Style de Vie

  “I hope my greeting meets every one of us well. I am Zanni Emmanuel and I count it not only as a blessing but also a privilege to be here to give this speech. I was overwhelmed with utmost joy when photography to slums got an invite to grace this event. It made me feel a step closer, not only to my dream but also the dream of the initiative, photography to slums.   I remember when I got to hear about photography to slums; I thought to myself “why not grab this opportunity and make every use of it you can?” and I can beat my chest to say that I did make a right choice.  Photography to slums has grounded my stand on the belief that “Nothing, not even your limitations can limit you unless you choose to be limited”. That I can take photographs from any angle and view makes me have this feeling of fulfillment. I mean, I know I could live my dreams but not this early and once again, I’m very grateful to the initiators of the initiative, photography to slums.  You see, I ...

  Isn’t it tragic that peace, which was meant to be something normal, is now something we purchased (knowingly or unknowingly) just to stay sane, stay calm, or… just to stay put?   And it’s even more tragic because we all have different ways to experience this peace. While peace to some people is not hearing noises, peace to the other person could mean waking up to see you’re financially secure. To the next person, peace could be just being alone, with no one around to ask questions or say any words to them.  Not just in this part of the world but almost all over the world, we have all forgotten what peace really is, and this is because everyone is in one pursuit or the other. What makes matters worse is the internet- social media… because peace is now seen as something aesthetic, something not fun, something validating, in the sense that someone else has to tell you that youre at peace for you to believe you actually are at peace and isn’t it sad?  Most times, I sit...

  I’m going to tell you a story and I need you to pay close attention to it so you can see the image I’m about to paint.   “A girl lost her dad at a quite young age, right after taking her exams to get into college and she knew right then, that her life had taken a turn for the worse, but not wanting to give up, she took more exams, took up jobs and did everything to beat the unserious child allegations but guess what? Life kept happening and just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, it did get worst. This time, life came as the best thing that could have happened to her in years. It came in the guise of love. You know the excitement that comes with the feeling of ‘love’. Both parties were excited enough to let their families know about one another…”   This is where I need ALL of your attention   “… ‘hmmm. If you think that well of him, you can give it a try but don’t but don’t put all your emotions into it until you both are sure of it’, was the response of one o...

  I want you to take a moment and think of that one person you know that has it figured out. That person you can always go to for whatever help it is that you need, that person you notice/see everyone go to for advice, help and assistance, that one person you know that is always giving (most times not given), … or in better words, that one strong person you know.   These people we call strong, are most times, simply pressured. When they realize that the expectations of everyone around them is to be a standby guide and guard to them, that “strength” is, most times, often perceived as pressure by them. Being everyone’s problem solver is often birthed from unconscious decision(s) one could make. Either from being the first child, or had a rough childhood so you got to find a way around life very early, or even being an empathetic person; and because the shoes fit perfectly, life decides to make the shoes fit for a pretty long time. And slowly… slowly but surely, these expectation...

  One very funny thing about Nigerians is our ability to give a very wrong meaning to words or coining out our own word and using that word both in and out of context. A perfect example of this is “ nepo  & lapo babies” (our focus will be on the nepo babies) In Nigeria, a nepo(tism) baby is a child from a VERY RICH, or in better words, a luxurious background. “Nepo baby” has, for a while now being the newest word in Nigerians’ dictionary, with us forgetting what nepotism actually is. A regular Nigerian could, in a layman’s terms, define nepotism as being wealthy. Why? This is because we have misused the word “nepotism” to the extent of taking it out of context. Nepotism in it’s real and original sense, is a case or situation where someone (mostly family or friends) uses their influence to grant you and opportunity or a favor, whether or not you are qualified or befitting of that opportunity.  Take for instance your mum happens to be the one in charge of cooking and sh...

Before I officially begin the write ups for the year, I want you to do a very brief and quick reflection (maybe after reading this piece). I need you to ask yourself these questions and provide the answers. Have I put the slightest effort in working towards my goals for the next 3 months? Has the year started on a good note for me? With the way things are going, can I achieve up to half of my goals for the next 3 months?  After providing these answers, I want you to understand that chances are high things might not go your way all the time, maybe most times. And even if they do, surely, there would be bad days.  There would be days when you lack even the slightest motivation to work towards your goal(a), days when your schedule doesn’t go as planned, and especially in this part of the world where anything and everything could go wrong all at once and you see yourself fall back from a 100, a 20, a 10 and boom! back to zero. Mind you, this could befall anyone… a student, a busin...