Entertaining Angels | Featured Artiste: Tarrah Ejugbo

For whatever reason, this particular verse has been on replay in my mind:

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers,
for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
(Hebrews 13:2 NLT)*

At the same time, I am reminded of that song, "Entertaining Angels" by the Newsboys, which I suspect was culled from the same verse. Thinking of that verse (and song) made me think of the Nigerian culture and hospitality.  I think generally (and I use this loosely), Nigerians are hospitable people.  However, because of a combination of experiences, cultural beliefs and strange stories (some true, some "FABU" a.k.a tales invented to keep naughty children (and agbayas) in check) we are not very welcoming of strangers (Unless they have money; then we call it Trade).

[Guardian Angels
Of course, I am assuming that you know that angels (good and bad) exist.  With the prevalence of gbomo-gbomo (kidnappers) and ritual killings, the last thing on people's minds is entertaining strangers.  I also think it depends on where you live, i.e. city versus village.  Due to factors like higher crime rates and over-population in cities, people tend to be more suspicious, less trusting of people, and consequently, less hospitable (if at all).  

Regardless of where you live, would you take a complete stranger and allow him or her into your home? Very dangerous, isn't it? Or if you were driving along the highway, would you stop to pick up a hitch-hiker? Would your answer be different if you were a woman and the hitch-hiker was a man?  I certainly would NOT stop.  I value my life, and I don't trust strangers, period.  However, the word of God is true, and some people have actually entertained angels, so to speak without knowing it.  So my question is this: How would you be hospitable to strangers without compromising personal security? Or should you even "talk" to strangers, talk less of entertaining them?    

Training the Trainers | Featured Artiste: Steve Willis

[Image Source]
*If I have not visited your blog in a while, please bear with me.  I am not ignoring you o, and I will visit soon*

(sniffling and sneezing):  This is what Spring has done to me - ALLERGIES.  But, life goes on (sneezing again)

This will be a short post, and I won't write any music review today.  But, I will still share some music though :-)

Sometime last year, I saw a couple of videos produced by ESSPIN, i.e. Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria. Their major aim is to make sure that the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are achieved.

Here are a few facts about teachers in Kaduna, courtesy of ESSPIN:

Rites of Passage | Featured Artiste: HenriSoul

Another new week! Thank you, Lord! I know I can hear some groans and grunts of dissension, but every new day is a blessing.  That includes Monday.

One thing that used to puzzle me endlessly (and still does) are certain negative experiences in school that are passed on from generation to generation.  They have become "Rites of Passage" for some in the process of maturity in schools, and I doubt that they'll be stopping anytime soon.  I am referring to the fact that instead of "Passing on the Torch" some are bent on "Passing on the Torture."  At the top of that list is the unnecessary bullying of junior students by senior students in secondary schools.

{Generations}
I have never understood the need to pick on and punish junior students who have done absolutely nothing wrong.  Their only offense/crime is that they are junior students.  Finish! I witnessed this a lot in secondary school, and was appalled to see fellow classmates do the same thing that was done to them, once they attained that "senior girl" status.  For boys in secondary schools, tales of sodomizing younger, junior boys and forcing them to peform despicable sexual acts are quite common.  There's no other way to describe the latter "rite of passage" than to call it sexual abuse, because that is precisely what it is.

Lessons from Kuye, a Yoruba novel by J.F. Odunjo | Featured Artiste: Faith Yebo

[Image Credit]
Sometime last week, I suddenly remembered this book we had to read in JSS something (1 or 2). It was for our Yoruba class (No, don't tune out yet;  Just wait) and it was called KUYE by J. F. Odunjo (the same man who wrote Alawiye). For all you academic types, the full name of the book is Kuye: Itan omo odi ti eda ro pin / lati owo.

Apart from the intriguing story line (which I cannot remember clearly), I learnt 2 things from that book:

1.  Yoruba Curse Words:   Yes, you read that correctly.  I learnt how to curse in Yoruba.  Not that I didn't know some curse words already (Remember I mentioned that people learn the bad things first when learning a language).  However, the curse words in Kuye were very ... DEEP! They were some real 'ijinle' curse words.  I decided against sharing the specific words because I do NOT recommend repeating them.


NMN Means ... | Featured Artiste: Marx Okereke

I was reviewing some documents a while back when I saw this acronym right smack in the middle of a name: John NMN Doe.  So, in typical Relentless fashion, I began to wonder what NMN meant.  I stared and stared and then finally, it hit me:  NMN means "No Middle Name."  Phew! It could have been a lot worse like "No More Noodles" or ... (fill in the blank).  I apparently had been playing around with the acronym myself without knowing it when I put up this post titled "No Means No" .

{Picture from HERE]
Now, I  wonder if you know any Nigerian who has NO middle name.  I mean, not a single one.  I certainly don't.  If anything, the Nigerians I know love to give children plenty names.  The parents will have their names for a child, and then the grandparents (paternal and maternal) will also have their own special names for the child.  I guess the most important names are the ones that appear on the birth certificate, right?