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I have been thinking about bride price, not because I am getting married tomorrow, Nigeria and I already have one complicated relationship; I am not looking for a second one immediately. But the subject keeps finding me.A conversation here.A marriage story there.A woman quietly saying, “He changed after the wedding.”A man loudly saying, “I paid […]
I don’t think anybody has ever overthought a train journey the way I am currently overthinking this one. I’m sitting by the window pretending to enjoy the scenery, I am not enjoying anything. In fact, if anxiety had a physical form, it would be sitting right beside me, asking if I packed my passport.I check
I’ve taken three showers already and I still don’t know what else to do with myself. The apartment is quiet, the television is on but I couldn’t tell anybody what’s playing, my food is cold, my phone is on the table, and my mind is still in that photocopy room. Still with her. I remember
The office is almost empty, I know because I’ve checked the time three times in the last ten minutes.8:17 PM.8:21 PM.8:24 PM. The cleaning staff have already passed my section twice, even the security lights have switched on outside. Everybody has gone home, everybody except me. I stare at the stack of documents beside the
There are certain moments in life that make you feel like an adult. Getting admitted into university is one, moving into your hostel is another. At least that’s what I thought. The reality was that by 10 a.m. on moving day, I was standing beside my father’s car while my mother supervised the loading of
Dear Diary, Before I start ranting about Nigeria, men, women, politicians, social media philosophers, and the collective confusion we call adulthood, I suppose I should tell you who I am. After all, it would be strange to spend years talking to someone who doesn’t know my name. Well… My name is Rahima Ifunanya Adekunle.At least
Dear Diary, There are many ways to become famous. You can become a musician, an actor, a footballer, a politician, or an entrepreneur. You can invent something revolutionary, discover a cure for a terrible disease, win an award, or even change the world. What I did was slightly different. I became famous for sleeping. Not
Dear Diary, There is a particular kind of pain that comes from being betrayed by a stranger. And then there is the pain that comes from being betrayed by the person who knows exactly where your heart lives. The second one is worse. Much worse. Because they don’t stumble into your weaknesses by accident. You
There is a difference between being alone and feeling alone. I learned that tonight. The hard way. For the past three months, my life has become a predictable cycle of exhaustion.Wake up.Fight traffic.Work.Fight more traffic.Get home late.Repeat. Sometimes I wonder if adulthood is just paying bills while sitting in increasingly worse traffic. I work in
There are three things I see every day. Passports.Hope.And desperation.Not necessarily in that order. I work at a visa application centre in Ikeja. Officially, I process documents. Unofficially, I watch dreams queue up before sunrise. Every morning, before we even open the doors, there are already people waiting outside.Students.Business owners.Families.Newlyweds.Retirees.Young professionals.People who have sold land.People