Page 80 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

AFRIKAN ARTS

TEEN-AGERS

LIVING IN A WORLD OF HYPES AND NUMBERS
Samuel Phillips

rowing up in Nigeria in travel around the world, getting old had my introverted moments where
the generation in which and then dying. Once that movie I learnt simple wisdom and life's
I was born cannot be ends, I would begin another one crafts through relating to nature.
Ganything else than a with different characters and a dif- I was always in awe of how things
blessing. I can say it was the learn- ferent storyline and plot. So it was a grow and how nature operates. I
ing generation just like the genera- roller coaster of mental activities for loved the clean unpolluted water
tions before it and that's due mainly me. And somehow, those imagi- from the stream which supplied
to the fact that learning was more nary stories I created in my head drinking water to the little town I
relational than virtual. With no helped me with understanding how lived in with my dad. Learning from
Facebook, Instagram, the massive to do scripting for stage dramas and nature was beautiful and healthy.
internet presence we have now, advert copy later in life. One other I loved climbing fruit trees to pick
friendships and learning were based thing I loved to do was kill snakes. fresh juicy fruits and planting simple
on true connection and not some Yes, you heard me right. And crops just to watch how they grow.
false numbers of friends that are when I say I loved to kill snakes, I loved to read a lot. I literally read
not real. For though you may know I mean I would literally chase anything that was written in black
a few of the people on your Face- snakes into the bushes until they and white and it was very enjoyable
book page, most of them may just were dead. And the simple reason doing that. In fact, I had just two
be bots, that is, non-humans. why I did that was because of the friends and one thing we enjoyed
Being an introvert, I love being scripture in Genesis 3:15 where doing was to compete between
indoors, away from people, and I God said the seed of the woman ourselves who got to finish a novel
spend a lot of time thinking and will crush the head of the serpent. or a book first. So life was simple
imagining things, both real and So for me then, killing snakes was but full of productive learning and
unreal. My mind was like a huge more like the fulfillment of scrip- creativity.
movie house with never-ending ture. But now I know better that the
movies showing. I would create a serpent God referred to was more Roll forward
story in my head that began with of the devil than it was the poor The last twenty years have seen a
me being born, me going to school, animal called snake that crawls in seen major rise in quick knowledge
getting married, having money to our farms and gardens. Anyway, I

80 | Heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika