No matter how beautiful and glorious you think the past was, the future is better; far, far better. I used to be a teacher. I love working with kids and youth. I spent a lot of time, preparing my classes and discussions because I would not want a boring class. Fast forward, I was accepted […]
Dear Friends here is a story about compassion, shared by a close friend on Whatsapp. A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighbourhood street, in his new Jaguar. Suddenly, a brick smashed into his side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the car back to the spot where the brick had […]
Happiness is whatever you make of it. It’s free as the air we breath and light we see A Goat’s Stubborn Story A friend sent the picture above on Whatsapp. I was amused at the sight of goats pulling a wagon. Out of all quadruplets, stubborn goats were chosen to pull a cart. It seems […]
If experience is the best teacher, must it be our own experience? Wise men stand out because of their willingness to learn from the experience of others. Wisdom is not a function of size, neither is it dependent on age or experience. Until one learns from one’s experience, he can’t develop wisdom. Wise men stand […]
After the winter comes summer, after the gloom comes happiness.
This is one of my favorite days of the year—though, to be honest, every day should celebrate young people and the amazing work they’re doing to create a better future for themselves, their communities, and the world. Here’s to wish everyone, especially the youth, a happy celebration.
We assume that tomorrow will always be there None of us is promised tomorrow. So we have to decide what happens with our lives. We must choose what we react to, how we see the world and what our pain will be. Ignoring all superficial things people do is the first item in the healing […]
Life is the greatest gift It’s worth more than gold, Silver or their equal Life’s turns and twists May bring chaos or reward But each night of survival Is one blessing counting
Peace is like a journey of hope, Where throngs of colourful daffodils and dandelions greet, Peace is the quiet riverside, where tumbling brooks rush, And fishes halt to hear the rushing tides of water, Peace is this dreamy grassland, where green limbs shield, A citadel I run to when endurance & courage is hurt
One Human Race Let’s consider ourselves a part of a bigger colour. One hue needs the other to get its identity but appears different in comparison. We might come from different continents, ideologies and cultures but nothing contests the fact that we are one human race. Let’s live and let live. Maybe, we could teach […]
Make Hay While It Shines I’ve written this short rhyme for kids and teens. It came to me when I remembered the story I read as a school kid—the tale of lazy hoppers and busy ants. The ants were seen as losers because they had no time for frivolities. Indeed, the ant clan spent most […]
To give and receive love, we need not wait for perfection
The roles Oceans play Today is World Ocean Day! This post is a reminder of the roles oceans play. I’ll share a fantastic blog written by the National Ocean Service. The ocean plays an important role in shaping our climate and weather patterns. Warm ocean waters provide the energy to fuel storm systems that provide […]
Don’t let little details get the better of you. Vices Vices are bad habits. Society is full of them. Indeed, the contemporary youth is impatient and this had contributed immensely to the problems faced today. In this short tale, the muskrat had demonstrated two vices that can destroy anyone – impatience and anger. We must […]
Ah, sunny April, you remind me of many things. You remind me of love, awful weather, happy moments, and good food! The Good 🙂 It’s usually an all-weather month, the sun rises, but the next minute it’s raining heavily. With the coming rains, and the dust left behind by the receding harmattan there’s enough soil […]
Igbo: Ngwere nile makpu àfọ n’ala, mana onweghị onye ma nke àfọ n’asa. English: When lizards lay on the ground, no one knows those who have a runny stomach. Origin: This is an Eastern Nigerian proverb. Some fraction of the Igbo nation uses it. The agama lizard just like their reptilian brethren are quadruplets and […]
Don’t let the world dim your lights. I was just a teenager when I learned that the kind of friends and acquaintance one keeps could either grow or retard him. It took me many years to accept that I can’t support anyone who doesn’t want my sincere help and that life is like a bus […]
Failure Is Not Final “What did you learn in 2020?” That is the big question for everyone. So I’m going to share a bit of what 2020 taught me and how I have evolved into a resilient individual. Indeed a lot had transpired this year; wars, disasters, locust infestation, Brexit – EU trade issues, MAGA, […]
Home again It’s a full moonlight tonight. The evening air is modest. We are all sitting outside, just in front of the house, discussing the day’s work. Some lay, rolling on mats spread close to one another. In between the lead tale teller’s story, distracting dialogues transpire, though as whispers. Incessant noises made by insects […]
A King Without A Crown I used to take on a noble character whenever it comes to acting among my peers. I remember performing King Nebuchadnezzar in a high school drama class. It was sport hearing my classmates address me as the king. Nebu – the short-lived nickname that followed after wasn’t much fun. Please […]
Once, a chief told one of his servants to bring him the best meat from the market. The servant brought him a tongue. The next day the chief told the servant to bring him the worst meat from the market. The servant brought a tongue again. “What?” the chief said. “When I ask for the […]
