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Funmi Iyanda
Lagos, Nigeria
Funmi Iyanda is a multi award-winning producer and broadcast journalist. She is the CEO of Ignite Media and Executive Director of Creation Television
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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Loosing and finding myself

What can l say? 4 weeks ago, l had a major meltdown, my health failed
and my mind was following suit. I had allowed teeth grinding
frustration, the sheer amount of work to be done and the efforts of
swimming against the tide of retrogression rob me of everything. After
seeing a doctors and a barrage of tests, l rented an apartment in
London, got on a plane, shut the door, my computer, phone and my mind.

l spent the time walking around London, reading and watching mindless
television until l got my health, spirit and sense of humour back. I
somehow had come to hate Lagos and taken on the universe's
responsibility of saving the world. It took a 2-hour, one-sided
"conversation" with a highly intelligent, self-deluding, conservative,
closet narrow minded, judgemental bigot of a change activist to force
me out of my own anal canal. Where was all the joy, the good energy,
the happiness, once you appoint yourself the messiah, you bloody loose
the plot, look at Obasanjo. My job is not to change the world and lose
myself, wellbeing and joy in the process, my job is to better my
allotted space one day at a time, the universe will ensure the rest.

Then London did her usual trick, after a couple of weeks of cold
unpredictable weather, mind numbing anonymity, uncompromising order
and neurosis over pointless issues, events and activities l begin to
crave the heat, the madness, the sheer unpredictable energy of Lagos.
By end of week two my usual gastronomic excesses and the culture
overload had begun to grate, all that receiving and very little
opportunity to contribute eventually penetrated my inertia and l want
some drama, time to go home, time to continue the war. The true
stories of the many battles will one day be written but l assure you l
will win the war. To feel the energy, the first thing l did on my
return was do my hair, nails and face, wear a wicked dress and strut
unto the HIPHOP awards yellow carpet. Pictures and story from the awards
tomorrow

15 comments:

Qute4reva said...

Nice read. I hope you now feel much better.

House of Virtue said...

Wow, Funmi, its such a blessing for us to stumble on ur blog and we're loving it...feels just like home again (currently in India). "We come dey remember all ya programmes wey we don miss...lol." Anyway,we really had a wonderful time finding ur blog, & we pray that the joy of the Lord will continue to be ur strength in Jesus name...& please feel free to checkout our blogs too...God bless you very plenty!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back girl! In a place like lagos u can loose ur mind in the process of trying to correct all the problems that u see. What u have done and keep on doing for your fellow man will always be appreciated by those who have benefited from ur kindness. Please, though it is frustrating when there is no change keep on doing ur best always but never forget to take out time for u.

Unknown said...

Welcome Back from your much needed rest.

adumaadan - Blacktinkerbell said...

Hey Funmi, hope you're feeling loads better now. I have now idea how demanding a job like yours can be and with a young child to boot. Na you biko. Read your response to Half of a Yellow Sun, I walked around shellshocked for a whole day. Still not over it. Hang in there and I'll be reading you.

KB said...

Funmiiiii, i am sooo glad to see you back and blogging again...i have every single one of your blogs...and I have truly been missing them and you! Your wonderful writing and your insightful comments about life in lagos...I am planning to come to visit for a long while and even though I know i will be a jjc, your comments about life there are really helping me prepare well for what i might be facing in terms of culture shock and adjustment...i have lived in toronto, canada, most my life you see.....now what would you say would be the best way to prepare for the adjustment of moving to a country that lacks the order you are used to?

any thoughts you may have would really help! As a woman, what is important to make sure i bring from canada for a lengthy stay?

....ronke, canada

Anonymous said...

Yeaaaaah, I'M FIRST ON D THRONE! Welcome back sis, after over a month absence. Hope u're back for good o,really missed ya.:) Juicy bits pls.

Mrs Somebody said...

Wecome back to home funmi.

Chude! said...

Welcome Back AF!!

Oh, how we've missed this blog! (Lol)

funmi said...

@ all. thanks folks, so good to be back and feeling the cyber love.
@ house of virtue, india huh? will check you out and give feedback, liking that loving the world pic l see.
@adumaadan, come home girl its crazy but its fun and you can really contribute and feel the difference. What you need to bring? A huge sense of humour, a pirate's sense of adventure and a year's supply of tampons, they are so hard to find and so bloody expensive when you do. (:

Unknown said...

@wienna: Sorry until my second coming, you were actually LAST on the throne. LOL!!

Ariyike said...

welcome back....i was beginning to wonder.....hope you feel a lot better!

Jumi said...

Glad to have you back, sweety. I had one of such moments too at the start of the year. Just shut my doors for two months while settling into my new home. It was worth every second of it. DeeTee and I are missing you and Mo. :) Come on over, baby. What's it going to take? Some candies? :)

legxy said...

hey funmi, you are such a wonderful presenter. and i know you are still one i use to watch your programme on n.t.a am express while i was still in nigeria. i really liked it so much that i cant afford to miss it anytime any day. keep it up girl.

cleo.kelvin said...

well sorry was wondering wat kept u so long from blogging.
any way welcome back and how was shrimp coping with ur solitude anyway have fun.
cleoterria am back nwas in skool but now on strike.