[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

Money, money, money

Must be funny

In the rich man’s world

Money, money, money

Always sunny

In the rich man’s world

Aha-ahaaa

All the things I could do

If I had a little money

It’s a rich man’s world

In case you didn’t realize those are the lyrics from the chorus of ‘Money, money, money’ by ABBA, the musical group. If you still can’t catch up at this point then I can’t help you any further.

Many say that money is the root of all evil. If you just begun nodding and smiling then I dare to tell you to stop being ridiculous. First of all, the correct saying is, “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Secondly, anyone who says he or she does not like money is either a liar or living in self-delusion.

Money, the way it should be is a means to achieving an end in this world. Even ABBA agree that we live in a rich man’s world and so if you want to get anything done, then your pockets must make some noise. However, you can’t get what you are not passionate about. That’s just how life works. You have to like it to have it.

More so, we give too much credit to money. It can only corrupt when it stops being a tool and makes you a tool. That’s when the evil begins. Some say, quite ignorantly that because they want to live a pious life, they abstain from money. Well, go down that road and you will starve to death because in this world, it can only be sunny if you have got money.

Thus, stop living a fearful life or being a hypocrite in the name of sanctity and go chase value to attract money. Money is smart enough to pursue those with value. It is that simple, do you believe?

by Angie Inspired | @2017 Deliberate Scroll

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Okay, so what I am about to talk about is going to touch a nerve so I am just going to lay it out there: the black race has been using all it has been through as an excuse for its failures.

Yes, I said it and I mean it. I hate to be the one who says this but look hard enough and you would know it is the truth. The black race is a resilient, strong one, I agree. We have been through hell and back; consistently marginalized and battered by those who deem themselves more powerful. But it is about time, we stopped milking the narrative for the sake of sympathy. For example, every year there seems to be a movie on black history that either gets a big win at the Oscars or gets lots of nominations. It is like we are being mollified and we are enjoying it.

It is about time, we stopped celebrating sporadic bursts of achievement. We should be done receiving handouts. African countries claim that we are still at this stage of development because of the effects of slavery and colonization. Some black Americans claim they turn out as gang bangers, drug addicts, school drop outs, teenage mums etc. because of racism. It is true, that these unfortunate events have left vestiges today and may have set certain unfortunate trends in motion but can we stop taking advantage of that to excuse our own incompetence and failures? We are in the position to turn the narrative around.

The black race is not the only race that has suffered brutality. Look at the Jews. Forget the oppression in Egypt and let’s consider the Holocaust alone but they have come a long way from that. Terrible things have happened but can we stop hosting a pity party and move on?

by Angie Inspired | @2017 Deliberate Scroll

Life drifted by slow and sweet

With my small dreams and simple goals

Then you came and led my feet

To a world where we played roles

You told me of black and of white

You showed me a strange light

I learnt my nose was too flat

And I was wrong to have a delicacy of rat

My tongue was too crude for you

My very being you taught me to rue

I then realized there was a new order

Where you were forever the awesome wonder

I was always inferior

So I began to judge based on the exterior

You told me I was barbaric

But perhaps we both are moronic

For you closed your mind from conceiving that we are different yet same

And I blindly accepted the false tag you called my name

You dazzled me when you took me by the hand

And distracted me only to take over my land

I may label you a thief and a cheat

But it was I who followed you around like a dog,

Lapped up the crumbs you deemed fit,

Lay to be stepped on like a rug

Do I blame you?

Do I blame myself too?

I just know I was fine being me

Till you came and taught me what to be

 

by Angie Inspired | @2017 Deliberate Scroll

DON’ T…..

Don’t procrastinate. Do it.
Don’t be a mediocre. Be smart.
Don’t rush. Wait patiently and confidently.
Don’t complain. Take action.
Don’t be discourage. Be courageous. Continue reading →

It’s what they think.

they think we are lucky

they don’t know our story

they think we are happy

but they can’t see our hearts face

no one seems able to tell

that our hearts bleeds Continue reading →

Daddy issues.

Ever heard that phrase escape the lips of any Nigerian before? I bet you haven’t. The only times I have were in jokes.

Nigerians, and indeed Blacks generally believe there are certain things that are White conditions e.g. mental ailments like schizophrenia, clinical depression, autism etc. Therefore, stuff like Continue reading →

Two friends we were

A picturesque scene of friendship

You know, I would finish his sentences, he would finish mine

We defined what the world could not-love

But then the world manifested in its true form, Continue reading →

Read “Part one” here

I am all for girl power and being strong-willed, decisive, vociferous and in-charge. Nothing rocks like girl who knows her onions, knows she knows her onions and is willing to show you how much she knows her onions. However, I believe we are beginning to delude ourselves.

Feminism has hit many Western countries like a hurricane and is already raging in developing nations like our beloved Nigeria as a wild fire Continue reading →

It’s a blame game. The one with the sharpest tongue and choicest vocabulary wins. It is a game you and I engage in daily. Your ability to justify yourself ‘vindicates’ you and so you win the game. The prize? Nothing elaborate; you just get to shift the blame and walk away ‘scot-free’.

