mais la société le traitait comme un clown social ; il devient le comédien qui tout le monde pense être une blague Alors il décide changer les choses. Il choisissait livrer coup de blague si drôle que seule lui aura compris ; pour la première fois la blague sera sur la société. Voilà . La scène vous secoue non? Joaquin Phoenix vraiment gagné son Oscar!  Arthur Fleck tué trois hommes et s'appelle une blague. Ces trois hommes jeune...

 (Joaquinn Phoenix kpakpando nke The Joker 2019) Ọ bụrụ na ịnụbeghị gbasara The Joker, ka m bụrụ onye mbu ga-anabata gị site na ala nke oke osimiri. Joker bụ ihe nkiri na-akpali iche echiche. Ọ bụ akụkọ gbasara Arthur Fleck, nwoke nwere nsogbu uche o na-megbu na ndị Gotham City (America) anaghi eledi anya ndi dika ya ha anaghi elee ka mmadu. Otu n'ime ọrịa ụbụrụ ya na-eme ka ọ na-achị ọchị n'oge n'ekwesịghị ekwesị. Arthur na-agba mbọ imee ka ojoo a puta oma site n'ibụrụ onye ọto-ochi. Ma ọ emecha bụrụzie onye a na-eme ka onye iberibe; ọ buruzie onye otọ-ọchị nke mmadụ niile chere na ọ bụ oluku. O wee sizie ka o gbanwe ihe. O ghoro izipu egwuregwu dịkasia egwu nke so ya ga -aghota; Ugboro mbụ a, oha niile buruzie oluku. Lee (vidiyo dị n'okpuru *marakwa na o na-emetu ujo) O kujakwa gi? Joaquinn Phoenix ritere ezigbo Oscar n'eziokwu! (i hụrụ ka egbugbere ọnụ ya si na-akwanye?) Arthur Fleck gbagburu ndị mmadụ atọ wee kpọọ ya ihe egwuregwu. Umụ o...