Pictures above are mine (Photographer: elladrawingworld), except the picture of Iyabo Ojo, Mother of the Bride – Source:Priscilla Ojo – @priscilla_ojo
Trending in Nigeria
Celebrity weddings are not a joke in Nigeria. The last trending one is tagged JP2025 and features the daughter of a well-known actress called Iyabo Ojo.
What caught everyone attention are the stunning outfits the mother of the bride was wearing (you can see her in the picture above), and also the guests!
It made me reflect on the way the Yorubas (a tribe in Nigeria) have perfected the art of getting dressed up in a traditional way with a flair of modernity.
(Image Source: Priscilla Ojo-@priscilla_ojo)
I sometimes lament how we, Africans, have lost a big part of our Culture, which is not the case with Asians for example. When I watch Kdramas, I am always fond of seeing how they honor their deceased traditionally, even if I don’t quite understand it (they cook food for the departed, and although I acknowledge the symbolic aspect of the gesture, I wonder what happens to the meal afterwards?) In some African countries, we also have this tradition of pouring beer on the ground for the ancestors when celebrating, but I haven’t seen that done for a while now.
(You can search #JP2025 on X or anywhere online for more pictures!)
A Beautiful Kdrama
I watched so many Kdramas in the past that I could not watch one more. It had become too repetitive and predictable for me. However, out of boredom, I indulged in watching another one recently on Netflix, and it ended up being a beautiful surprise! It is called, When Life Gives You Tangerines. It is very heartbreaking in a way, but also cheerful. The main actress is so good that I didn’t realize at first that she was playing two different parts. A deep reflection on life. I recommend it!
What caught my eye on the web:
I actually rarely look out of the window on a plane and my favorite seat is an aisle seat (the easiest path to the bathroom!) but I still understand the poster’s surprise. I was chocked too when I read an influencer’s report on his first flight ever: he spoke about the meal, about the stewards, but not a word about the surreal experience of being above the clouds!
Puzzles:
This is a very basic puzzle; can you pass it?
This one requires some logic, are you up to it:
Uganda
I spent a few days in Uganda, and it is a blessed country. Starting with the weather. The temperature was around 24-25 degrees Celsius, and it stays like that almost all year round apparently. No need for AC’s!
Shout out to Uganda Airlines, their plane was new, and the leather seats in Economy were very comfortable.
Plus, their tourism sector is well organized. It was a short stay, so we didn’t go around much but we were able to visit the Kasubi Royal Tombs with a guide who was very enthusiastic about his heritage. They have this unique technique of using the bark of a tree to make a canvas that they use for their artwork, but also as wall hanging inside the spacious Royal hut where lie the Tombs of Buganda kings.
Chess in Slums – Tunde Onakoya
Just opened Instagram, and saw Tunde Onakoya Story. I couldn’t end this Newsletter without a shoutout to this man! So I am adding this as a post-scriptum!
Tunde Onakoya is not from a rich background but he has succeeded in doing what very few of us can: he is at this very moment in the Uited States, with a group of homeless Nigerian children, coming from under the bridge in Lagos for some of them (and that is not a figure of speech!) and playing chess at this very moment in Times Square, New York City!
They are trying to break a Guinness World Record of a Chess Marathon. Cheer them up!
Oh…They have broken the record already!
Here is the link to the Instagram story if it is still there.
His instagram is @Tunde_OD
Leave a comment