By Tosyn Bucknor
• – One Mic Naija
Let us kick things off with a shameless plug shall we? One Mic Naija holds this weekend (August 31st with some Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyan influence. Come see Falz, Simi, Ketchup, MzVee (Ghana), Victoria Kimani (Kenya) and more live. See @onemicnaija on twitter for more information. Deal?
• – M.I’s new single
Aha! Mr Incredible decided to do it, after making us wait for it. First was a campaign on social media with images and deep thoughts… I had one or two people holler at me lowkey, ‘Tosyn, what is M.I up to?’ I reassured them he had not lost his mind and was only planning to drop a single or maybe his album. And he did. ‘King James’. The reviews, as expected, have been mixed. I have listened five times and I still do not know where I stand. BUT. I have listened FIVE times…
• – Birthdays!
I think some of the coolest people were born in July and August. This has been two months of everyone on radio, from Toolz and Gbemi to Jimmie, Yaw and myself turning up. Then three Ebony Life Television presenters had the same birthday; I’m talking about Bolanle Olukanni, Lamide Akintobi and Dolapo Oni.
• – Chris Martin and Jennifer Lawrence
Now, if you were keeping tabs, you would know that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was previously married to Gwyneth Paltrow but they ‘consciously uncoupled’… whatever that means. Now, Chris is said to be dating Jennifer Lawrence, who can’t stop falling down on the red carpet in the most adorable way.
• – Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey
While Chris and JLaw hook up, Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey break up. This one for me is, ‘say it isn’t so’. I mean, once Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore split, I knew Nick and Mariah were the last of the ‘Older Woman Younger Guy’ couples we could keep an eye on. Now it turns out they have been separated for months and may be headed for a divorce. Maybe they will work things out.
• – Robin Williams
The Robin Williams headlines seem to scream less these days as other things have taken over but still, I was deeply moved to hear that actor, Robin Williams passed on in an apparent suicide. Reading his story and as details of his health status and more started to emerge after his death, it cemented that idea I have always had- everyone is going through something.
Still, for someone who put a smile on so many faces, it is sad that he himself was depressed and chose to take his life.
• – Kunle Olaifa and Dr Adadevoh
Two people who had no say in the matter were Kunle and Dr Adadevoh. The former died in a car accident on his way to Ife while Dr Adadevoh was the doctor who attended to Patrick Sawyer at First Consultants Hospital and was said to have prevented him from escaping from the hospital. She also sadly contracted Ebola and passed on. Praying that God will grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss
• – Ebola
Honestly, when I first heard about Ebola and the fact that there were cases in Nigeria, I panicked. Everyone who sneezed was suspicious and I did the math- if Patrick Sawyer who came in from Liberia passed it on to everyone on the plane and then passed it on to everyone they met from immigration to their homes and work and then… o my… It was like World War X in my mind.
Thankfully, we now know a little more about Ebola. For example, that it is important to wash your arms (up to your elbows) thoroughly, especially before touching your face or eating, that only people who are visibly ill or corpses can transmit the virus, and that there have been survivors.
Let us stay vigilant and follow WHO and Ebola Facts etc. on social media, but do not forget to inform your friends, neighbours, house-helps, drivers and indeed, everyone you meet!
• – ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
From Ebola that affects us to ALS, a disorder not too well known in Nigeria, but with a social campaign that has gone viral.
ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease and is a disease that attacks the nerves; it has been said that the symptoms are similar in a very small way to what you would feel if someone poured ice on you, hence the ice bucket challenge. The idea is to either accept the challenge or donate but some celebrities like Roger Federer have done both. Patrick Stewart (of X Men fame) has done both although he ‘remixed’ the meaning of ice bucket challenge.
Celebrities in Nigeria, including Don Jazzy and Genevieve have done the challenge as well, and of course, have come under fire for doing it to be cool while ignoring issues we have in Nigeria. I understand the point. I like what someone like Fade of Beat F.M did- she took the challenge and raised awareness for ALS as well as Breast Cancer.
No one is pouring ice on me anytime soon though, that’s for sure!
• – Ferguson
And while we are on the subject of things that do not concern us (but maybe they do), are you keeping up with what is happening in the town of Ferguson in the United States? So it all started when a police officer shot a black boy. Every day occurrence? Well, the residents of Ferguson were not having it, claiming that the officer shot the boy even after he had surrendered. Mike Brown was on his way to college and was shot (according to autopsy reports), six times. 2 in the head and 4 in the hand which seems to support the story that he had already surrendered when officer Wilson shot him.
Since then, Ferguson has become almost like a war zone, with daily threats, tear gas and more. Meanwhile, it has brought up issues of racial tension and black profiling in the United States.
It reminds us that every nation has its’ own issues but the question always is, how are issues tackled.
Now imagine if Ferguson was in Nigeria….
