Chidimma Writes

MOVIE CRITIC: THE HERD Just Like Every Other One, It Reminds Us of the Poison People believe history shapes our lifestyle, and while the stories get interesting, the movies created from them make the connections more visible. The Herd is a historical movie; not too old, just about six years from the real events that inspired its visuals. It is a film that does not intend to hurt any religion or portray any tribe in Nigeria negatively. Effiong Daniel, an inspiring actor, delivered a project that could easily be misunderstood as controversial, especially because it was released during a chaotic and sensitive period in the country. Many critics from Northern Nigeria claimed the movie undermines the region, but the truth is that it delivers factual information in visual form. Bandit attacks, killings, the selling of human body parts, and other dark realities were portrayed, not to demonize anyone, but to reflect what victims actually go through. Just like To Kill a Monkey, The Herd uses st...

  OUR CULTURE, OUR WAY OF LIFE By Chidimma Placid Nwaka  INTRODUCTION Culture is defined by the attributes that make it honored and respected from one generation to another. It is the way of life of a people in a geographical setting. Culture is a beautiful reflection that tells about a tribe, region, city, village, town, territory, or nation. It provides details of what is held important and how people live their lives, whether simple or sophisticated, bothered or unbothered. In this article, the different cultures of different people will be explored, and their uniqueness identified. CULTURE AND ITS IMPORTANCE Culture is an attractive blend of different arts that adds color to a specific group of people. It is not only based on a tribe or country; workplaces, schools, and institutions have their own cultures that present value and appreciation. In a quick one, culture is everywhere, irrespective of class or size. Even families have their own culture that everyone holds with ...

  THE POISON  How Did We Get Here? By Chidimma Placid Nwaka  It was once a world of peace The people enjoyed the calm ambience, Trusted themselves, fought nobly, And made peace in ways many cannot explain. But how did we get here? How did we come to hatred between brothers, No longer eating from the same plate? Like black poison, it has spread like wildfire, Burning the love that once existed. The business that was swift and easy Has become rough and difficult. Tribalism has become a threat, killing our lives, Destroying our heritage, infecting the hearts of our children. Slowly, history is fading Tribalism is devouring our real heritage. Politics has infected religion, And each side believes it is the best. Massacres of people, Letting them bathe in their blood, Dig their graves and fall in them. The eyes of the leaders are blurred by selfishness and greed. The dawn is far from us; The tunnel grows darker as time flies.

  THE DYING TIMES By Chidimma Placid Nwaka Everyone once lived a happy life, Full of morality and love. Where women remained virgins, Waiting for marriage And ten full kegs of palm wine with goats Were sent back to their father, In appreciation for raising their daughter well. Where the fear of taking another man’s wife stayed alive, Where respect for elders was a norm An era where men worked hard to protect their dignity, And a man who killed an Enyi or Ekpe was honored. Respect was not decided by pockets but by age. But today, days have turned old, and morality fades fast. The fog of immorality is spreading across the earth, And violence burns hotter than the sun. Respect is now negotiable. A poor old man bows to a blonde, rich grandchild. Virginity is now illegal to speak of, Dignity decays; and like wildfire, The flames of pleasure burn uncontrollably.

THE ESSENCE OF FORGIVENESS  By Chidimma Placid Nwaka  INTRODUCTION There are so many uncertainties happening in the world today, and sometimes people find it hard to mend their cracks and move on to embrace what life may bring in the future. Many say life is unfair, others say it is ironical, and with all these definitions of life, many people are convinced that holding on to old injuries hurts the defaulter, not realizing how much they have enslaved themselves. Forgiveness may sound simple, but what is it truly about? Many mistake it for returning to the source of hurt as a way of proving it, and because of this, a lot of people choose not to forgive so that they do not relive their pain. Forgiveness is a huge task, and it requires a conscious and deep mind. It is more spiritual than what we see in the physical. It is letting go of hurt and freeing the heart from bitterness. It means forgetting the past and living in the present. Forgiveness does not mean going back to what h...

  AFTER SHE SLEPT  By Chidimma Placid Nwaka  Life is unfair, they say. Yet I believe it can be fair sometimes, only that our desires often destroy us. I know a man who sharpens knives in the main market near my home. He loved spending his little earnings on alcohol every day and would end up tipsy, drunk, and tattered. Some people sneer at him, while others look at him with pity and sigh. I often wondered why he was in that state until my mother told me everything.v He used to be the happiest man in the market, never drunk or tattered, and never spent his savings unwisely. He had a wife and four children, but unfortunately, his wife went to sleep, and who knows when she will awaken. Left alone with the four children and overwhelmed by sorrow, he turned to drinking. The more he drank, the deeper his addiction grew. Soon, he lost his place in the market. He would often collapse by the roadside, and his sons would come to carry him home. He became a drunkard after she slept ...

  IDEOLOGIES ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH By Chidimma Placid Nwaka INTRODUCTION Life and death have remained a mystery, leaving people with many assumptions about what will or might come next. Many books, articles, and archives have debated the mystery behind life and death, the beginning of being, and what led to the breaking down of man. According to the historical book of Genesis, the author presents a profound ideology about the beginning of man and other living beings when compared to scientific knowledge. Man was created from dust as highlighted in Genesis, and based on this truth, man is indeed dust. Genesis also recorded the fall of the first man, which led to the fall of other creations made by God. Man’s disobedience brought about this fall, and the consequence became a trait passed on to all mankind and to every air-breathing organism on Earth. Man was originally meant to grow old and die, but in contemporary society, many die before reaching old age. WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? Accor...