Tuesday, March 13, 2018

So Your Character is From Nigeria ... Featuring Prince Kay @ Listepedia





It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's  So Your Character is from Morocco ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

 Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

 (None of the Images are Mine)


I am Osagiede Kelvin (Prince Kay), a native of Benin City in the Southern part of Nigeria. I was born in Agbor, Delta State and later moved to Abuja. Born October 6th, 1991, I have established my writing skills and love for the internet and technology. Some of my hobbies include football, photography, cooking, and traveling. Some of the Countries I have visited include the United Kingdom and Canada. I am also a blogger and Owner of a blog about listings. I obtained a bachelors degree in Medical Laboratory Science and I presently practice in one of the Government-owned Hospitals here in Nigeria; Saving lives daily.
Blog//Facebook

 What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with more than 160 million people living in it. It has lots of diverse cultures, landmarks, and celebrations of which I will mention a few.

 Nigeria is home to the largest river in West Africa. The Niger River, from which it derives its name. River Niger spans about 4,180km.   
The Niger River
Argungu Fishing Festival

 You may have experienced some fascinated water activities around the world but if you have not been to Argungu fishing festival, your list may not be complete. The alluring dynamics of the festival, the exciting spectators, and the anxious competitors who are ready to jump into the river to begin their search for the biggest fish make this fishing festival extraordinary and beautiful.

Arugungu Fishing Festival
Chappal Waddi (Mountain of Death) is the highest mountain in Nigeria and, has meters of 2,419. And it is located in Taraba State, near the border with Cameroon, in the Gashaka Forest Reserve (Gashaka-Gumpti National Park). The nearest peaks (mountains) are Hosere Oumarou Tapali, Hossere Djaoure, Hosere Tapoa, Chappel Delam, Hosere Mati, and Hosere Mbone. Chappal Waddi belongs to the World Country High Points peak list.
Chappal Waddi could be considered the highest peak in West Africa if the region is defined as excluding Cameroon. Peep at some photos of the " Mountain of Death " beneath.
Chappal Waddi
Tell me about your country's environment. What are some of your favorite places?
Nigeria is home to home to many fun and lively places which serve as attractions to both foreign and local individuals. Apart from its busy cities, there is some natural environment which is worthy of mentioning. I am going to show you the pictures, so you be the judge. 

 Nollywood

 Nollywood is the name of the Nigeria movie industry and has recently been marked as the third largest movie industry in the world slightly trailing Behind Bollywood and the giants of America Hollywood.

Nollywood Movie Scene
Obudu Mountain Resort

 Located in Cross River State in Nigeria, this resort is very serene and beautiful. It is the number one stop for most European tourist and fun seekers.

Obudu Cattle Ranch
Elegushi Beach, Lagos State

Elegushi Beach
Tell me about your country's food. What are some of your favorite dishes?
There are a lot of delicacies in Nigeria of which one of them is the Jollof rice that has caused controversies in Africa as to which African country prepares the best Jollof rice. Well, I would say nothing until you have the opportunity to try the Nigerian Jollof. Another food worthy of mentioning is the Pounded yam which can be made by pounding boiled yam in a mortar and eating with varieties of soup such as the Egusi and Okra soup. 

Nigerian Jollof Rice
Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup
Tell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as “biscuits” instead of “cookies”?
There are about 521 languages being spoken in Nigeria. But being colonized by Britain, the official language is English. Communication in English is, however, more popular in urban communities while the local dialects such as Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba are spoken more in the rural areas amongst the elderly.

Describe briefly a regular day in your country.
Nigeria is a third world country with a growing economy. The country has produced individuals who are very hard working. Therefore a regular day for me is getting up in the morning, going to work, finish the day’s activities and resting in the evening with a bowl of popcorn and a movie. Others prefer to hang out for a few drinks after the day’s activities.

Abuja
How does your country compare to others, especially the States since my audience is primarily American? Environmentally? Politically? Culturally?
Nigeria has been a democratically ruled state since 1999 with elections coming up in 2019. Before its democratic regimes, it experienced some Military rule. Just like the Liberals and Democrats in the United States, Nigeria also has two main political parties which go head to head in every election.  In the aspect of religion, Christianity is the most widely practiced while there is also a large number of Muslim especially in the Northern Part of the country. With more than 60 Universities in the Country, most young adults desire to get a University degree. However this love for Education is largely deterred due to the hardship in the Country and the fact that Tertiary Education is not free.
President of Nigeria
Briefly describe three of your country’s historical events that you feel are important.

  • 1914: Formation of Nigeria under Governor Fredrick Laggard. 
  • 1960: October 1960, Nigeria gained its Independence from Britain and Nnamdi Azikiwe became first Indigenous Governor General after several Foreigners.
  • 1967-1970: A war was fought to counter the secession of Biafra from Nigeria. Biafra represented naturalist aspirations of the Igbo people which leadership felt they no longer co-exist with the Northern-dominated Federal Government. The Death rate was estimated at 1.2 Million

Nigerian Independence Day
What are some stereotypes about your country that irk you? What media portrays your country badly be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?
So far, I have not seen any Media, Book or Motion picture that portrays the rich cultures of Nigeria Except the locally made movies in the country.


Who are your top three favorite characters native to your country in books, movies, or shows?
Okonkwo : A famous Wrestler, who loves his lands and his properties and who ruled his household with heavy hands.
Enu Ego. An Epitome of African mother-hood, as it was and as it is today.
Sango: The God of thunder.
Sango
Thank you, Kay, for this very informative post! Come back next week for a post all about Kenya!

Are you interested in participating in this project? Check out the tips archive to see which countries have been filled and if you're from a different country, shoot me an email at howellvictoriagrace(a)gmail(dot)com. I'm especially looking for Cuba, Venezuela, Switzerland, Kenya, Iraq, and Egypt.

Do you have any characters from Nigeria? Did this inspire you to write a Nigerian character or set a book in Nigeria? Are from this or been to this country and you have further input? Feel free to share! Do you have any questions for Kay? Be sure to thank him!

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