Pearlle : culture

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Now that Big Brother Africa is over, the spotlight has moved from Beverly Osu back to Tonto Dikeh. Here's the video where she admits to skin bleaching:

First off, I really appreciate her honesty but I find it hilarious when she says that skin bleaching can be done right because she sounds like a scientist. Apparently, there are some bleaching creams out there that don't have hydroquinone, who knows? I highly doubt it that she does not use hydroquinone because her skin is just so much lighter. I also find it problematic because I feel that many people out there will get the message that bleaching is okay, because it can be done "right".

Self-hate?
Self-hate is usually believed to be the cause of the bleaching phenomenon. Tonto obviously thinks that being light-skinned is so much more preferable than dark-skin, and she alludes to this by proudly saying "Don't get me wrong, I've always been light skinned". I disagree with the self-hate thesis, and I DO NOT think that people bleach their skin because of low self-esteem either.

Charles (2003) defines low self-esteem as "a persons overall positive or negative attitude toward him or herself". A skin bleacher is obviously concerned with their body image, particularly their skin. We all know the politics of black skin, especially as it relates to the black female body. If you had a positive attitude toward your dark (or darker skin), why would you feel the need to make it lighter?

Charles study indicates that 9 respondents surveyed for the level of self esteem scored a median of 23/30. 7/9 respondents had self esteem scores over 20. Charles explains that the survey was carried out on adolescents who may be bleaching due to environmental influences rather than low self-esteem. Four of the respondents said they bleached because it prevented pimples. He writes that this is a very small sample of the Jamaican population, and there certainly are some skin bleachers who suffer from self-hate, however, this is not the entire story. He brings up an interesting point, that thousands of white tourists who flood tanning salons are not deemed to be suffering from self-hate. Double standards, anyone?

Decolonizing our minds
We need to decolonize our minds and re-teach ourselves that our standards of beauty should not be defined by European ideals. Black is beautiful! We say it so much but do we actually believe it and practice it?

Today's Reminiscing post comes from my friend, Olu. He's "chillin" in Nigeria for a little bit and will be guest blogging his experiences, which I'm really excited to read.

I recently had my very first traffic incident in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Image source

I had just paid N150 at a toll gate that is about as orderly as a jungle gym, and was heading towards one of the many roundabouts on this particular road. It was a Saturday so I guess the traffic warden – LASMAN (acronym for Lagos state something something…) – wasn’t on duty. As I was making my turn, a car clipped my rear bumper. “My dad is going to kill you man!” That’s what my cousin said, very encouraging right? I parked and jumped out of the car to see the damage but to my surprise there was none! We then strolled over; confidently I might add, to see the other car. He was apologetic. We even tried helping him sort out his damaged hood. We went our separate ways. End of! There was no exchange of insurance information or anything of that sort.

Driving in Lagos can be one of the most daunting tasks. It’s not the actual driving that is difficult (if my mom can drive, so can you!), but the added elements one has to deal with. Pot holes, nutters posing as bus drivers, pedestrians, pot holes, bikes, roadside markets, potholes, dead street lights, disobedience of traffic lights and signs, pot holes. You’ve probably guessed it by now: I hate pot holes! My arse will be forever grateful when I return to Canada. I intern at a multinational financial services firm. Their building is 30% vacant because of… pot holes.

Oh I left out the seemingly demonic traffic jams that can spring up anywhere, anytime. Yes, there are spiritual forces at work because for as long as I can remember the Lagos government has been tackling traffic. A morning prayer that includes destroying the evil forces behind traffic might sound funny to some, but to me? Perfectly normal. I recently started dabbling in that practice and its working!! I wake up by 5:15am for my 8:00am job, and mind you I am always late. With the okada banned, power bikes have become very popular except these blokes take it to the next level by riding around in robo-cop attire. Have you ever seen a power bike in Lagos traffic? Pitiful. Its total essence—freedom and power—lost. And people do the most ridiculous things: driving or reversing into oncoming traffic even at night, stopping in the middle of the road to buy a newspaper.

The only good thing about traffic is that the road becomes a mall of some sort, with a food court featuring gala, groundnuts, ice-cream, fruits, drinks etc. Some products are absolutely ridiculous like teddies or towels. Would you buy a towel that probably doubles as a nighttime blanket for the mature looking lad selling them? And dog collars?? But people do buy these things. I’ve seen it and I was shocked. A teddy?! Then there are those that will go through the hawkers’ entire product line and end up buying nothing. I detest those folks…very cold of them. And this one guy does business on roller blades, weaving effortlessly through traffic. I thought that was brilliant!

