Now is weird. But honestly, now is always weird
We're here, we're bored, we'll get through this together
Hey you,
I hope you’re having a good day today. Let’s talk about COVID-19 and how we can get through it together.
Every day since I started working from home, I have woken up with the hopes that this would be the day I’d get my time’s worth. I’d write out an itinerary for the day as soon as I can. On some days, I'd have enough ginger to get out of bed and get things done. However, on most days, time would move so fast that I’d be really lucky if I got in a meal; just one meal before 6 pm.
I've been on lockdown for two weeks. At first, it was self-imposed and it morphed into the government-mandated lockdown. But, it feels much - a lot longer. This, I feel, is as a result of the unbearable fear of the uncertain I’m sure I share with many of you, and my personal, perhaps Yoruba-specific Yoruba woes: my mother, seems to think I’m on holiday, so every time I say I’m busy, all she hears is ‘lazy’. And, we’re praying so much now that it almost feels like a third language.
I can complain (because we all have the right to feel the way that we feel), but (as I'm sure you are aware), a lot of people are in much more dire positions. There are people among us whose ability to leave home saves them— this could be due to domestic abuse, sexual assault or a chemical imbalance of any kind. We're also surrounded by people whose pre-existing illnesses make them more vulnerable and others who, due almost entirely to how the world is set up, would have a harder time if they get sick because the clinics can't accommodate their physical disabilities.
If you recognise yourself in any of these groups, I want you to know we're rooting for you and that when you call on us, we'll be as vocal as we can to ensure that you get the support you need. If all you ever need is really just a conversation, please reach out to us, and we will show up for you.
Before the lockdowns started in Nigeria, shit had hit the fan in a lot of other countries. But in true Nigerian government fashion, our head baby boy and his disciples remained mute until shit started to hit our overpopulated and polluted fan. What they're doing now— the lockdowns— might not be sustainable for a society like ours, but I honestly hope they can make it work. We can help by complying as best we can. Dr. Taibat Lawanson of the University of Lagos argues that Lagos’ size and slums will make stopping the virus a tough task.
We know that during scary and uncertain times, it's best to depend on trustworthy and reliable news sources for facts and opinions. You can check out our twitter for quick COVID-19 updates and recommended reads. For news, Guardian NG, Vanguard, Channels and CoronaNigeria are doing an amazing job.
But, COVID-19 hasn't paused time. Life is still happening and, like (we hope) we've emphasized with our seasonal meet-ups, we want to create a safe space for you to cry, laugh and share your worries (personal and economical) with emphatic ears. We're curious to know how you're managing to stay sane during this period, how you're navigating working from home, or if you've had to climb any illegal walls to get to something you desperately needed (I'll give you an example: me, electricity, backdoor... that's all I'm saying). We also want to know what you're struggling with and anything we can do to help.
News is also happening— The Police is still insufferable, our economy is still doing what it likes and it's still hot as hell. Of course, we want to keep sharing all this news with you, so we've decided to use this season to fulfill our podcasting promise. Our day ones might remember One Take by New News: our podcast where we sift through all the jargons to bring you what you need to know about Nigerian news in less time than it'd take to make a plate of Eba. After few episodes last year, we took a ridiculously long break, but, we’re ready now and we’ll be rolling out a few episodes soon.
If being alone in our homes is how we're going to beat this thing, I think it is fair to say that being away from our loved ones means that we care. So, in the spirit of caring, if you would like to share your lows or your highs with other That New News readers, please shoot us an email and we'll tell you more about this audio project we're working on. And if you don't want to be in the project, that's cool too. We can just gist with you.
Don't forget to check out our Podcast on the 18th. We will definitely send you another email to remind you.
This is the last episode in That New News season 3, 🎉 but we’re totally still here with you. We love you and we can't wait to see you in our first event after all this is over.
Please, stay safe and stay at home as often as you can
Love from Adetomiwa and the team at That New News
P.S. If you'd like to get involved in some charity work through all this, you can start here.
Do you have opinions about the Coronavirus and how Nigeria’s future will look like? You should write an opinion piece and send it over to the guys at Corona Nigeria. They are at oluwatosin@coronanigeria.com