storiesofafricans-blog

[storiesofafricans-blog]

"I was an alcoholic addict. It all started when I was in my first year in school. One day I went out to drink with my friends. That was my first time. I came home drunk. I slept off. I have exam the next morning but I forgot. I thought it was in the afternoon. When I woke up the next day, I saw people coming back from the exam hall. They were asking me, how was the exam? And I was asking them, which exam? That was when I realized I had missed the exam. After that I sat down and began to think. I thought that will be the end but the drinking continued. Whenever I hang out with friends, we will drink and smoke together. My dad is a medical doctor. He got to know about my drinking and smoking. One day he sat me down. We were just alone, and he talked to me for hours, telling me the dangers and consequences if I continue in that way. He even showed me pictures of people that smoke. After everything, I thought seriously about it and decided to quit smoking. I became closer to God and to my bible. Right now I can tell you that I’m clean. I don’t smoke again, though I still drink small."

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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"Boko Haram pursued me away from Adamawa. Before then, I can freely sleep well in my home safely. Food is easy to find. No too much thinking. But now, to eat and even find where to sleep, you have to struggle."

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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“I have been doing extra year in school for four years now. I have two papers to write this semester. I’m praying to God. I want to pass this structures exam but I’m just afraid of the unknown. I don’t know how I got distracted. I started on well, but along the line I was trying to hustle money. Everything later went flat and my business crumbled. I didn’t see this coming. I thought the school is concerned about us, but nobody cares. It’s not easy getting over this depression. Sometimes I’ll just go to sleep. Sometimes, to make it worse, I’ll just go and smoke. I have left everything to God, but I’m still here. I don’t find happiness. I came back from church just last week, and I was a bit relieved. You just have to keep pushing and keep it real and strong because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring."

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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[storiesofafricans-blog]

2/2 “My friend once told me that we have just one type of yoga. But I disputed the fact. We have two types of yoga. One type is the one you demonstrate while you meditate like the Chinese and Indians do in their culture. The second type is the one you’re just sitting and being concentrated on the things you see around you. These things often times make you see things beyond the physical world, and also how you can apply them to the real world, which is reality. Sometime ago, I was so bothered about something. I sat here, and saw a fisherman paddling his canoe. There’s this water wave against the paddling force. But the man kept paddling. At a certain distance, the canoe began to diminish from my sight little by little until it was no more. I can only see the waves coming back to the sea shore. Then I came back to myself. I realized that what we see as problem is sometimes not actually a problem. The solution is always there if you can look inwards. After that encounter, I went home and began to strategize for solutions to what was bugging me, and that was finally solved.”

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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[storiesofafricans-blog]

1/2 “I often come here to meditate. It’s like a habit now. You know, you learn from nature what ordinarily you can’t learn from books. Often when I come around here, I see people too but then I concentrate, and watch. I observe the water going high and low. I see when they are calm too. Then the crabs, going in and out of their holes. They protect each other and their territory, and they have a way of signaling danger to one another when a bird or someone else is approaching. They work with such oneness that I began to relate them with human beings. Sometimes, I see myself playing with them. One day I was sitting here just at the edge of the river bank for several hours because that day I came in the morning. Then there’s this bird, black with a long pick and long legs too. It’s a common view when you’re watching Nat Geo Wild on DSTv. This bird keeps coming and going repeatedly until lastly, it entered the water. I was observing. I couldn’t see the bird again at first. But after sometime, the bird is up from the water with a big fish. That was when I dawned on me that this was what the bird had been targeting. This thing I’m telling took like 2-to-3 hours.”

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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"I missed my mom. I lost her in 2013. I missed her talking. Whenever you wake up in the morning, the first thing you will hear is her voice. Everyone in the family feels free to speak with her because she always understands what you're trying to say.”

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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“I study Estate Management. My biggest challenge right now is mixing my studies with my business. It has not been easy but, what can I do? I have to support myself. My parents are trying, but there’s a stage in life you have to fend for yourself. I have a lot of affiliate stores where I get my products from and sell to my clients. My plan now is to build my customer base online until after my graduation when I can have time to travel abroad and import my goods myself.”

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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"In 2001 I had a fire accident. I was selling fuel at the black market for my Oga then when the fire started and burnt my legs. I haven't recovered fully from the injuries, I only use my trouser to cover up the burnt. Since this morning, I've been thinking. Just there, I was about crossing the road, and one man that was driving through the one-way began to abuse me. I cursed him back, and he pulled out a gun. I don't know if he is a policeman. All I did was to lie down on the floor and began to beg him. People gathered and was begging him on my behalf too till he left. Is this how somebody will just die? This Lagos is something else."

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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[storiesofafricans-blog]

"We no longer hawk things around like before. If KAI people arrest you two times, what will you do?"

(Lagos, Nigeria)

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[storiesofafricans-blog]

“I don’t know my mother. She died shortly after giving birth to me. My aunt took me then and she has been the one taking care of me till now. I use to sell kerosene for her but now I play football. After training, I’ll come here to find some work to do. If you see how I play, you will marvel. I’m suppose to be playing in one professional team by now but nothing yet. No agent to connect me. In this Nigeria, it’s about connection. I like to watch Mikel Obi and Paul Pogba. They are my role model. I love their pattern of play and many times I go and watch them play on the television.” (Lagos, Nigeria)

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