Then rain! I could write a book on how rain can be so crippling in Lagos. Absolute madness ensues. Traffic quantifies. People are more impatient and a lot more aggressive. Accidents multiply. Drains overflow and streets are flooded. Rubbish floats around in the street and more bloody pot holes appear. Yesterday when it rained, my uncle’s driver bitch slapped a young boy that wheels around barrels of water because of a small scratch. It was so distasteful. I let him have it, and he has been ignoring me since. Can’t be arsed though. Everything just becomes congested.

The point is don’t buy a car you are not willing to let get damaged because your Lamborghini would be f*&%ed. I can’t count how many Toyota Prado jeeps I’ve seen since I arrived. At first I tweeted “40 Toyota Prado in this car park #swagballers” but then I later found out that these cars were built to absorb the impact of potholes #practical, but the one I ride in is 10 years old so most of the technology has depreciated. Leave your house by 5am and close before 5pm or wait till 10pm to avoid traffic on the island; if you live on the mainland you’re screwed either ways. When it rains, take that rain check and call in sick; and finally unless you own a Prado, embrace the potholes cos a pillow doesn’t do shit.

It's been a while since I watched this show and a LOOOOT has changed since 2006 or so when I last watched it.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, WWTBAM, Nigeria

Frank Edoho
For one, Frank Edoho comes off as a little bit arrogant to me, and not as likeable as before. He's still quite funny, but more cocky than funny. But I really do enjoy the fact that Frank thinks he's a comedian and cracks jokes at a contestant's expense.

But, what's up with him making suggestive remarks to the dude for bringing a female family friend to the show. First off, the guy is married so he needs to shut the hell up. We already know how Frank's marriage ended. Is that a low blow?

Also, I felt offended by the fact that he would tell a contestant something like "come on be a man, choose one" (17:46min).

The Audience
The audience is quite intelligent though. I didn't think they would get the question about the end of monarchical rule in Egypt right (18:50min). I had no clue either, but thank you Google! There's always such an interesting mix of people sitting in the background which is quite interesting because I wasn't expecting too much from them, but I clearly judged too soon.

The Contestant (Sulayman Ojitayo)
Quite intelligent and well spoken, but I wish he walked away with $2 million. It's funny how he said "life is about taking risks", yet after using all 3 lifelines on a question, he still wasn't brave enough to go with the 3 lifelines and his gut feeling. He then sheepishly blamed Frank for making him chicken out, which was totally unfair.

If I were to contest on the show and I had no lifelines to use on a question, I'm not the type of risk taker who would go with a guess. However, I would definitely have enough faith in 3 lifelines and my gut to make a decision. Oh well..that's just me.

Church in Botswana is a lot of fun. It's exciting, really full of energy, inspiring and a total workout. Yeah, I said workout. We would dance so much during praise and worship that we would be sweating. Talk about a calorie burner! Today's Reminiscing Mondays post is all about my favorite Botswana church songs.

We attended Winners' Chapel, Gaborone and if you know this church, you would know that it is a diverse congregation comprising of people from all around Africa. This reflected in church songs as well, as we sang songs in Setswana, Zulu, Swahi, Yoruba and Pidgin. How amazing is that?!

Winners Chapel International Botswana, Gaborone

Ahuna Ya Tswanang Le Jesu

Re ya Go Boka Morena

Modimo Re Boka Wena

Translation
Mighty God we thank you
Everything and anything
Was made by you
Oh Mighty Lord we thank you

Yesu ni Wangu

Yesu ni Wangu
Yesu ni wangu wa uzima wa milele
Wauzima wa milele

Ke na le Modisa

When I remember

My God is good
This song is sang all over Africa, it's not just Bots.

Dumela Fela
Dumela fela
Dilo tsothe di lokile'

Translation
Only believe,all is well

I could go on, but I`ll stop here. I hope this is taking you back to those good ol days of church in Botswana.

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

Today's Reminiscing post comes from my friend, Olu. He's "chillin" in Nigeria for a little bit and will be guest blogging his experiences, which I'm really excited to read.

I’ve been to 4 different churches in Lagos. Trust me; there is no shortage of choice. In economic terms the market is oversaturated. I’ve attended 5, 4, 3 ½ and 1 ½ hour services; each with its little quirks. I wasn’t amused at the longer ones.

