Funmi Ade Blog

The ride hailing companies like Bolt and Uber are worldwide alternative to taxis. In London I had the conversation with a taxi driver once, about how they (ride hailing companies) had decimated the Black cab business lamenting his earnings have dropped significantly and he still ...

Lockdown Blues Take A Turn · The 2nd lockdown has given me ample time for leisure I would otherwise not have. I have already shared my coping mechanisms for the 1st lockdown, which consisted mainly of learning to while away time aimlessly (for the most part) and experiment wit ...

A Day Dream                               · As I read some of my past blogs, I come across This Paradise. Against the backdrop and gloom of the COVID19 pandemic, I am reminded of the paradox that is Nigeria. I reflect on pristine beaches, the light of the sun bouncing on gentle w ...

These are troubling times. · Perhaps its the leap Year! · First the COVID19 pandemic in all its disruptive ravages, accompanied with the sorrow of loss or relief of recovery. · Then all the attendant social norms, lock- down and its associate problems. · As if not enough and ...

These are troubling times.  Perhaps its the leap Year!  First the COVID19 pandemic in all its disruptive ravages, accompanied with the sorrow of loss or relief of recovery.  Then all the attendant social norms, lock- down and its associate problems.  As if not enough and knoc ...

The COVID19 pandemic will probably go down as one of most transformational periods of the century, even though we are only 20 years into it. · While much as been made of the effects of the pandemic at the national and international levels, the personal human stories have been ...

Irresponsible · When I · heard Trump call COVID19, · Chinese, followed by Pompeo calling it the Wuhan virus, I was aghast . · This is highly irresponsible and unbecoming of those occupying such high office of State. · When the Danish did the same via a cartoon, I wasn't amused. W ...

Tracking the News. · The recent COVID - 19 (coronavirus) WHO declared pandemic, is a stark reminder of why I watch so little television and have evolved a process for hearing the news, from mainstream media.  This media, upon which we are almost universally reliant, to keep us ...

Last year I protested International Women's Day, because I felt having a day to celebrate women, was somewhat patronising and of little value, in the real battle for equality.  This year I am taking the opposite direction, in the hope of underscoring my point.  With a particular ...

On the Back Foot · Its amusing to be in this position, actually. · On the back foot. · English is so widely spoken, you can almost feel its entitlement, to travel to foreign countries and communicate in English. · Almost flustered, irritated when there's a sea of non- English spe ...

Mundane Actions Better Meditation · I have had several times, the pleasure and privilege, to buy fresh fish from the seaside. Today, as I sit listening to gentle music after a 15 minute meditation, I am reminded as I reflect, just how like seagulls the journey of life is. · Not o ...

I shouldn't really be apologizing for the state of my skin, nor chanting at the top of my voice I'm Black I'm Proud. · I simply am what I am. · Born into this world that has existed long before me and will continue long after me, Black. · The process by which I came about this co ...

Princess Diana · I know exactly when I heard the news of Princess Diana, · died. · I don't read papers, or watch to television much. · I had picked up an acquaintance, for church, when along the way, thinking I'd heard, she mentioned it. I was shocked. · Where have you been she a ...

In Part 1 I took a comparative look at Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia, from my past travels.  Today I look at Nigeria, Morroco and Egypt.  At first glance one might think, due to the reclassification of Egypt and Morocco, as part of the Middle East - MENA (from George Bush 2 era) th ...

Thought I should share some experiences of West Africa, given the bad press · 'Africa' continues to get and the severe ignorance that plagues people, about home of all humanity. · Its outrageous just how ignorant and misconceived life in Africa is perceived. · So as someone with ...

No More Resolutions · A New Year, (tomorrow) a new month, a new day, a new moment and no doubt plenty of resolutions to be made and possibly broken, by the end of 2020.  To be honest I don't do New Year resolutions.  They ended years ago.  I, with experience, just found them a wa ...

Wasn't sure what to title this one.  On one - hand a sentence from one of Voltaire's short stories Micromégas along the lines men.... like ants upon the earth, when he wrote of giants on an imaginary planet, whom visit earth.  On the other, looking down from the oval window of a ...

I wake up to the songs of a multitude of birds, see spiraling dragon flies and countless insects fluttering up in the rain, like real life fairies. The garden is a children’s delight of exploration and the view of mist raising over the hilly rainforest, in the cool breeze of dawn ...

I’m referring to this article in the Guardian…can this be true? · Can the British government be attempting to steal the assets of an independent, sovereign nation, to the tune of £9 billion + interest of £1.2million daily and hand said sum to PI &D, an Irish company, with a t ...

I’m not sure exactly when or what prompted me to take a conscious, reflective look at the sky. I do remember though that it was one evening, as I was about to draw the curtains that I appreciated the sky for the first time. For me and I hazard a guess, most people, my daily life ...