The African culture is a really broad one. It's made up of different beliefs, ethnic groups, culture, foods, mode of dressing, etc. The African culture is the way of life of the african.
Every year, there's a day set aside to celebrate the Africans, our culture and our beliefs. This year was not different. The date was set to be the 25th of May, 2022. I usually do not participate in this event, mostly because it's a whole lot of stress to put the outfits together.
This year turned out to be different. I participated mostly because there was a sanction attached to it. Whoever did not participate will end up paying a fine which I was not comfortable with. I was left with two options, participate or pay the fine. It was way easier to participate than to pay a fine, hence I gladly went on with the event.
I had a battle picking what to wear for the day. Two days to the day and I still had issues picking out my outfit. I had lots of lace gowns, Ankara gowns, but I needed something African enough and really presentable.
I finally settled for an off the shoulder gown. It had this igbo kind of design and I just needed to get some beads to perfect the outfit. That was another issue because I did not have any bead to match it with.
I had to ask several people, before I finally got someone willing to lend me. We both agreed that he'll bring it to the office so I can use it and return it as soon as the event was over. That issue was sorted out.
The next one was the outfit itself, it needed ironing, that was the day our power supply decided to not correspond. My hair itself needed to be made in an African way at least. I needed to do a light make up too. All these became the next problem.
The 25th came,I wore my rumpled gown which turned out to be fine after a little airing. Toom some of my make up stuffs to work, and browsed on how I could style my braids in an African way. I finally settled for a bantu knots.
I got to the office, did my make up, and styled my hair in about 45 minutes. I ended up looking much more than I had expected. That was also the first time I wore make up to the office since I resumed because I'm usually so lazy about it.
I saw my friend, collected the beads and my outfits became a classy African style. Not planned, but totally beautiful. My time and efforts were worth it.
I had lots of compliments from my colleagues, my bosses and I even managed to shock my friend who knew I had no plan initially. We ended up taking pictures together, which turned out really beautiful. Some people even thought I was getting married traditionally. The day went well and ended well.
The most important aspect was the food. I ate the famous amala and ewedu with pride. I got to try the masa and sauce which I really didn't like, there was the pap and akara too, and then our locally made drink known as palm wine.
I never regretted participating. As a matter of fact, the 25th of May became my favourite day at the office.
PS: All pictures are directly from my phone's camera.
Thank you for reading.