The atmosphere on Sunday mornings is totally different from the weekdays. The change begins in the wee hours of the morning; the young ladies I live with change their playlists from Don Jazzy to Don Moen. Their outfits would have been brought out and pressed the night before, and a bathroom order would have determined too. There’s just this air of order and tranquility that doesn’t carry over into the rest of the week. The girls then come out looking particularly stunning – the term Sunday best, personified. Everyone looks their best, except me of course. I like dressing down, not up.

When we get out on the road, the usual traffic jams are non-existent! I can’t explain it because there are a ton of people on their way to church yet traffic flows seamlessly. Possible miracle? It is Sunday after all :). Most radio stations "get saved" and play gospel tracks and sermons all day. Bus drivers give way to pedestrians, the constant honking seize, and the scowl on the faces of old women is gone. Lagosians are transformed.

Last week I counted 20 churches on a 10-minute drive to church! I saw one building with two different churches, one on top of the other. I’ve seen churches at the mall, open-aired churches, tent churches, inception churches (a church within a church), and a church on top of a church. Apart from the popular franchises, individuals have also begun tapping into this seemingly robust market. I can guarantee you that a new church is planted every week in Lagos. I am not going to analyze the authenticity of different ministries because it is not my place, but I’ve met some people with personal experiences that are very critical of some churches.

There are "tooch"/rich churches where the big men and celebs bless the congregation with their presence. The praise/worship session in these churches are particularly long and the dancing is epic – young chicks and older women getting low, shaking their bottoms letting go of all inhibitions. I could hardly concentrate because so much was going on. Then there are others with just the pastor and his family in attendance. Awkward! Preaching to your wife and kids… but I see fulfillment and contentment in the way they go about their work.

I asked a pastor why there are so many churches and why so many people attend. His response was one word: hope. He said if everyday Nigerians began to get rich and comfortable like us in North America, they would not bother coming to church. It’s the chaos, poverty, and suffering that motivate a lot of people to attend church where they can hear messages of hope, prosperity and restoration. A pastor I respect describes this motivation as seeking His hand, not His face. (His=God’s)

I'm helping to organize Victoria's first African & Caribbean festival. We're hosting a fashion show and not all our models are of African or Caribbean descent. Similarly, during African Spirit Night which takes place every month, there's a line on our Facebook event page that tells people that they're encouraged to wear African traditional clothing to the event. My friend asked me "aren't you guys promoting cultural appropriation?"

The line was directed at Africans who have traditional clothing but don't wear it. You know how many African folks have clothes but feel it wouldn't be really appropriate to wear it to the mall, or to church? We want African Spirit Night to be where you can feel comfortable wearing your native, as Nigerians call it.

Image source

Back to the topic at hand, cultural appropriation and clothes. Where do we draw the line? I don't get offended when I see a white girl wearing aso oke. It actually makes me quite happy. I agree with this post about cultural appropriation: it invalidates a culture and people, it commodifies (by placing monetary value), reinforces stereotypes, romanticizes and exorticizes people. To me, a white girl in aso oke doesn't do this.

This white chic called Susan is wearing aso oke for whatever reason does not invalidate Yoruba culture, although it may not necessarily promote it. I'm not Yoruba, so to me aso oke is already a commodity, and Nigerians pay to wear it.

Oh, remember that "tribute song to South African and Columbian culture" by Shakira called "Waka Waka"? Hello cultural appropriation 101. That song was not even South African, but that's beside the point. Shakira invalidated, commodified and exorticized. Go girl! I remember when she released her remake of "Zangalewa" and I told my friends, I grew up singing that song, and they were like "umm, no, Shakira just released it"

1) Is it marketed to you as an object/custom from a marginalised culture without any context? If yes/unsure,don’t do it.

This.

3) What is the history/meaning of objects/languages/rituals in the culture? Are you aware of the meanings/history of these things? Will you be using them in a way that misrepresents them, or diminishes their power? If yes/unsure, don’t do it.

This. It is so important to understand the meaning and value of an object before appropriating it. As a foreigner visiting Nigeria, wearing our clothes is no big deal. However, walking around singing "Zangalewa" is another story.

5) If someone from calls you out on appropriation/racism, are you going defend your perceived right to appreciate their heritage, & how they shouldn’t be offended? If the answer is yes/unsure, you definitely shouldn’t do it.

This.

In case there was ever any doubt, check out these videos. Yep, going to church is pretty much a workout.

