I was driving back home after my dentist appointment today when I came to a stop sign. As I prepared to press on the pedal to continue my journey, I saw a man to my left marching in the middle of the road. My immediate thought was, “this man must be crazy.”
I lost my mum in 2003 due to complications of peripheral arterial disease. I was young then - about 19 years old. I remember being in the car with my mum when she complained about having shortness of breath. I followed her to a hospital in Lagos but at the time, I knew nothing about medicine.
This year, I celebrated Africa Day by sending WhatsApp messages to my friends in Senegal and in South Africa - I felt lonely being so far away. As I prepared for bed, I noticed a photo of myself. In the photo, I’m wearing a black and goal outfit that my friend, Ibou, made for me while I was in Senegal. The picture made me think about what it meant to be a White man born and raised in Africa - about where I actually belonged and didn't belong.
It's the year 2020, but many are still unaware of how much Africa has developed. Most Africans aren’t living in huts — don’t let the movies fool you. In Africa, you can find nice cars, multiple-story homes, and unparalleled skyscrapers. No one is walking around with bow and arrows these days.
It was 2018 and Nneka Egbujiobi was at home one night reading a few direct messages she received on Instagram. Not finding any of them interesting, she wondered why there wasn't a dating app exclusively for sophisticated Africans. Her irritation toward the unwelcome messages led her to create Hello Africa.
