Happy New Year!

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2018!

Merry Christmas to you all!

I woke up this morning reminiscing how Christmas day was spent in my childhood. Christmas in Nigeria was all about reconnecting with family and eating good food. We often travelled to my ancestral hometown, which took about ten hours to get to from our base in Northern Nigeria. The hours that it took to get to my hometown varied and dependant on a number of factors from traffic to the road condition. It was a different atmosphere and way of life in my hometown. Almost everyone spoke Igbo and had some sort of idol from our ancestors in the compound. Even though many converted to Christianity, there were remnants of our ancestor's artefacts dotted about in our homes. I loved that side of the Igbo culture. The traditional mode of worship, the tales of the rainmakers, the masquerades and the spirit world. We were discouraged from knowing and understanding the ancient way of worship, the culture that celebrated that way of worship and made to see it as a fearful practice. Christianity in some way eroded our pride in our tradition. It told us that our practices were evil and there were repercussions for even asking about it. It was a huge shame when I heard that some of the edifices have been destroyed by Christian pastors because it was demonic.

I loved the journey to my ancestral hometown even though the journey was a long one. I looked forward to seeing my grandmother and cousins. Once we got there, my grandmother and cousins would be waiting for us with big hugs and cuddles. My grandmother always had Christmas presents for us. It was either handbags or pieces of jewellery to wear on Christmas day.

There was also the ritual of sharing meat and foodstuff to extended members of the family and community. During the early hours of the day, we would all wake up to start preparing food for the day and all the guests that would visit our house.You could smell the aroma of different dishes and the of burning wood. I love the smell of burning wood. My siblings and I always said that food cooked on wood tastes the best. My favourite meal on Christmas day was ofe akwu, soup made out of palm concentrate and eaten with rice. There was also lots of fried meat, pepper soup and spiced up offal. We would all eat with our relatives and then go out to visit all our extended relatives eating and having fun with them.

It was just a joyous and innocent time. You could enter the house of anyone in the tiny village and they would know who you are, feed and bless you.

It has been years since I visited my hometown. After the death of my dad, Christmas has never been the same. I miss all those times because it was Christmas with my dad. My dad made Christmas magical. He drove us to our ancestral hometown. He made us understand our culture and tradition, something I hope to pass down to my children. I don't know how things would be if I returned there, how people will react to me, would they remember me? Would they accept me? Would I fit in?

Pictures were taken at my ancestral hometown. This is my dad's house were I spent some of my most memorable Christmas growing up. Sorry the pictures are not too clear. But I am in all the pictures.

Me, at home

Me, relaxing 

Home sweet home. My dad is buried by the side. 

Me, dad and younger sis

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe how fast the year has gone by. I can't believe it is already Christmas again! Here is wishing you a very merry Christmas.

In this season, some will be experiencing sadness, loneliness and depression. It is sometimes difficult to snap out of that low point especially when everyone seem to be celebrating and you are not.

Everywhere is all so festive!

Today, most of the shops I entered were packed full of people. I did feel overwhelmed with the crowd. The rush to buy Christmas gifts is at times mind-boggling. The consumerism culture is well with us. The need to buy, buy and buy! 

 Beautiful, right?

Love this

I find this time of the year quite stressful. All I want to do is curl up in my onesie with a hot cup of coffee watching my favourite soap or something cheesy. I don't want to go out in the freezing cold, going from one shop to the other, looking for what to spend my hard earned money on!

My cloud bread!

I made some cloud bread yesterday evening. I must say, I am becoming more confident in making this bread. It is so easy to make and if you are living the Keto way of life, is a great snack or meal to chase those hunger pangs away.

I use 3 ingredients to make mine.
I use 3 eggs, 2-3 teaspoon of soft cheese, a teaspoon of baking powder.

Method
I separate the egg yolk from the white. I then add the teaspoon of baking powder to the white and whisk until it is stiff. I set aside. I then mix the egg yolk and soft cheese. Then I gently fold the two mixtures  together. I spoon the mixture on a parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes.

 Here is the finished product. Goes well with any cooked meat. I made bacon and sausage sandwich with the bread.

Good morning

Good morning everyone. Woke up to snow this morning!

Widow-cleansing

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I read the BBC report on the plight of women in western Kenya who are fighting back against "widow-cleansing", a traditional ritual that requires women to have sex - often with strangers - when their husbands die.

I think there is little awareness of what women go through in different African communities, especially after the death of their partners. Many of these women are suppressed and rarely speak out. I think the time has come for community reorientation about the harmfulness of these practices. Many women endure and go through harsh rituals immediately after the death of their husbands, a period that they should be left to mourn in peace. Some of these practices are often hidden behind patriarchy but covered as traditional practices. I have had the privilege of listening to some of these widows, who gave a harrowing account of what they have been through. They get accused of killing their husbands and of appropriating their husbands material wealth. Apart from the calumny, they get to go through demeaning rituals such as bathing with the water used in washing the deceased, sleeping in the same room as the deceased for several days, taking an oath to swear that they had no hand in killing their husbands, sleeping with strangers for cleansing and being handed over to her husband's brothers as wife.

The rich and educated are not immune nor can they circumvent some of the demeaning practices. The only difference is that they have the resources to fight. I am glad that the women are fighting back. Change can only come from within the community.

More information can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-41999891/kenya-widows-fight-sexual-cleansing-practise

Ghana's president making some points.

Watch this 👇
https://www.facebook.com/Abiyamo/videos/1422184391225473/

Stockfish

I love the taste of stockfish in my Nigerian dishes. Many Nigerian delicacies are enhanced by just dropping few pieces of the fish in the dish. However, the aroma of the fish does need some getting used to. To me, the smell is not as bad as some have made it out to be; it is just like getting used to the smell of stilton or brie cheese. The smell is part of the package, I believe.

Here is a picture of the Okra soup I made, which was infused with spices, dry fish and crayfish. Can't remember if I added stockfish to this soup. You can imagine the miasma that hung around my home after making this meal. The combination of the smell of dry fish and crayfish is not for the feeble-minded! Ha! I think it is an acquired taste and it tastes delicious.

Oh, I can only imagine the bewilderment of anyone not accustomed to the pungent smell of the fish when they come into my home after making a dish with it! Excellent!


I enjoyed the BBC coverage of the Norwegian stockfish and the market that Africa provides for it. Here is a link to the BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-42137476