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Uncategorized,

Catch RepJ360 live at their first concert “Tanna”

The band RepJ360 are having their first concert tagged “Tanna” – a Yoruba phrase that translates to “turn on the light”. The concert is a first from the band and an exclusive event targeted towards lovers of clean music, Rock music or Nigerian alternative music in general. The concert will feature the band performing their original songs as well as several covers. As is the band’s ideal, the concert is not a “church concert” but will feature Christian elements, which the band emphasizes is not a religion but simply a way of life. They hope to cause people to shine their metaphoric lights, which the band interprets as showing kindness to a neighbor or being the best you can be, regardless of circumstance.


The concert is happening at No. 2 Mercy Eneli Street, by RCCG Jesus Sanctuary, Masha, Surulere, Lagos. Tickets cost One Thousand Naira only, you can get them online at tinyurl.com/repjtanna or buy them physically direct from the band, simply contact them on their social media or email or catch them at an event near you (stalk their social media for more details). Tickets are going fast so you best get yours before the show sells out. There is the option of coming at 2PM for an early concert or coming later at 5PM for an evening concert [All times do not have the “Nigerian time consideration”].  
 
Limited Space remain and the band has stated that there is a high probably that those spaces will not remain for long. So buying tickets in advance is encouraged, as there might not be any ticket sales at the gate. You can buy tickets from the band directly, if you catch them at any event near you or you can buy your ticket online at www.tinyurl.com/repjtanna, be sure to leave your details so the band can keep you apprised.
Playlist,

Raining Season Reading List By Oluwadamilola Adisa

The rainy season, for me, is reminiscent of newness, a clean but messy space where almost anything is allowed and people are nicer and more sympathetic than usual, well some people. I am reminded of long forgotten rainy afternoons when my sisters and I would run around in the rain before my parents got back, and long, dull rainy days lit up by the exciting narratives of good books.
Rainy days are great days for introspection, the kind that heat and sun just won’t let you do. Something about rain falling slows us down, enough to think, to actually live. When it rains, we end up stuck in traffic, stuck in places that we can’t leave, stuck at home, waiting… And these moments of waiting, of pause, are viable moments for reflection, for living, for getting out of the vicious cycle of our thoughts and smelling the fresh, clean air that falling rain brings with it, and maybe thinking new thoughts or letting our minds wander down new paths and terrains.

Here’s a list of good books that will light up your days this rainy season.

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

I saw “Isoken” recently and the only thing that I could relate the movie to was this classic by E. M. Forster. 
Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
We all need a little sunshine especially in the dark and gloomy days characteristic of rainy seasons. We also need reminders sometimes that good and bad things happen to everyone, not just us. So, while we are waiting for the rain to stop falling, Dr. Seuss reminds us to stop the figurative waiting that we unconsciously do and start exploring. Plus, it has pictures, so there’s something here for everyone.

This is Water by David Foster Wallace

This is a short but contemplative read. It’s actually a commencement speech. David Wallace reminds us in this of the things that we so easily forget, so easily ignore. It is a call to focus on the truly important things.

You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

I loved this book. Jen Sincero’s voice in this book is honest and authentic. The quotes before each chapter will make you stop to think, sometimes. So, remember, even if a car splashes water on you some random day this season, you are still a badass.

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

This is a collection of essays and it left me more informed about feminism. It also left me a bit pissed off. I wanted to talk about this book for days and days after I read it. I still want to sometimes. 

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Because we all have some sort of resistance to work and this book gives us the extra motivation to push through it and get to work creating whatever it is we’ve been putting off: a perfect morning routine, a traffic playlist or more serious things like that project you should be working on.

The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer

Everyone needs to be still sometimes.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

I enjoyed this book when I read it. It’s about a smart girl, Blue, who finds herself in a literal mess and finds that her father is not all he seems to be. I especially like the fact that the table of contents is literally a list of recommended classic texts if you like that kind of stuff.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Dan Brown is one of my favourite authors; I always enjoy travelling with Robert Langdon, his main protagonist, as he follows trails and deciphers codes in some very interesting and historical places. Inferno is his most recent work. I’m still paranoid about this. I still sort of think Inferno already happened and we’ve just not been told about it.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is one of my favourite authors. This is a mystery thriller about ten people on an island and is full of twists you can’t even think up.

The Defining Decade by Dr. Meg Jay

I loved this book because it made so much sense. It is about how to live the twenty-something life intentionally. If you’re as confused about adulting as I was, you might not find that the murky waters of adulting are suddenly clear, but you’ll be more comfortable with uncertainty. I mean, what does ‘supposed to’ even mean?
What are you reading currently?



