All the writers; all their topics: 31 days of precious 2013 moments!

You know how this idea for the #31days31writers project started? To start with I know YNaija’s done something like that in 2012, I think I wrote for that sef. I did! It was an article on babes beefing each other for no reason, and you won’t believe the gender that bashed me the most on that piece? Lol!

For this one though, I saw someone tweet in November (I swear I don’t remember their handle and I’m on a Twitter fast so I can’t go look) but he was talking about it and I thought, this might be cool for the end of the year. I didn’t act on it though till the 26th of November, and then I gave all my writers till the 28th to hand in their pieces. With benefit of hindsight, it must have a freaked a number of them out!

Anyway, so I must have asked 40 people, and out of those I got 30. And I am more than grateful that they took the time to squeeze their 2013 into 600 words, and send in the lovely pictures they did. From castration for sex offenders, to faith in the Lord, rebuilt confidence, loyalty from friends, second chances, to resolutions for the new year, homosexuality and homophobia, 2013 was different for every one of my writers, and I am so proud of them!!

Did you miss any of the articles? Well, you’re welcome, I’ve listed all of them below!

1. DAY 1: The first in the ‘a post a day’ series – Chude Jideonwo
2. “I learned that I matter” – Francine! #31days31writers
3. “I have learnt pain is a part of the process” – Emeka #31days31writers
4. “I use writing as a tool to make a difference” – Chijioke #31days31writers
5. “No more Mr Nice Guy” – Mr Mobility! #31days 31 writers
6. “I’m thankful for stability” – Saratu #31days 31writers
7. “I would shut up and let her do her mothering” – Vickie Remoe #31days31writers
8. “The internet lives” – Pa Ikhide starts the second week of my #31days31writers project!
9. “I am gradually learning to love the silence” – Dosh Mabonga! #31days31writers
10. “I have learnt that dreams can actually come true” – Bisi Alimi #31days31writers
11. “I learnt to let go and forgive” – Onaedo!! #31days31writers
12. “I have learnt that light always comes at dawn” – Alkayy!! #31days31writers
13. “Who says black men shouldn’t cry?” – My girl Francesca Uriri! #31days31writers
14. “Our human species have truly trashed the planet” – Jeremy!! #31Days31Writers
15. “2013: Of numbers, expectations and unspoken promises” – Dami #31Days31Writers
16. “I won the lottery!!” – Tolu #31days31writers
17. “I’ve learnt to let go and let God” – the delectable Nike Coker! #31Days31Writers
18. “People change and so do you” – Ewoma gives us home truths! #31days31writers
19. “Castration as an act of mercy” – My girl Zima goes hard! #31days31writers
20. “I learnt a lot about public engagement as a public servant” – Ohimai!! #31Days31Writers
21. “I live and breathe food” – Nky Iweka #31days31writers
22. “I have so much to be grateful for!” – Mac-Jordan #31Days31Writers
23. “I’m glad that I followed my intuition and took risks” – Chris!! #31Days31Writers
24. “This year taught me to represent” – Eziaha (The Fab Sister) is up today! #31days31writers
25. “Loyalty makes a friend family” – Nonso’s up for our Christmas special! #31days31writers
26. “I have come to love and accept myself” – my bestie is up! #31days31writers
27. “I don’t even remember my resolutions for 2013″ – Andy Madaki on #31days31writers
28. “I have learnt that homosexuality exists in 450 species” – Okechukwu is a shining star on #31days31writers today!
29. “I understood faith as a lifestyle this year” – Lizzie
30. “Your friend is your need answered” – a surprise appearance on the #31days31writers project!
31. “Thank you for being part of my 2013″ – Guess who? Me!!!

Thank you guys for honoring me and my blog. Best wishes for the new year!

Love, light, and God’s many blessings!

Mwah!

“Our human species have truly trashed the planet” – Jeremy!! #31Days31Writers

How did I meet Jeremy? I think it was last year, when I spotted him in an Etisalat service centre and I tweeted him to confirm. Somehow it was him, and we met up for a coffee the next day and ended up discussing social media, politics in Nigeria, potential collaboration opportunities, the works. It was such a profound, eye-opening discussion, and I’m grateful for his friendship.

Funnily, I met his partner Bibi two years earlier, and we’ve bumped into each other everywhere since then! Layovers, restaurants, events, Bibi’s pleasant.

Halfway through the #31Days31Writers project, say hello to Jeremy Weate!

 

My name is Jeremy. I do various things, but I’m happy to say I don’t have a single “job”.  Large chunks of my time in recent years have been spent in faraway places advising governments on making the most of their natural resources.  However, I’m also a co-founder of Cassava Republic (www.cassavarepublic.biz) and I tweet (@jeremyweate). I am not sure I learned anything new this year.  However, the start of it was spent at a detox retreat drinking vegetable juice and psyllium. I learned that you can survive for weeks at a time without eating solid food and be rejuvenated.  I also remembered how wonderful colonic hydrotherapy is. I thoroughly recommend it.

I suppose rather than learning anything new, three things formed a long and deepening narrative thread in my thinking this year.  First, the idea that consciousness is as fundamental, if not more fundamental, than matter.  The signs are everywhere, if we learn how to look: in paranormal experiences, in quantum theory, in the failure to explain consciousness in hard-science materialist terms. It’s curious how vehement and closed-minded the skeptical backlash is.  I hope that in this lifetime, we get much closer to a more balanced view of the cosmos, that integrates the foundational role of reflection and of spirit.

Second, it dawned more deeply on me that our human species has truly trashed the planet, and that very difficult days are ahead.  Just a few days ago, I was with friends who have young children.  All I could think was what a terrible mess we have bequeathed these innocent beings.  There are too many people burning too much carbon, and they and we will have to pay.  Humans may likely survive this century, just as they did when the ice melted 10,000 years ago.  But I fear much civilization will be lost, yet again, and the violence will be horrific.  I hope I’m wrong, and an Elon Musk type genius can invent something (rather than faff about with space tourism) to keep us below two degrees of planetary warming.

Thirdly, I realized that Nigeria really is headed for disaster.  Desertification in the North marching at a mile-a-year, overpopulation, a massive lack of jobs, rising sea-levels (not stopping some from building cities in the sea), a numbskull leadership, a brainwashed followership, a constitution that doesn’t fit the country’s needs. Nigeria is one of the places where climate change is going to have a terrible impact.  Could the storm be more perfect?  The ruthlessly kleptocratic elite will not slake their oil-thirst, unless there is a revolution (or the oil dries up, or becomes unmarketable).  But the potential revolutionaries are too materialistically aspirational to resist the lure of co-option for long.  The unbought and unbuyable are too few in number.  This is an unfolding all too human tragedy, that will have consequences for many elsewhere.  It could be otherwise: can the APC develop a non-oil vision for the country, and effectively implement it?

I am grateful for Bibi, the small group of friends that I have, and for my parents.  Gratitude is better not spread too thin, for riches lie hidden in small numbers.