Uche Agu - Ngizo bambhelela

Uche Agu - My God is Good

The "My oga on top" video has gone viral in Nigeria and Twitter is going crazy. It's probably the funniest thing I've watched in a while. Check it out:

It's probably only in Nigeria that such a national scandal would happen and there would be no rumors of resignation. I'm waiting for the dude, ~~what's his name again~~ to release a statement explaining his faux pas and blaming it on something totally irrelevant. Not surprising that Nigerians would make excuses for poor leadership "poor guy, he was set up for ridicule by Channels TV reporters. Look how they were hounding him for the website". Excuse you, sit down!

The reporters had every right to ask him that question and demand an answer because they were chatting about the existence of fake NSCDC websites exist that innocent Nigerians searching for jobs fall prey to. I didn't find their questions unprofessional and I'm quite impressed that they didn't burst out laughing. They're
probably used to all the BS from Nigerian politicians and can take the ridiculousness without laughing hysterically. I've watched this video several times and I LOL every time!

It's not just absurd that he didn't know the website but the fact that he didn't want to admit to not knowing. Imagine if he had just said "I'm not too sure of our website address but I'm sure your news researcher/producer can find out and put it on the screen for viewers"? Case closed, no drama!

Nigerians, it's time to stop putting up with mediocre leaders and making up excuses for them. These public officials should not be pitied either. Since 'NSCDC dude' won't resign, let the online ridicule continue #dazall

Update:

'NSCDC dude' is Mr Obafaiye Shem, the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC). It doesn't really matter cos to me, he'll forever be know as "NSCDCdot"

Over the weekend, allegations surfaced that President Goodluck Jonathan paid CNN for his January 24th interview with Christiane Amanpour. Premium Times reported that President Jonathan contracted American lobbying firm Fleshman-Hillard to contact foreign media outlets such as Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and others to the amount of $59,200. The firm was also supposed to hire a media aide to improve President Jonathan's performance on foreign media outlets, in regards to his delivery. So far, the firm has only been able to procure a CNN interview. ~~His delivery hasn't improved either~~.

Could this be true? Yes. Let's look at President Jonathan's track record for a minute. The man comes across as someone who craves the attention of foreign media. In 2010, he gave CNN an update about Late President Y'ardua's health. He doesn't show such preference for local news outlets. Does roaming the streets shoeless as a child have anything to do with this? I digress.

Could these allegations be false? Probably. Pres. Jonathan's most recent interview with CNN happened during the World Economic Summit in Davos when other African leaders were interviewed so it isn't odd that he would be interviewed as well. Hillary Clinton's Senate testimony on Benghazi had just occurred where she mentioned Boko Haram as a threat to the stability of the Nigerian state.

Whatever the case may be, I refuse to believe that CNN was paid for the Amanpour interview. Nonetheless, it isn't news that governments employ the services of PR companies to boost their image and that company could very well be Fleshman-Hillard. #enoughsaid

Last week, I posted a recipe of thiakry, a West African delicacy. Here's some calorie information:

2 cup of couscous 352
2 cups of yogurt 560
8 tbsps evaporated milk 480
8 tbsps half/half 160
pineapples 100

Total = 1652/5 servings = 332

Who else watched President Jonathan on CNN last night? Here's a brief breakdown:

Quote of the night: "That is not correct. That is not correct". At least he didn't say "is a lie o" like Obasanjo probably would haha

The good
He came across as down-to-earth and honest, at least that's what a "neutral" friend said when he watched the video. He has no knowledge about Nigerian politics but watched the video because I posted it on Facebook and immediately said "Goodluck looks so awesome".

I think that Nigerians are so used to former President Obasanjo's boisterous personality that we often interpret Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's humility as weakness.

His answers on a few issues weren't bad such as Boko Haram and it's religious roots. I think it's easy to say poverty is responsible but I think religion is the fundamental cause.

The bad
His answer to a possible threat to Nigeria's crude oil was quite weak to be honest. His inability to articulate a plan to tackle the Boko Haram menace and crude oil theft issues left a lot to be desired.

The good and the bad
The power issue: The president said that "Nigerians are pleased that our commitment to handle power is working". However that was a HUUUGE generalization and many Nigerians accused him of lying as a result. What he should have indicated was that power generation has risen by about 2000mw since he assumed office. Does this man have media aides?

The level of theft from the government amounts to about $7billion a year. Don't you just love how he passed the blame to the West and blamed them for refining stolen crude? Na wa for Ebele o.

Anyways, I look forward to more GEJ interviews. He is quite entertaining!

