Naija Diaries
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Does Bride Price Buy a Wife or Bless a Marriage?
“I paid your bride price.”
And therefore… what exactly?
What comes after that sentence?
Ownership?
Authority?
Control?
Exclusive rights?
A lifetime subscription?
I genuinely want to know, because sometimes I wonder whether bride price is one of the most misunderstood cultural practices in Africa.
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Premium Journals
Ria – Rants of a Nigerian
What Happens When You Build Everywhere Except Home?
In the middle of all the protests, the anti-immigrant sentiments, and the fear, there were reports of Nigerians and other African immigrants abandoning businesses, leaving properties behind, and fleeing for their lives.
The world appears to be entering one of those seasons where countries are asking: “Who belongs here?”
And unfortunately, Nigerians are often part of that conversation. Sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly, which is why I think we need to ask ourselves difficult questions. If tomorrow the country you have lived in for twenty years decides it no longer wants you, what happens?
Zara – Lagos Mindfully
Ep 9: The Woman Who Cried Charity
Dear Diary,
I returned to work today, which, surprisingly, did not feel like returning to war, it felt… nice.
I stepped onto our floor and immediately knew something was happening. The atmosphere was wrong, or perhaps right, depending on how one feels about collective excitement before nine in the morning.
People were moving quickly.
Junior staff stood in little groups, whispering, giggling and checking their phones.
Walking past offices with unusual urgency.
Perhaps they had organized a welcome-back surprise. I had been gone for two weeks.
Perhaps they missed me.
Perhaps there was cake.
Perhaps there was a card.
Perhaps…
No. Nobody noticed me, not one person. One analyst brushed past me entirely, another looked directly at me and then immediately looked beyond me.
Interesting.
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From The Diaries
“The ultimate goal should not be escaping Africa, the ultimate goal should be making Africa somewhere fewer people feel compelled to escape from.”
“History has taught us that once a crowd decides that a group is the problem, nuance becomes the first casualty.”
“You cannot own another adult.“
“Wives are not property.”
“Bride price, in many African cultures, was never originally intended to mean ownership.”
The Library
