Why I Never Knew My Paternal Grandmother's First Name

 

Iyene was born in 1895 in Badagry area of Lagos, Nigeria. Her family migrants from Ondo state. Iyene fair in complexion with a short curly hair. I grow up calling my grandmother by her nickname “Iyene. „ Her nicknames means someone‘s mother in my dialects. Iyene did not have her own biological children early. So whenever people are in childlabour or whenever people give birth in the community, Iyene will go there to help in nursing the new born babies.

 

 Iyene continues doing this including her step children because her husband took other wives who gave birth to children. Iyene was not jealousy of her rivals. She continues helping other people. Whenever she hears the news of a new born baby, she will be the first person to be there.

 Iyene nursed a lot of babies and she earned the nickname Iyene. Later Iyene became pregnant and gave birth to my father (Hosea) and she named her first fruit, Omodeleminiowo( Omode) meaning a child has arrived in my own hand🤩. 

 

Iyene became very happy but she never stopped her care for other people’s children. Iyene had her second child after 15 years. (My Aunty) and she called her Orukotan, meaning name has finished. Iyene has nursed a lot of babies and perhaps she might have given some of the baby she nursed name as well.

 

 Iyene trained her son (my father) well. Her son grow up and was doing well and good. In his early 30s he already built a house in Lagos. He appreciated everything his mother did for him, so he moved his mother to his house. Iyene lived in my father’s house with us. well, I can say I grow up with my grandmother. 

 

I love her golden bed. Iyene was a good grandmother, she cooked for us her (grandchildren) despite her old age.This picture was taken before my birth. Iyene will cooked tomatoes soup sometimes without fish and we ate it with her. One of her favorite food was yam porridge. And the best porridge I ate was my grandmother's porridge.

 

 Iyene never cooked with Maggi yet her food tasted good. Oh yes, I don’t cook with Maggi too and my food tastes good, of course with a little bit salt. Iyene was a hard working woman, I knew my grandmother to be a mat weaver, not the yoga mats that we see today. Traditional mats in Nigeria are use for sleeping. So Iyene weaved mat and sell it in those days at Ojo town market.

 

 Imagine Iyene never got sick. She lived over  95 years and was still strong enough to transport her mats to the market on each market day. Despite the fact that her children were doing well, iyene continues to work till her death.

 

 Iyene died a peaceful death and her Rest place is her son’s house, where she lived and died. Even at her death, the family still rejoiced because my mother gave birth to our last born (Iyabo) meaning mother has come back and my aunty, gave birth to a set of twin girls and they were also named (Yetunde) meaning mother has come back. 

 

This is to tell the international body that my ancestors were not lazy, my ancestors were not sick and poor, neither were they primitive. All man was born ignorant or naive . I am privileged to have seen my grandmother and great grandparents from my maternal. Let me leave this here for the generation of my children and grandchildren. Now it’s time to ask the old family members the first name of my grandmother.

Why can't I cook Egusi Soup well? What is it like to have a woman or wife who can not cook?

Egusi soup is one of the most popular soups among tribes in Nigeria and other West African people like to eat egusi soup. 

However most tribes in Nigeria cook their egusi soup in different ways, using different recipes/methods of cooking. 

Egusi is a West African name for the seeds of plants like squash, melons and when dried and ground become the major ingredient in many West African dishes, especially in Nigerian culture, egusi and pounded yam or eba is a popular Nigerian meal. „That is rich in fat and protein“ according to a food nutritionist.

Egusi is one of my favorite soups and I don’t know why I cannot cook it well... I have watched several videos on YouTube, on how to cook or make egusi soup and I still can’t  cook it well. But I have cooked it in the past in Nigeria and it tasted so good...

Well, growing up, my mummy does the cooking for the family and she cooks her own egusi soup, like the Yoruba people (the yoruba ethnic groups of Nigeria). I have spent my holidays with different family in Nigeria and most of them, prepared their egusi soups using different methods. However, the end result is always the same but may be differ in taste. 

While in Nigeria, I enjoyed cooking and of course, egusi soup was amongst the soups I have cooked several time. It is so worrisome that I cannot cook this soup again. I have been learning how to cook egusi soup for many years. Could it be that I am not getting good quality/right egusi or what could be the reasons?

How I make my Egusi Soup:

•I place a large pot on cooker and I add oil (Selfmade Palm oil), allow the oil to heat on medium for few seconds and then add my grounded egusi with pepper.

