Africa is not a country.
Each region has a unique culture, taste and kind of people. Yet, somehow, we all seem to share a lot of similar experiences. Perhaps it has something to do with the melanin, or with our age-long traditions, but here is a list of experiences that every child raised in Africa has definitely had at some point in their life.
“Go and wear your slippers”
The highlight of childhood trauma and the beginning of trust issues. How can a child be begging to follow you out, then you will say “okay no problem, go and wear your slippers”, knowing fully well that you intend to run out before they come back? The wickedness is long.
Cold noodles for lunch
This is why we over here at DigiMillennials HQ are not normal. Every single weird thing you’ve seen us write on this internet is because of this specific trauma. Why would anybody give a child noodles to take to school? Everybody knows that when cold, noodles lose their bad beech qualities. Everyone can relate, except the people that were loved at home; because we’re pretty sure last borns have never in their lives seen cold, solidified noodles that have taken the shape of the lunch box.
Begging your mom to have mercy in the market
Seeing your mom bargaining a product from 10 thousand Naira to 750 Naira in the market was the strangest thing to experience. What was even worse was seeing how easily the traders gave in to her bargaining. Incredible magic! You would usually just be behind her, praying “mummy please don’t suffocate the poor, let the poor breathe”.
Forgetting to remove soup from the freezer
The sound of your mother’s horn at the gate when you forgot to bring out the soup that she told you to remove from the fridge was the most nerve-wracking thing. It didn’t make sense why they took it so personally at the time. As an adult however, we fully understand the urge to break somebody’s head if you come back home and can’t eat for two hours because a child, who isn’t paying rent, couldn’t remember to remove the stored soup from the freezer because of a cartoon?
“Borrow me small money”
You’ll never see that money again. Please, why did fully grown adults do this? What enjoyment did they get from taking the small 500 Naira of a 10 year-old child and never returning it? Was it them trying to teach us early how the Nigerian Pension Commission works? Was it just for their entertainment? Was our mental health just a joke to them?
I guess we would never know.
Tessy is a writer who loves music, and trying new things. She also really enjoys staying in the house as there is truly, always rice at home
