FAMILY

Family is defined by Wikipedia as follows :
In the context of human society, a family (from Latin: familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth), affinity (by marriage or other relationship), or co-residence (as implied by the etymology of the English word "family" from Latin familia 'family servants, domestics collectively, the servants in a household,' thus also 'members of a household, the estate, property; the household, including relatives and servants,' abstract noun formed from famulus 'servant, slave or some combination of these. Members of the immediate family may include spouses, parents, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. Members of the extended family may include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, and siblings-in-law. Sometimes these are also considered members of the immediate family, depending on an individual's specific relationship with them.


They have explained what Family means to most of us but in truth, I think they under estimate its power. The Family is literally the basic unit of understanding, every basic thing you do was Experienced firstly by your family,  either by a sister, a mother or a close Relative(could even be unrelated).
So our minds began to program at those little points and grow with them with these little experiences.
Have you ever noticed no matter how much you try not to think about family, some way or the other, you find yourself drowning in your lovely memories.  How much you know of each other that no one can ever know or understand. That's why in life no matter how bad, hateful and toxic you become, when everyone leaves, they stay.

Somehow we manage to forgive ourselves,  to continue to grow regardless of the past. It's like we are bonded together by something English can't describe. The blood flowing  within our veins flow for each other.
It's like having something to live for and die for. Something,  to ground you when it all goes wrong, when it feels like you have nothing to live for,  they give you a reason to struggle,  to go through another dreadful day.
These are the bonds of true value,  not the money, the useless papers we have let grip us down.
These are the things that let us remember we have a place in this world.
Unfortunately modernization, and technology is gradually making us to forget these basic values of infinite  wealth;
Remember to re-live your greatest forms of joy this Christmas,  go home, wherever it has moved to.
Whatever condition it may be in, take back your happiness for free and spend time with the ones who Really understand your being.

TALES OF THE OLD GODS.

This is the first review on this amazing upcoming book, Tales of the old gods. I'm currently writing this book and It has taken me on a journey about my ancestry , my blood line, it has taken me back to the Tales of old that has been buried by the sands of modernisation. The tales of old shall resurface with this book, the intense, glorious  history of who we are shall begin at its door step. Where are you from?
 Could you really answer that?

Where did your ancestral  line begin?

Was it behind the strong walls of the great Benin kingdom?

Or was it in the lands of the great horsemen of the Oyo empire, whose Calvary brought down great civilizations.
Or the free states of The Igbo people, who told the Tales of the  gods.
Tell me, was it the tall men who traveled through the dead deserts  of the north, took the northern Savannah lands and became Emirates, kings and Queens.
Are you from one of the great Ijaw houses of the south,  with their canoes of war.
Or maybe you're from the strong Igala dynasty whose power feared every people  of this realm.
What kind of spirits and gods did your people  worship and give their sacrifices? Was it the great god of thunder  Sango or the mighty  king of lightning  Amadioha.

How did their wars affect the future and how did mankind and gods coexist. This book might not be exact but it'll  bring back the stories of our past which we have forgotten.
A quote from the book:
"I remember times of war, not now, when peace reigns over the realm and weak men are allowed to rule. In the times of Old,  Young boys and girls were snatched from the hands of their parents. We become soldiers before we could farm, and women were drenched in the blood of war before they  saw blood drip from between their legs. We took villages and cities, taking the lives of innocent  people  who had done us no wrong. The gods helped us, with their powers and gifted children, the same ones who were suppose to uphold justice and balance. Now the gods are about to begin another war against  themselves and the future of the realm once again shall fall into darkness. And now you want me to side some of the gods and fight  for the realm to uphold balance. What balance child? "
These are the words of a mortal man who didn't  see any hope in fighting for  the realm. He no longer believed in the gods.
The book takes an indepth look in the history of old,  the emotions and depths of war and peace, the power of manipulation and believes in so many different religions and  finally  understanding maybe the gods weren't  too different  from us.

