My first Christmas in England had been spent in Coventry in the house of a pen friend- see my earlier post, Christmas in Coventry. Before I left Nigeria I had not known about the pen friend phenomenon. But in England I learnt that the European could be most curious about …
I decided to call and congratulate my eighty four year old senior colleague, a man we all call Alhaji, a gentleman if ever there was one, during the last sallah celebrations. I expressed regret that I was unable to be at the tennis club where we all play to eat …
That was a favourite joke of my Jewish boss, Mr Rosen, in Elizabeth House, Ministry of Public Buildings and Works where I served my articleship towards the Final Examination of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on three days of the week. My bosses and coworkers were mostly very pleasant. …
Five hundred years ago Europeans were in competition all over the world discovering and conquering new territories for their monarchs. The Portuguese, the Spanish, the British, in particular, were most active sailing westwards and later round the Cape of Good Hope towards Asia for cloves and wealth. But it was …
As a follow up on previous post Flash Back – Fools Rush In, in Lagos I was employed by T. A. Hammond & Partners, Quantity Surveyors, with offices on the Marina with whom I had been in communication for weeks. I moved into a hostel in Obalende. My employers had …
The question is worth repeating. Is anybody looking for a cure for covid-19? At the moment there is a rush to discover a vaccine or vaccines. Several countries, including Nigeria, are said to be cooperating with the World Heath Organisation to find a vaccine. Russia claims to already have a …
Extract from my book : http://www.uwankaa.com/novel/bitter-sweet/ Many years ago one of my favourite movies was `Coming To America’, featuring Eddie Murphy in a most hilarious portrayal of an African prince who had come to America in search of a wife. I came to America about two years ago certainly not …
`Oga, what is the colour of your money?’ That was the question a puny little policeman in the usual black uniform and oversized boots asked me at the airport. It was a question I cannot forget. No, it was not the usual policeman’s attempt to extort money from me. It …
A Collection of Short Stories. America, Here I Come. A septuagenarian goes to all the trouble to get an American Green Card. But, being unemployable, all he has are the television and his thoughts! And his thoughts lead him in circles. Where is the world going? Why are Africans running …
Pat Jenkins, an Englishman working in bustling Lagos, was one evening in one of the prestige Clubs in Lagos introduced to another Englishman, Brian Jones, a long term resident of Lagos and manager of a shipping line. Early the next morning Pat answered a knock on his door and was …