Is enough not enough? Civilian casualties In peaceful times, it is easier for the victor to reconcile with the vanquished. It’s ten days already, and I kept wondering why these two governments prefer to use force over dialogue. I regret that the Armenian political leadership failed to engage the Azeri in peace talks when they […]
I sit outside my granny’s house, clad in blankets and a pillow. It was a rainy day and a very cold one. The cold extended into the evening and early night. The village is surrounded by streams and hills and this must have contributed to the extreme weather. I left town a few hours ago […]
China and America I was wondering what the world will look like should China attack America or vice versa. It’ll be a disaster, a human-made catastrophe. But I’m not only weighing the destruction that will follow a war between the two but the economic stress it will cause the world. Or maybe I’m a bit […]
Power in words This is a touching story. When I read it I felt very bad. It’s not imagined. In South Africa, an 11 year old child committed suicide on his mother’s birthday as a birthday gift to his mother. He left a letter saying, “On today’s special day, I want you to be the […]
It costs absolutely nothing to be kind Live and Let Live An Igbo (African) proverb goes thus: Let the Eagle perch, let the Kite (bird) perch also. Any that forbids the other from perching let his wings break! We say that as prayers in West Africa because it’s a reminder and belief that all men […]
Make hay while it shines This talent of mine… This is one talent I find solace in. It’s an avenue to paint my heart on ink, to play with the soul of nature and record lovely and beautiful memories. In my mind I create a happy and peaceful world; where I live in fine images […]
My take on this… It’s generally believed that knowledge is power. Yet many find it difficult to differentiate between wisdom and knowledge. For me knowledge is having the stuff while wisdom boils down to application of the stuff. To differentiate both from education is even a thing of further logic. In my opinion education should […]
Life like the mist is temporal but legacies live and last forever The Black Panther I get easily bored with movies. It’s hard to see me watching TeeVee anyway. No matter how much I try, I can only watch National Geographic Wild and Discovery Documentaries. But when a movie gets me hooked I can see […]
Tradition can be wrong Sometimes tradition can be wrong. This story is a good one because it tells of a good hearted woman who saved innocent babies and it’s a gruesome story because it exposes the wickedness of ancient African tradition. Mary Slessor Mary Slessor, Scottish missionary in Eastern Nigeria, was born in 1848 in […]
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson MandelaAt a time colonial forces and indigenous South Africans fought over land rights and freedoms, a courageous man spoke up for his […]
Poem: The Happy Wind Greet the happy wind, Tell him when I waved My fingers got him bursted When morning dew is upon the tree line The sky is sometimes blue and grass is green Far up the blue horizon the sun shine Birds sing from the trees all morning Yet the happy wind: timid […]
You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ Joel Osteen. A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose. John Maxwell. I love the light for it shows me the way to […]
At times you need to stop everything you are doing to sit by yourself and mend your broken wings. Cold evening and a To do list I sit outside. A cold evening out here with me. A community of crickets quizzing through the grassland. A gust of wind upon my face, swinging my helpless lamp […]
1. Nothing makes life sweeter than making people happy. 2. The people you help today become your soldiers in the battle of life tomorrow. 3. To invest in properties is good, but to invest in people is far better. 4. To make money, make people. 5. Your greatest trophies are the tears you wipe away […]
Someone is an answer to your prayers as you are to others Seasons: Things just don’t happen One beautiful thing about life is: there are seasons for everything so things just don’t happen. Everything happens to serve different purposes. Even in nature there are seasons. There are times for flowers to blossom, time for the […]
Beginning and end Light after dark Dark before light Darkened skies With dancing fireflies Breezy evening Joyful moonlight And glittering stars A shepherd’s lore Down the country Sheep and goats, Green and gold, Patches of life, Water and fire, Dust and wind, Heaven and earth All in fine contrast But happy unison Shallow roots shoot […]
Beautiful Beirut and AUB I’m writing about this lovely Mediterranean city because of my connection and attachment to it. I’ve seen several YouTube videos of it’s beautiful landscape and neighborhood. Beirut combines the tranquil setting of ancient history with the thrill of a modern city. I followed some Beirut based vlog channels and it’s always […]
Admitting imperfections are great ways to becoming a better person, people and leaders. City of Talents and Resilient people I was born and raised in Ogbor hill, a suburb of Aba, a city in Southern Nigeria. Aba is known for its industry and export of labour to many Nigerian cities and overseas. The city is […]
Sometimes those who crown kings don’t look like kings and may never become kings but they can help one wear the crown. A short story There was a poor man who wrote a book at the age of 40 and decided to launch it on his birthday. He had no money to fund the launching […]
Oke Iroegbu's Blog (African Bard & Storyteller)