THE AFRICAN WRITERS EXPERIENCE

THE AFRICAN WRITERS EXPERIENCE.

The African writers experience, was an experience which brought into the light the importance of writers across the continent of Africa. The environment provided a good learning and interactive experience which is needed for the growing community of  writers. The show which held on the 16th of December, 2018, was its second edition and its theme was getting noticed in a world of noise.

The African writers aim is to promote, develop and connect African writers and also to ensure that the upcoming writers get a chance to become something greater and bigger in the African society. The show enlightened many on the procedures and steps to take when undertaking the journey of writing.
Guest speakers ranged from best selling authors, to award winning poets and script writers who shared their experience and journey to where they are already in this dynamic industry of writing.

Miss Oyikan Braithwaite  who is the Author of the amazing book, MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER. Talked us through the experiences of writing and getting your work out there. Her book is one of the New York times best selling and there are talks of a movie.

Miss Tutu Adetunmbi, who is regarded as a digital tinker shared the possibilities and inside works of getting our work to a larger audience on Instagram.

Mr. Wayne Samuel, who is also called the god father is  the winner of the WAR ON WORDS competition. He shared a piece with us which was filled with an interesting  message mixed with a dynamic blend of words. He is a spoken words artist and he also walked us through his experience as a writer.

Miss Ella Fortté, The elegant, Ella fort is the winner of the DARE TO DREAM competition 2018. She is also a spoken words artist and she also gave us some valuable insight on writing and performing.

Miss Tomi Adesina, is a well  known script writer, who has over the years broke many barriers that could hold down many writers. She has numerous awards on her belt and valuable experience points which could help upcoming writers. She thought us the step to step process of getting your work out there and also warned about the cons of the outside world of writing.

          At the top of this event is the lovely, intelligent and beautiful Miss Faith Moyosore, who made it all possible to experience this educative and self nourishing experience. She is also a writer who realized that there were a lot of African writers on Instagram alone, who needed a voice, a shot at the big picture. What Miss faith has created is no ordinary thing, for in this growing world of endless change, the times of the writers are coming and with her beautiful innovative idea, we writers will definitely be heard in the world of noise.

The experience was a life changing one for my self and various other writers who now have the necessary tools to make their dreams come to reality.

To know more about the African writers visit: www.theafricanwriters.com
On Instagram @africanwriters.

LOST PARENT

Ever lost a parent before? then this article is for you, I remember when I was young, I always saw death as a very abstract thing. It didn't seem possible, I could not understand how someone could leave forever, how I would cope without some one dear to me. As years went by the reality of death began to form in my head, it became a fear and as the stories of death continued to spread like wild fire; it never came close to me, it was mostly one of my Dads friend who I saw once or twice in a year or a distant aunt which I never really got to know. Unfortunately death took the one person I loved very much, my mother at the young age of thirteen. I had previously  thought about loosing a parent and how I would die from grief. Although I grieved but I mostly felt pain, like a part of me was gone for good. It even made me fear death less. As I grew older I began to experience it more deeply, the most striking to me was how we all moved on. We kept them in our hearts but we had to keep living, the clocks didn't stop and time passed smoothly. On the other hand living thorough it was a more difficult venture. The sympathies that never seemed to end, the uncontrollable out flush of tears from the people around you, the stories of how she once lived and the warm nights thinking how different things would be if she was around. The hard part was trying to resume my daily activities without her, which proved difficult for a long time and how my type of conversations had to  change. My peers would praise me on how strong I was to have lost a parent and still live my life but they didn't understand, how could they?
I was just like them few moments ago, thinking death was far away from me and everyone around me. I remember how my friends would share jokes of their mothers and their funny African characters while I was mute as the thought caused me to remember my pain. Although family and friends did show a lot of love but her absence  was still a hole In my heart. As years began to grow my maturity began to strengthen, finally I understood the physical concept of life and death.