25, letters,

Letters To July II

Random Photo From Graduation 
Dear Muyiwa,

I sat across from you at a fast food restaurant, I had the first bite of my fried rice and declared it horrible and a waste of my money, you said your donuts wasn’t any better. I struggled through my rice while you managed to eat half of your first donut which you quickly washed down with coke. I asked when you started drinking coke, you said you weren’t sure when, but you are trying to stop taking it.
How the tables have turned, I remember when I was a ‘coke addict’, I used to smuggle it into campus (hope you remember our campus had a strict policy against caffeine) in old yoghurt drink containers. Every now and again you will bring me a bottle and lecture me on how it was bad for my health. I stopped taking coke about a year ago and now I am the one giving you lectures on the ‘evils of coke’. This makes me think of how different we are from when we first met a few years ago, different yes, but the same people in so many ways.
On the day we met we had an argument about the dress code of our university, I was of the opinion that the formal dress code prepared us for life after university and you believed that it stifled creativity, that people were not given the opportunity to express themselves through their clothes. It is ironic that you pay attention to the details on your outfit and you read GQ Magazine to keep up to date with male fashion trends while I long for a job where I can express myself through my clothes and not be confined to a set of rules. Maybe we rubbed off on each other. In swapping opinions we questioned our stand on life ideas and we became true to ourselves in the process.
You have to remember the first poem we wrote together, it was about stars, the moon and the activities that happen in the comfort of the night. That was a first for me, I had never written with anyone before let alone taken my writing seriously. I really enjoyed the process of writing with you that we had a short-lived blog where we shared poems we wrote together.
That day, while we nursed our horrible meals, I had my first honest conversation in months. That was easy because there is no judgement, no reservations, I can be unapologetic about all the crazy things that go on in my head. It isn’t one-way traffic where I dump all my crazy and you just listen, you share too. It is honest exchange of burdens, this is one of the many reasons our friendship is important to me.
We don’t get to see or talk often, because I am horrible at texting and you live two hours’ drive away, so I look forward to the rear occasion when our paths cross and we can talk and share a horrible meal.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Oreoluwa

P.S I am looking forward to us writing again.

Uncategorized,

The Stark Experience

I came across Bemyoda while interning with Alternative Music Nigeria. What struck me from the very first song I listened to is Bemyoda’s unique sound and the fact that he dares to be different and stay true to sounds that inspire him.  His well-crafted lyrics remind you of life’s conditions which is an inexhaustible topic.
The wait for Stark was a very long one but it was worth it. The first single released from the album is ‘’I Told’’ I had the song on replay for days, it reminds me to cast fear aside at my lowest point and instead choose to embrace the light and the truth.

The album listening for Stark was over the long Democracy weekend, it was a multimedia experience of photographs and the beautiful songs on the album. My sister Olaoluwa and Bukky, my Lagos partner in crime, went to the album listening at Red Door Gallery in Victoria Island. The gallery is such a beautiful space and the decoration and art pieces transport you to a different place where things are beautiful and sad at the same time.  

We took cool photos, meet Bemyoda, listened to songs from the album and looked at the photos that interpret each song on the album. Now when I listen to the songs I can’t help but think of the photographic representation of each song, and I believe this is a good thing. I am looking forward to Bemyoda’s future projects but before that comes along you should listen to Stark on Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/us/artist/4327242 


Enjoy the photos we took at the album listening below: 














2017, 25,

Raining Season Reading List




I don’t enjoy raining season. I hate that my nose and chest don’t function right once the season starts and how this lingers till the dry season. Because of my poor nose and chest, I hardly go out so this leaves me with the burden of entertaining myself. On the plus side I get to binge watch series and read a lot of books. 
I love reading and each book takes me on a different journey and they have a way of staying with me long after I am done with the book. The emotions in the books linger and this makes me see the people around me differently understand and appreciate their struggles.
I am subscribed to a number of Reading Blogs and they release their ‘’Summer Reading List’’ about the same time the Raining Season starts. But for me it isn’t warm days where I get to go to the beach, I am curled up in bed reading and letting the stories take me on exciting journey.
I was making a list of the books I have read in 2017 and I thought why not share my list and get my book-lover friends to share their own list and thus the ‘’Raining Season Reading List’’ was born. I really hope you enjoy these lists and you discover great books to add to your reading list.
So let’s get into the list.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Fun fact about Ore; I was a science student in secondary school (not by choice) and I choose to study Literature and I believe this is one of the best decisions 14 years old Ore made. The classes were my first lessons in appreciation of books and the beginning of my love affair.
Things Fall Apart was a required text for my exams in my final year in secondary school and I don’t believe I really understood the ideas the author presented in the book or even appreciated the fact that it is a love story to precolonial Nigeria. So a few months ago I decided to buy a copy of the book and read it again. I am happy I made this decision and it was a good experience, I spent my morning drives discussing the themes of the book with my mum and learning about the Igbo people. I think it is important we take a walk into the past so we don’t make the same mistakes in the present.
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

I read this book in a day, it is one of those books that when you start you can’t put down till you get to the end. I fell in love with Yejide and Akin and I carried them around with me for a few days wondering about all the different way their story could have played out. At the heart, the book is a love story but, one marred by selfishness and desperate decisions.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I know you have seen the movie but, the book isn’t like the movie, for starters it ends differently. It is more of an emotional roller-coaster because the author makes use of the multiple narrative technique so you get a peek into how each character is feeling and picking sides is much harder. I had questions about motherhood, how much love is too much and when a mother needs to stop and listen to her children. Safe to say I cried my eyes out at the end of the book. You can skip this on if you have no tissue.
The course of Love by Alain de Botton

My friend Derin recommended this book to me in January and I am glad he did.  It is a realistic view on love, how a lack of understanding of our individual histories affect the love we share with our partners. How domestic routine, poor communication can lead to the death of love. Most important of all it was a challenge to me to examine myself, take a look at how I react in situations and do an over haul of the relationships in my life.
So that is my list, I hope something interests you, before I forget, there are a few books I picked up to read during the month of August and they are;

The Right Kind of Crazy by Adam Steltzner with William Patrick

Opening Spaces: Contemporary African Women’s writing

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

The Shack by William P. Young

Don’t forget to recommend a book in the comments below