Thiakry is absolutely delicious and like a true West African meal, it can be eaten anytime in the day. It's probably our favorite African dessert here at Pearlle and this is how you make it:

Ingredients
2 cups of millet couscous
1 cup of evaporated milk
1 cup of sour cream
2 cups of vanilla yogurt
crushed pineapple

Boil water and pour over millet couscous and cover bowl with lid.
Leave for a few minutes. The couscous will double in size
When it has cooled (i.e. the steam and heat is gone), add all the other ingredients and you're done!

Here's a video which will be helpful if you understand Catalan:

I love cooking and that often includes reading food blogs, watching Youtube videos and the like. Here are some of my favorite sources of African & Caribbean food inspiration online as well as some of my favorite recipes that I can think of at the moment:

Lohi's Creations

Lohi is a photographer and you can tell just by reading her blog. Check out her recipes for okra soup and eguisi soup.

9ja foodie

I've followed her blog for a while and she's just so creative. December is dedicated to Hausa food on her blog and she just posted this masa recipe. I grew up eating masa in Bauchi so I can't wait to try this.

All Nigerian Recipes

Flo is the bomb dot com (who still says that?). Anyways, she has an extensive database of recipes and even makes videos too. What's not to like. Check out her video tutorials on how to make jollof rice and moimoi.

On to some delicious Caribbean food. Here's who I cyber-stalk:

Caribbean Pot

Fact: Chris can cook! Proof: Curry chicken tutorial:

Cook Like A Jamaican
Watch Grandma Fay as she teaches us to Cook like Jamaicans! Check out her curry goat recipe.

Earlier this year, Boma shared her memories of Christmas in Nigeria. We thought we'd share our memories of Christmas in the respective countries the Pearlle team have lived - Nigeria, Botswana, the US and Canada. Michelle briefly lived in the Marshall Islands but she never got to spend Christmas there.

Nigeria
Just like Boma's post, Christmas in Nigeria as kids was about food and clothes. Christmas day was a huge feast and before that day there was plenty of preparations such as the girls getting their Christmas hair done in the market so that they looked all fresh for Christmas. The most popular Christmas dishes are probably jollof rice, fried chicken, chin chin and soft drinks.

Botswana

Christmas in Botswana is remarkably different from how it is celebrated in Nigeria. We lived in Gaborone, Botswana's capital and it was always so mellow and chill. Most Batswana usually went home and so Christmas day was usually empty and deserted.

Botswana

US/Canada

There's s not much of a difference between Christmas in Canada and that in States. When I think of Christmas over here, I think of Christmas cheer - carols, Christmas decorations, eggnog, ginger bread and candy and general goodwill. People go overboard for one day of the year, I don't get it.

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

This week's Reminiscing Mondays post is sort of different. This week we reminisce about two advocates who were in the news a few years ago for their bravery and ingenuity. In 2009, Chioma and Oluchi Onwuegbu decided that it was time to change people's perceptions about Africa by travelling across Africa.

Image source

The girls had a really rewarding experience and were embraced by Africans around the continent who embraced them and their story with open arms. They travelled to Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Cameroun, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone. One of their goals was to give African youth a sense of hope for their continent.

Reading their blog it appears that they experienced many obstacles in obtaining corporate sponsorship to continue their journey.

I would love to reconnect with them to see how this journey ended, lessons learnt, etc. In the meantime, you can follow Chioma and Oluchi on Twitter. Also check out their blog.

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

This video has been sorta trending on Facebook and I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did! Check on it:

I love how the video starts out with a look at colonialism which is often ignored in Nigerian history/social science textbooks at the primary and secondary school level. "Nigeria gained her independence from the British on Oct 1 1960" is probably all I knew about colonialism for a while. Wow!

About a month ago I had this discussion with my friend, "why is our history so covered up?" He answered "who made the textbooks you read in school?" Enough said, I guess. My cousin IK says "propaganda covers up history". True words.

Teach us about colonialism. We need to know where we came from.

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

Dang, I spend sooo much time on youtube. I was watching the Nigerian tag on youtube which led me to Nigerian Food Recipes channel . That particular video shows how to make agidi which you can eat with pepper soup. I started to reminisce about wonderful African cuisine and how almost impossible it is to cook some tasty goodness where I live. I live in Victoria Canada so finding all the ingredients needed to cook some proper African soup is probably not gonna be possible. This led me to do a quick online search for African food online. Here are some of my findings.

1. EatSumMore
Just like the South African biscuits (yummm). I love this website and they're also based in Canada so I'm hoping shipping costs won't be ridiculously expensive. They have an endless list of groceries which are decently priced.