I understood that death is a part of life, an unbreakable deal which all balance lays upon. We all have lost somebody and as time passes we will lose more, but what we must understand is death gives life meaning. We may not know the day or the time it will come for us, but we know its coming, so we live our lives racing against that day. For death is no cheat and cannot be bribed,  it comes for the old and young both male and female. The experience showed me life and thought  me more of our existence in than end.  Now the pain is a memory long forgotten and the ones we have lost still live on through us.

MODERN LIFE

Life is a complex mixture of it all. A blend of Tears and smiles, a mixture of all kinds of emotions, a complete balance between good and evil. Life found a way to prepare you for what comes next, The pain and suffering got you stronger while love and happiness gave you hope. You've felt hate and you have seen the beauty in friendship. We all have lost someone to the cold clutches of death and have got someone through the blessings of birth. War and peace are relevant to those who hold the wheel ,but to the others determines the security for their lives, while wealth and riches are like the poisons that kill slowly through the length of time.
Although, in all this chaos we still find a way, some living with their bellies bigger than a whale's and at the expense of others, while some others struggle everyday single day just to stay afloat, trying to stay alive. Whichever way we Live, because that's all there is, and in death to few are certain of its destination.
So for those who choose to live, they look for a way, a system , a path to take, a journey through which they will experience this lives they were given. Maybe we are all the same in just so many variable conditions to live.

So we start our journeys aspiring to be something, someone relevant, someone who will be remembered. The problem is that so many make mistakes here. They begin to see false characters, imagine and fantasize about the ease of success and forget the pains and suffering that most come before. Most of us aren't happy about our lives because we spend it all trying to be like someone else. And continuously the chaos is fed and a glistering cycle continues without end and wealth and riches fuel its undying rage.
Although the consciousness is shifting, eyes are beginning to open and minds are beginning perceive the surroundings. We are beginning to see its a program bent to control us, created to subdue us and keep us here, believing that the physical world is all that matters. As time passes our lives shorten and an end it must come to. We have seeds and as we leave they replace us in the continuous cycle and the balance is kept.
So really life is but a passing shadow, a quick flic of experience and what comes after is believed to be a lot of things. The only way to escape the modern life prison is to open up to the universe , let it fill you with knowledge. Fight the constant hypnosis of what they think and what they are telling you to do. Free yourselves from the chains of this world and experience through happiness, because the system wasn't built for you, it was built for the ones who created it.

Friends

FRIENDS 

The first thing that comes to my mind when talking about friends is how easily most people leave most freinships. You often hear many excuses of bad habits and betrayal as the reasons behind these separations. Most are quick to call friends snakes and Traitors and advice others not to trust anyone. In reality we feel our friends don't want any good for us or don't want us to progress, therefore it leads to mental competition and when the slightest flaw is sighted we quickly capitalize on it by using it as a reason for separation.
Now don't get me wrong, there are people with bad motives who seek perhaps special benefits therefore leading to pretense and lies but do we often look at ourselves both internally and externally?  I mean it's good to keep good company and good friends who help you grow, Just like our parents always advice; 'Any friend who isn't adding to your life positively should be gotten rid of. '
So if everyone gets rid of their bad friends and all seek good ones, who helps the bad ones grow?
We should understand that we ourselves are not without flaws and our Friends just like us are human beings and also have these flaws also, sometimes our friends posses more of these flaws than us, but is abandoning them the best option?
How about we give each other a chance and stick with ourselves through thick or thin, lets return the word FRIENDSHIP  from just a tittle back to a bond. Let's remember the old saying of  'No man is an island.'
Wikipedia defines friendship as a relationship of mutual affection between people.^[1]Friendship is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association. Friendship has been studied in academic fields such as communication, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and philosophy. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.
So ultimately Friends are part of the journey and one way or the other, Good or bad, we learn from them. 

Please share with us your personal opinion on the matter on the comment section below.