I’ve had a rock and rollin’ kinda week, due to half term mummy duties. Let’s just say Escape this week is more of a “to do” list. Join me…
Going Potty
Etim Iyang Crescent, Victoria Island,
& New Centro Mall, Lekki Phase I.
This one goes back to a discovery I made last week at the American International School Lagos (AISL) annual family fun day. The arts and crafts corner was hosted by none other than the Paint and Bake outfit (an offshoot of the Chocolate Royal franchise, perhaps?).
If you’ve got a tyke who loves his or her paints, they will be like pigs in the mud with this one; I imagine it is a great afternoon out for kids. With great surroundings and ambience, Paint and Bake offer a variety of plain white pottery shapes to pick from, and all the colours of the rainbow are available for their pleasure.
Individual pieces run from about 4,500 NGN and once the masterpiece is completed it has to be baked so you come back to collect it a few days later.
My little person had a blast as I really do like to encourage her artistic endeavours and her finished piece holds a place of pride in my display cabinet.
The great advantage is when they are all done you can just bustle them into the cafe or restaurant next door and get them a snack or meal etc.
I am pleased as punch at the variation of entertainment that is becoming available in Nigeria.
Please enquire they hold weekly classes.
Gbamm—he scores!
I ask for your indulgence on this one as I am writing about something I know nothing much about but was thoroughly interested in so here goes.
I was having a conversation with a family friend Ayo Alli the other day, his day job as far as I can gather is as a football agent who specialises in image rights and commercialising digital assets which all sounds rather grand and posh. What this means is when you see a footballer in an advert etc he is responsible for brokering the deal and looking after them on Twitter, Facebook and the like.
Being a clever chap while watching a football game in a hotel in Lagos he observed, that like himself, most of the viewers were busy typing away on their phones while the game was in session. Ayo was passionately sharing observations with his mad about football bb group. Further research confirmed that there was no sports second screen applications so he went on to develop one.
Quick aside for educational purposes, Second screen application means that while you are watching the game on your TV, First screen, your mobile is your second screen for live interactions at the same time.
So he got his research together, gathered about him technical buddies and went about developing the site and launched the Beta version on the 20th of February during Social Media Week, so they are currently in the testing phase and looking for all the feedback they can get.
I have heard said that there are universal languages, laughter, music, dance and definitely in Nigeria football. So I think he chose the right place to launch his product.
It’s optimised for mobile phone internet access but of course will work on a tablet or computer. At present it is optimised for fans of the English Premier League, but it has plans to expand. Users can expect bespoke information delivered to them about their team, players and managers and even match officials. You can form your own private groups, upload images and have a unique experience.
FYI, they are currently looking for staff in the editorial, digital and social media departments with paid internships and full training to the right people. E-mail [email protected] if you are interested.
Battle Scars
Goethe Institute, Onikan (Free)
From the 8th to the 29th March
Breast Cancer is a very common disease in Nigeria and as with all cancers earlier diagnosis is the key to better outcomes. Unfortunately the average Nigerian woman has very little access to breast awareness education, care and facilities.
Yetunde Babaeko of Camara Studios is instrumental in co-ordinating a group of like-minded, independent female photographers to take on projects with a view to using images to tackle issues that impact Nigerian women.
Zemaye Ojediji of ExWhyZee Photos who is passionate about this particular project explained to me how it has been two and a half in years in the making. Time spent liaising with Sebeccly Cancer centre and the Goethe Institute to bring it to fruition.
For her, it has been an emotional rollercoaster meeting and getting to know these breast cancer patients and telling their stories through images. She has come to admire the strength of the human spirit and is grateful for the gift of being allowed to share that with the world.
She said, “We all need support; you never know what someone is going through until you get close to them, so take the time to care. Problems cannot be solved from afar, get involved.”
Breast cancer is still a leading cause of death among women in Nigeria and I know from my hospital pharmacist days that the treatment options can be gruelling and exhausting even with the best medical care available. Palliative care is expensive both monetarily and emotionally so as a community we really must get involved.
Through this exhibition Sebeccly hopes to inspire us to get in the world wide fight against cancer. Proceeds from the exhibition will go towards better care and support of the Sebeccly patients.
Related articles across the web