2. Nandos USA
They have an online store yall. Unfortunately they do not ship internationally.

3. Worldwide Int'l foods
They sell a wide range of groceries all decently priced such as rayfish, palm oil, sardine, semolina, etc. They also deliver intentionally.

4. Makola
They sell groceries, clothing and accessories, artifacts and the like.

5. Dishal
Sells mainly Indian/East African foods.

Check out a more detailed list of online stores here

Madombi was one of my favorite dishes when I lived in Botswana. It's basically basically a hearty chicken soup and dumplings. Here's a recipe I found online which is not complicated

Image source

Here's another recipe I found here

Madombi (dumplings)
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. instant yeast
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
Warm water

· Mix dough and knead to same consistency as above
· Since this one has yeast, let it stand covered in a warm place until it doubles in size
· Punch dough down and knead for several more minutes
· Form disks/ patties as above
· Place in boiling water for 15-25 min.

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

Watch the way I do my azonto!! Today's Reminiscing post is going to be something quite different. I'd love to share my favorite West African dance videos with you and I hope you find them as entertaining as I did.

I just listened to the azonto antenna dance song by Fuse ODG last night and I'm kinda obsessed with it. In case you're wondering, Fuse ODG is a UK-based Ghanaian musician best known for the 'Azonto' song. Here are a few of my favorite videos of the antenna dance competition, they're gonna make you smile:

Speaking of hilarious dance competitions, last year's Oliver Twist dance competition was pretty epic. Yesterday I watched the winner's video about a year later. If you don't know who D'Banj is, feel free to google it.

Here's another funny video featuring a mix of azonto and the etighi dance while dancing to Iyanya's 'Kukere'. Iyanya is a Nigerian musician who won Season 1 of Project Fame. Kudos to him for popularizing the etighi dance.

Here's the original song

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

If you grew up in Nigeria, and this probably is the same all over West Africa; you'll know that going to church is serious business. People get decked up, and this is not just the case with adults. Little kids get some of this lovin' as well.

As a kid in Nigeria, I remember wearing super cute dresses on Sundays. It wasn't just my family, many kids dressed the same too. It wasn't just on special holidays, it was every Sunday.

Image source

I still don't get it, what's up with Nigerians and over-dressing just to go to church. I'm all about being nicely dressed, but going to church should be more than just showing off your latest hair style, fabric, hats and accessories. I understand that not all Nigerians dress nicely on Sundays just to show off. For many, it is part of the culture and something they are used to, which I understand.

When next I'm in Nigeria and happen to go to church, I'm probably gonna wear a day dress with flats and call it a day!

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

Anyone who's lived in Botswana would agree with this: Botswana cuisine is amazing!! Here are some pictures to prove this point:


Source Pictured: Rice, beetroot, meat sauce & veggies.

One of the reasons I loved the food in the Botswana was because I love carbs, and that's a huge component of Botswana food. Rice, pap, samp, fatcakes (pictured below), bogobe, and more!

Source

Seswaa, a salty meat dish was one of my faves. You could eat it with almost anything: from rice to samp, to fat cakes, you name it.

Source

And this is what pap looks like. Pap is to Botswana what garri/fufu is to West Africa. Get my point?


Source This is pap, the mother of all foods in Botswana

Reminiscing Mondays is a weekly post by Pearlle Magazine's contributors, sharing their memories about growing up in Africa.

Navigation Menu

April

Thoughts: On Tonto's skin bleaching and self-hate

Reminiscing Mondays: Thoughts on Lagos traffic, potholes and Toyota Prados

Reminiscing Mondays: Personalities on Nigeria's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"

Reminiscing Mondays: Botswana church songs

Reminiscing Mondays: Church Business in Nigeria

African clothes and cultural appropriation

Reminiscing Mondays: In case you ever doubted that church = party time in Africa . . .

Thoughts on the "My oga at the top" video

Reminiscing Mondays: President Jonathan's most recent CNN interview and allegations of media imperialism

Calorie breakdown of thiakry

Goodluck Jonathan on CNN (January 23)

Tuesday Tips: How to make thiakry

My favorite Nigerian & Caribbean food blogs

Reminiscing Mondays: Celebrating Christmas in 4 countries

Reminiscing Mondays: A journey through Africa

Reminiscing Mondays: The Real Story of Nigeria

Reminiscing Mondays: Buying African ingredients online + recipes

Reminiscing Mondays: Hilarious West African dance videos featuring azonto and etighi

Reminiscing Mondays: The dresses we wore as kids.

Reminiscing Mondays: Scrumptious Botswana food

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