It was a crisp, autumnal morning and the skies were slightly overcast, threatening rain. The day started off seemingly uneventful; the usual morning commute comprising a leisurely stroll to the office – providing necessary thinking time – whilst also drinking in the scenery of this beautifully historic part of London. But as I walked through … Continue reading ‘I can take the cold weather but I can’t take cold hearts’ – Tom
Sometimes I am random and to celebrate this I would like to share a silly selection of childhood Afropolitan memories: Rice stored in the margarine container in the fridge rather than tupperware. School pack lunch placed in an ice cream tub, much to your embarrassment, whilst all your other friends had nice, child friendly tupperware. … Continue reading Random Afropolitan Childhood memories
We Nigerians are a generous bunch; whether it is a wedding or a funeral, we enjoy giving gifts to our guests. Our generosity is legendary simply because the range of commemorative goodies given at parties range from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous. My uncle and I recently spoke about the most memorable random gifts we have … Continue reading Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Nigerian party gifts
I was at a colleague’s leaving lunch a few weeks ago when the subject of weddings arose. There were roughly ten of us present, almost all women, from different parts of the world. It was so wonderful to hear about the various wedding traditions from other countries and cultures. As an ‘Afropolitan’ this is one … Continue reading Wedding series: weddings from around the world
It’s the end of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and for many, undoubtedly a time of numerous visits to extended family. And if you are lucky enough, you might just have that one old school relative whose household is literally frozen in time circa 1980’s / early 1990’s. So in honour of these folk and … Continue reading 12 items you will find in an old school Afropolitan Living Room
Saturday mornings as a child were not what I considered ‘fun’ although looking back it wasn’t mean to be! Yes we had cereal and watched cartoons but I mainly remember the obligatory Saturday morning routine of cleaning, polishing and going food shopping with my parents. I remember one Saturday morning – that I didn’t want … Continue reading Saturday mornings in an ‘old school’ Afropolitan household
Earlier this year I visited one of the most amazing women I know and the very definition of a thrifty Afropolitan! Hortense Julienne was born in Cameroon, West Africa; raised in France and is currently living in London. By day she is an event’s organiser but by night (and on weekends) she is a food … Continue reading Thrifty Afropolitan meets…Hortense Julienne
A few weeks ago I went to a clothes swap hosted by a lovely old friend from secondary school. Sally is just about to make a long term move to Japan with her husband and so organised a clothes swap as a way of catching up with friends whilst also getting rid of excess … Continue reading Sally’s Saturday Swap Shop
It’s the aftermath of Valentines weekend and as predicted, I have seen a number of happy couples announce their engagements on social media. Similarly this year will see an unprecedented number of my close friends getting married, (who happen to have West African connections) and I am delighted for obvious reasons but also because this … Continue reading ‘Where the party at?’ Why I love African parties!
“I’m surprised you knew how to find your way here”- the optician said as she issued me with a new pair of glasses. Apparently my prescription is so strong and eyesight so dire that it was a miracle I could see where I was going. I had been putting off getting my eyes retested for … Continue reading ‘Whose looking at you kid?’
THE THRIFTY AFROPOLITAN 