You think I'm happy living abroad?
I have a family I grew up with, whom I love with all of my heart - and the reality keeps dawning on me, on how many times I will see them before I one day turn 60.
People I saw daily, or once a month - I haven't seen in years, and would realistically only see once a year, going forward.
You think I'm happy?
That one day, I might end up having children and my siblings might not have the relationship with them - the relationship I had with my uncles, in my formative years? I remember clearly how they would take us to MrBiggs every Sunday - I am currently reliving the flavour from that meatpie.
How we would go to the family house in Ikeja, every year for Eid. The grandchildren uniforms, the snacks while watching your uncles slaughter rams.
You think I'm happy that I might one day lead a family of children who might not know their version of that?
WTF will I be doing in another man's land, if I did everything they asked me to do from childhood (face your studies, be exceptional, stay away from crime, be hardworking) and opportunities lined up for me to be the best I could, in my motherland? WTF will I be doing here?
Why will I condescend myself to living in a clime where I have to mentally switch from sun burning weather to teeth clenching winter - when I came from a land where I never needed gloves? You think I'm happy?
If I could do honest work, be on my way home and not have to bother about the risk of getting shot by the people meant to protect me, because I have some lines of tattoos on my body - you think I would leave?
If I could trust a justice system to defend me, ensure my rights even though I am a nobody - have trustworthy institutions banking on the highest standards, not have to worry about the bread I eat, the fake drinks from the club or streets, the fake drugs - you think I would leave?
Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for the opportunities this clime has given me, to test my limits - to be everything I thought I could be. But all of these, in replacement for the soul I grew up with?
You know the satisfaction that settled within me when I could wake up on a Saturday morning, stroll to the Iya wanke's place - relish an entire plate, or some ewa agonyin while watching children battle it out, in a 5 v 5 across the streets.
That communal living that relished my soul, is now replaced with silent streets and finely divided sealed terraces.
You walk through the city centres in the evenings - you see friends having an aperitif (they do so every evening), you see grandfathers meeting up with their children, you see entire families with extended families living across the streets, first cousins are even able to use the same gym and you remember what that looked like for you back home?
You think of all your friends scattered across continents, some you might never get to hug again.
For a lot of diasporans, you don't want Nigeria to work more than us. A lot of us want to come home, but what is home? Where is home? When will home feel like home?
I hope to continue living life without lack, in comfort, with accomplished dreams - but I want to do so, with soul. When I die one day, I want to do so - with soul.
"The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart"
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart.
I promise you, you will not spend your data listening to anything more educative than this on the TL today.
If you are seeing this, if this crosses your TL, SPREAD IT for others to listen to the perfect summary of how Africa got here today. How religion got to us. How we were UNDERDEVELOPED by the West.
The hypocrisy and the false hand of friendship. The African life, forged, formed and moulded in a BIG LIE.
@maxvayshia The version you see when you live together with someone is the real person; it exposes the cracks.
Even if they pretend, you will always see the signs.
I have learnt that feeding a parasite does not turn it into a partner. It just makes it a bigger parasite.
If you don't support my process or contribute to my progress... I will deny you access to my table of honour.
You are not welcome.
I watched how Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba all played together for Chelsea around mid 2000, about 18 years ago.
Nigeria is still battling with the basic amenities of life today.
It's a shame.
Most of us vibed to this song without even realizing that the country was bad then.
Today, I don't even the kind of lyrics he would have used to describe the situation in this country.
They keep saying Nigeria will change for the better but the previous years seem to be better than the present Nigerian economy today.
The decline is terrible.
@FabrizioRomano@ItsAllOutFooty Yes, give them respect, destabilize their defense, kill their morale and put 3 goals in the back of their net on Sunday.