Lerabari's Blog

My eyes were fixed to the sky from around 7pm, because I wanted to at least see the moon first before raising my expectations for the eclipse. A friend had come to pick up a book from me, and we stood outside for over an hour gisting and laughing. He caught me gazing up in the sky on several occasions, so I had to tell him why. From his response, he was obviously not as enthusiastic as I was. Well, I was bent on satisfying my curiosity, so as I got home, I checked online for the precise timing for Port Harcourt and realized the eclipse would begin around 2am. So, I set my alarm for that time and slept off. When my alarm went off, I strolled to the balcony at the backyard of my sister's apartment. Since hers is on the top floor of the building, it was difficult to see the moon. I was forced to the balcony at the front where I stooped down. Voila! The moon was there, full but not red. It looked different, though, as I actually noticed a little cloud by its side, and some unusual b...

Verily, verily, I say unto you, do not be scared of eating thy beans that has been visited terribly by weevils. As it is said, ignorance is a deadly disease that can see you heading to your grave at the wrong time, so let me school you on something very important. I recently stumbled upon a man who delights in travelling around the globe, not for site seeing or as a result of other tourist attractions, but because he delights in the weird delicacies eaten by tribes of people all over the world. The other day, I caught him eating some really creepy things that I would love to share with you. The first thing I saw him eat was (you wouldn’t believe this) …the embryo of a duck! Now, how do I explain this? Ok, lemme try. Somewhere in South Asia, there is a local food that is like the normal boiled egg, and let me warn you now, if you’re visiting a new town, do not buy boiled egg. Instead, buy the raw egg and cook it yourself. So, as I was saying, this egg is that of a duck (don’t know if...

“One day a neighbor called Okoye came in to see him….He immediately rose and shook hands with Okoye, who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm, and sat down. Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk. ‘I have kola,’ he announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest. ‘Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it,’ replied Okoye passing back the disc.” (Excerpt from Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe ) If you come from this part of the globe, you must have come across the bitter-kola and alligator pepper. In the traditional Nigerian society, these two items cannot be ignored or forgotten, as they are essential in most traditional occasions and rites: the most prominent being a sign of hospitality. On one hand, the bitter-kola (Garcinia Kola) gets its name from the sharp bitter taste it has. On the other...

Pronunciation = /ˌzen.əˈfəʊ.bi.ə/ The recent happenings in South Africa has taken center stage for the past few weeks, trending on different social media platforms and steering a lot of reactions. However, the question is, do we truly know what this word means? Has the term ' xenophobia'  been loosely used in the situation in South Africa, or is it a euphemism for the atrocities being committed in a country laden with so much history in the African continent? Let’s take a closer look at the word, vis-a-vis the actual occurrences in SA. Xenophobia, according to the Encarta Dictionary means “fear of foreigners: an intense dislike of foreign people, their customs and culture, or foreign things”, and The English Dictionary describes it as “a strong antipathy or aversion to strangers or foreigners”. This acute disdain and fear of things and persons is an offshoot of Cultural Revolution, which a group of people may adopt for reasons best known to them. They could either fee...

Deciding What's Most Important in Life How would you define your values? Before you answer this question, you need to know what, in general, values are. Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They (should) determine your priorities, and, deep down, they're probably the measures you use to tell if your life is turning out the way you want it to. When the things that you do and the way you behave match your values, life is usually good – you're satisfied and content. But when these don't align with your values, that's when things feel...wrong. This can be a real source of unhappiness. This is why making a conscious effort to identify your values is so important. How Values Help You Values exist, whether you recognize them or not. Life can be much easier when you acknowledge your values – and when you make plans and decisions that honor them. If you value family, but you have to work 70-hour weeks in your j...

SANTA CLAUS - LEGENDARY BRINGER OF GIFTS AT CHRISTMAS He is generally depicted as a fat, jolly man with a white beard, dressed in a red suit trimmed with white, and driving a sleigh full of toys drawn through h the air by eight reindeer. Santa (also called Saint Nicholas and Saint Nick) is said to visit on Christmas Eve, entering houses through the chimney to leave presents under the Christmas tree and in the stockings of all good children. Although this familiar image of Santa Claus is a North American invention of the 19th century, it has ancient European roots and continues to influence the celebration of Christmas throughout the world. THE ORIGINS OF THE LEGENDS The historical Saint Nicholas was venerated in early Christian legend for saving storm-tossed sailors, defending young children, and giving generous gifts to the poor. Although many of the stories about Saint Nicholas are of doubtful authenticity (for example, he is said to have delivered a bag of gold to a poor famil...