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Sunday 11th February 2024How Nigerian Athletes Are Staying Connected to their Roots
By Peter Adeyemo - @adebayor.x 🌍
From the proud chants of Kanu Nwankwo and Jay-Jay Okocha in the 1990s, to the fiery battle cries for Osimhen, Oshoala and Anthony Joshua, over the past few decades, Nigerian athletes have increased in visibility across numerous sporting professions. But the athletic superstars from the 90s were not just local champions as many might think; these were highly sought after players in the international market, with Kanu playing for teams like Arsenal and West Bromwich, and Okocha playing for the likes of PSG and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Decades later, the pride these personalities instilled in Nigerians back home is being carried on by a new generation of sports superstars, from football and basketball to mixed martial arts and track & field. Not only do athletes like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Asisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen carry the torch of success, they mirror their predecessors by never losing sight of where they come from. Their lifestyles, principles, mannerisms, and relationships are laced with the Nigerianness that runs in the blood of the citizens of the country. In interviews, media rounds, pre/post game conferences, they are intentional with the ways they carry the Nigerian spirit and pay homage to their roots.
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From the proud chants of Kanu Nwankwo and Jay-Jay Okocha in the 1990s, to the fiery battle cries for Osimhen, Oshoala and Anthony Joshua, over the past few decades, Nigerian athletes have increased in visibility across numerous sporting professions. But the athletic superstars from the 90s were not just local champions as many might think; these were highly sought after players in the international market, with Kanu playing for teams like Arsenal and West Bromwich, and Okocha playing for the likes of PSG and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Decades later, the pride these personalities instilled in Nigerians back home is being carried on by a new generation of sports superstars, from football and basketball to mixed martial arts and track & field. Not only do athletes like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Asisat Oshoala and Victor Osimhen carry the torch of success, they mirror their predecessors by never losing sight of where they come from. Their lifestyles, principles, mannerisms, and relationships are laced with the Nigerianness that runs in the blood of the citizens of the country. In interviews, media rounds, pre/post game conferences, they are intentional with the ways they carry the Nigerian spirit and pay homage to their roots.
Thursday 1st February 2024 The Rise and Rise of Nigeria’s EDM Scene
By Nelson CJ - @nelsonfromnorman____ 🌍
On most weekends at the end of the month, nightclubs, warehouses, rooftops, beachfront gathering spaces and even living rooms in many parts of Lagos are filled with (mostly) young Nigerians dancing to Electronic Dance, Trance or House Music. These genres, defined by their high-tempo sound, repetitive catchphrases, and intensely experimental format, have slowly creeped into the list of the many Nigerian youth subcultures like the “alté” movement, skate culture and a thriving streetwear scene.
Electronic Dance Music, with its futuristic, modernist sensibilities, but also its potential to liberate and unite different people in various spaces, is setting the tone for a generation of Nigerians looking to explore spaces designed and defined by inclusivity, freedom, and zero judgement. The notion of inclusivity and freedom sits at the very base of what makes EDM a globally recognized music category.
Electronic Dance Music is the umbrella term used to describe the many versions of dance music including house, techno, trance music, ambient, drum and bass and many more. Their origins span The United States, Germany and the U.K. Each point of origin had different means by which they arrived under the EDM umbrella, but the unifying factor continues to be that EDM is music that liberates.
Electronic Dance Music, with its futuristic, modernist sensibilities, but also its potential to liberate and unite different people in various spaces, is setting the tone for a generation of Nigerians looking to explore spaces designed and defined by inclusivity, freedom, and zero judgement. The notion of inclusivity and freedom sits at the very base of what makes EDM a globally recognized music category.
Electronic Dance Music is the umbrella term used to describe the many versions of dance music including house, techno, trance music, ambient, drum and bass and many more. Their origins span The United States, Germany and the U.K. Each point of origin had different means by which they arrived under the EDM umbrella, but the unifying factor continues to be that EDM is music that liberates.
Thursday 12 October 2023Masquerading in Nigerian Music, Fashion & Culture
A Homecoming Journey
By Zainab Kuku - @indigo.distortion 🌍
Masquerading is the art of concealment, which plays a significant role in Nigerian social and indigenous ways of life. In Igbo and Yoruba culture, masqueraders represent the physical manifestation of deities or spirits on earth and according to cultural custom, should be treated with respect. Through communal bonding and festivals, masquerading serves as a vessel which connects the masquerade (and observers of the masquerade) to their origins and lineage. Within this paradigm, masquerading facilitates a Homecoming, or return to tradition, which is untainted by Western or colonial influence.