This trend plays out daily, in every aspect Continue reading →

You all know it is true: most of us would choose the dish dish ka kind of music over the rather slow ones. When I was little I remember hating Mariah Carey because most of her songs were slow (okay, maybe ‘hate’ is a strong word) but of course now that perception has changed. Make we no lie sha, we plenty wey still prefer party jams. Na him dey sweet pass but what is the rationale behind that? Continue reading →

There is a place my heart longs for every time; a place with you, there is a desire that is burning inside my soul. A desire so fierce that rumbles like liquid fire, it is unbearable like sulphur and leaves my body in great need. It is a desire for you, a desire to know you, a desire to be with you, to understand you, to spend time with you.

Draw me closer, let me feel you, let the warmth Continue reading →

A good number of Nigerians with high tastes have sworn to never watch a Nollywood movie. Their preferences are too lofty for Nollywood to satisfy. I may be painting them as arrogant but frankly, they aren’t to be blamed.

The quality of production of most Nigerian home videos is downright embarrassing. The plots are usually either predictable or laughable. The acting is so poor that you feel like climbing through the screen to scold all of them. Most of the movie makers have no business Continue reading →

(SAM)

There is no rule book for marriage but if there was one, one of the first laws would be;

Thou must not marry a musician if thou art a programmer.

But just in case you are stupid enough to fall in love with one, then you must obey this other rule;

Thou must not buy her a piano for house use.

I didn’t find this book so I broke those rules.

It was 8:30am, I stared at the laptop in front of me and Continue reading →

(PAM)

I tried with no success to sleep through the night so at 2 a.m., Bola and I decided to watch YouTube videos and we cut cucumbers in semi circles to put under our eyes to prevent eye bags.

‘’Bola, do you think we are rushing this?’’ I asked.

‘’No, why do you ask that? I see the way you look at each other, it is the real deal.’’

‘’I have known Sam for just 18 months almost 6 days’’

‘’Pam, let us watch another one of those cool wedding videos, it would lift your spirit’’

‘’Bola you are not listening, I have written just the first five lines of my vows and they suck I tell you. How can I be marrying someone and Continue reading →

(SAM)

“How long am I going to have this thing for?” I whispered to myself.

My door creaked open and I threw the ring under my blanket. My grandmother entered the room, a smirk on her face.

“Grandma, I’ve told you to always knock before you enter my room.” I said.

“Why?” She asked.

“What if I was naked?”

“Naked?” She scoffed. “I bathed you for years, remember?”

“Well, a lot has changed since the last time you bathed me, okay? Come on.”

“Remember when you were very sick two years ago and you vomited all over yourself, who do you think changed your clothes?” She asked. “Including your underwear.”

I closed my eyes. “Can we Continue reading →

(PAM)

‘’Pam I didn’t feel you emotionally in the songs.’’ The band director said to me after the first half of the set. ‘’You are getting away with it because your technique is on point, get yourself together for the rest of the set.’’

I nodded and sighed. I knew myself, to sing these songs with emotion I needed to think of Sam. This show was too important to me, I couldn’t afford to blow it.

I walked to the bar and sat on one of the stools and looked out at the crowd, I saw Bola in Continue reading →

(SAM)

I looked at my watch and shook my head.

“She’s not coming Grandma, I am so sure.” I said.

Grandma looked at me with her all-knowing eyes, shook her head and went back to watching TV.

“You’re not going to say anything? Really?”

“I said something thirty minutes ago when you started to panic, why do I need to say something now?”

“She was thirty minutes late then, now she’s one hour late.” I said.

Still she said nothing.

I was not a very time conscious person, so it wasn’t Pam’s lateness that I had a problem with. I know that much. I was scared Continue reading →

(PAM)

I am not sure which is worse, a guy that plays the grandmother card or mother card. I didn’t dwell on that too long, in my line of work many men hit on me and just a few of them are sincere and when I looked into Sam’s the first night I met him I knew he was. Even when he used all those smooth lines, I heard the undertone of shyness of a person out of his comfort zone.

Right after the concert that night, I began a one month long tour with my band across Nigeria. I played hard to get with Sam when he called for the first week of the tour, giving him one line answers and shutting down all his Continue reading →

(SAM)

It was Friday night and as usual I was at home alone with my grandmother. A lot of my friends tell me I don’t have a life outside work but I don’t agree. I’ve never loved the outdoors and it has affected other parts of my life. I am a programmer – a very good one, at least that’s what my pay cheques indicate, I work from home sometimes; no, I work from home all the time. This has rubbed off on my playtime too. A good adventure game, a jug of lemon juice and uninterrupted power supply and playtime is set for me.

As you can imagine, I don’t exactly have a million friends with this kind of lifestyle. I have one though; Femi or Phemie as he signs his name is the exact Continue reading →