The Ijele Masquerade festival originated in Anambra state. It is one of the largest and most intricately designed masquerades in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In an article titled ‘Playing With Our Ancestors: Culture and Communal Memory in Igbo Theatre’, researcher and writer Okagbue Osita explains the significance of the Ijele Masquerade and acknowledges that through this medium, masquerading is used as a theatrical, performative and religious tool, which reflects Igbo ideals and strengthens communal bonds within Igbo society.
The Eyo Festival (also known as the Adamu Orisa play), is one of the most notable Masquerade festivals in Yoruba culture and dates back to the 18th century. The festival is a key symbol, which represents the social and communal fabric of Lagos state. Eyo Festivals were originally held to escort the soul of a departed Lagos Oba (king) and usher in his successor but over the years, the festival has morphed into a cultural highlight for the city and key tourist attraction.
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A Homecoming Journey
The Ijele Masquerade festival originated in Anambra state. It is one of the largest and most intricately designed masquerades in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In an article titled ‘Playing With Our Ancestors: Culture and Communal Memory in Igbo Theatre’, researcher and writer Okagbue Osita explains the significance of the Ijele Masquerade and acknowledges that through this medium, masquerading is used as a theatrical, performative and religious tool, which reflects Igbo ideals and strengthens communal bonds within Igbo society.
The Eyo Festival (also known as the Adamu Orisa play), is one of the most notable Masquerade festivals in Yoruba culture and dates back to the 18th century. The festival is a key symbol, which represents the social and communal fabric of Lagos state. Eyo Festivals were originally held to escort the soul of a departed Lagos Oba (king) and usher in his successor but over the years, the festival has morphed into a cultural highlight for the city and key tourist attraction.
Tuesday 18th July 2023How the New Generation is Revitalising Rap in Nigeria
By Makua Adimora - @coldasmaxx 🌍
Originally born in the storied city of New York, the American hip-hop wave first hit Nigeria’s shores in the early ‘90s and birthed a whole generation of bar-spitting MCs in fitted caps and baggy tees. Rappers like Ruff, Rugged & Raw, Maintain, The Remedies and The Trybesmen became famous for creating songs that married their local roots with Western influences. The early 2000s saw the rise of more acts like Mode9, Sasha P, Ruggedman, Bouqui, and Weird MC who further cemented hip-hop’s place in the Nigerian music scene. However the genre was still relegated to the sidelines in an afropop-dominated industry.
Things took a turn when M.I Abaga stepped onto the scene and gave the genre a facelift, expertly balancing top-notch lyricism with commercial appeal and paving the way for acts like Naeto C and Ice Prince to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, artistes like Dagrin, Olamide and Phyno put indigenous rap on the map and gave Nigerian hip-hop the unique identity it had been desperately missing since its birth. But with the global expansion of afrobeats, Nigerian rap eventually lost its place in the spotlight.
Now, a new vanguard of rap acts is breathing new life into the genre and shaking up the scene, one bar at a time. From mainstream names like Blaqbonez and Cheque to more underground voices like PDSTRN, Reespect, Cozy Kiyo and Ictooicy, these new-generation rappers are brimming with versatility, further showcasing the malleability of rap as a genre and markedly marching down the path towards making Nigerian hip-hop great again.
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Things took a turn when M.I Abaga stepped onto the scene and gave the genre a facelift, expertly balancing top-notch lyricism with commercial appeal and paving the way for acts like Naeto C and Ice Prince to follow in his footsteps. Meanwhile, artistes like Dagrin, Olamide and Phyno put indigenous rap on the map and gave Nigerian hip-hop the unique identity it had been desperately missing since its birth. But with the global expansion of afrobeats, Nigerian rap eventually lost its place in the spotlight.
Now, a new vanguard of rap acts is breathing new life into the genre and shaking up the scene, one bar at a time. From mainstream names like Blaqbonez and Cheque to more underground voices like PDSTRN, Reespect, Cozy Kiyo and Ictooicy, these new-generation rappers are brimming with versatility, further showcasing the malleability of rap as a genre and markedly marching down the path towards making Nigerian hip-hop great again.