•I add the stock and let heat to simmer.   

•Let the egusi cook for some minutes (20-30 minutes)

•Then add the meat and fish...

•Add cut bitterleaf and spinach (waterleaf)

•Stir, check if seasoning is ok and leave for another 5-10 minutes cooking. 

•When ready, Egusi soup can be served with Eba, pounded yam or potatoes puree. 

Ingredients:

* Onions and fresh chills pepper blend together. 

* 400g Egusi melon seeds grounded 

* Palm oil or oil

* Salts to taste

* Grounded Crayfish

* Smoked fish and stocks fish

* Meat

* Bitterleaf or Spinach

* Add water to cook

Share your methods with Queenscourt blog by dropping your comments in the comments box, on how you cook your egusi soup and how much money you need in preparing a good egusi soup for two people. It our dinner for two promo on the blog! #Feedonesoultoday

Burial or Cremation: Which is a safer funeral if someone dies of Novel Corona virus?

Funeral rites of those succumbing to Covid-19 have been an issue of controversy at least in Nigeria and in some other countries where cremation isn’t their tradition or cultures. But the question is, should the body of a Covid-19 victim be cremated or buried?

Until the death of one of Nigeria ministers who had died of Covid-19, people who died of the novel coronavirus infection had became some kind of "state property.”

Because of the highly infectious nature of corpses of those who had been killed by the corona virus, it becomes mandatory to debunk the objections of cremation by some religion.
 However, some Nigerian politicians dumped option of Cremation acted against World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) regulation on avoidance of large numbers gatherings. They converge to bury a politician who died through corona virus infection according to Muslim burial. This is not only dangerous, it is also bad example. Athough, The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not prohibited the burial of those dying of Corona virus (Covid-19)... But the guidelines says, that the body would be handled by trained health professional, who should be wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)... Well, seeing how the people that carried the corpse of the late minister in Nigeria, carelessly discarded PPE and gloves used at the late Minister's funeral, shows that, this people are not NCDC accredited corpse bearer or health professional as the case maybe.

Well, this is Nigeria where anything can happen...

Let every person be treated equally, if the corpse of a top politician who died of Covid 19 can be release, same should be done to an average Nigeria. We are all human and nobody should be above the law and nobody should violate the rules.

''Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.'' Roman 13:1

As a country or a  Nation, it will be a good thing if one can follow all the guidelines from public health directors, to avoid a major catastrophe in the country (Nigeria).

... And The Earth Stood Still!

Once upon a time! Time Time!

The earth was lockdown. The world was shutdown. There was no business as usual. The shutdown days varied from country to country. In some countries, it was 14 days. In others, 30 days, while in another, until further notice... There was no more group meetings or hang outs. Churches and Mosques were closed down. Restaurants, night clubs,  Hotels,  Parks, and Schools, were all closed until further notice.

If you asked someone questions, they were afraid to answer you because of the critical social distancing. And self isolation has become the order of the day. Doctors and nurses are working round the clock with face masks, hand gloves and protective gowns. Visitors were no longer allowed in the hospitals and in the nursing homes. During the crazy shopping, toilet rolls were sold out in most supermarkets.

Scientists and  Professors in the field of medicine did not no how this thing (Covid-19) spread so fast... The first and most important preventive care, was hand washing. Hand washing had become a world wide national anthem. No one remembered global warming anymore,  as everyone now wore disposable gloves and mask as preventive measure. The media was the only business that was booming, as everyone had to stay at home watching tv and playing games or web surfing.

Some hoped the Scientists would find a vaccine or cure... soon The developed countries were doing everything to combat this thing, just to minimize the fast spread. Well, everything looked so different and human beings were now living like allies to one another.

Some European countries decided to reopen starting from next week. The country with the first case, had already reopened few weeks ago. After the developed countries were planning to reopen, the third world countries were now starting their own lockdown, with brutality, leaving their citizens in pains. They had no water to wash their hands. They had no food to eat and some had turned to robbers. There was robbery every where. The police and the Army who were  to arrest the criminals, were now arresting and beating innocent people.

Well, I hope someday this thing will disappear completely from the surface of the earth and human beings will move on with their lives and their daily activities. The lies, the true, the fact, the fiction, the prediction, everything that this thing has brought shall vanish and fade away very soon. Those who lockdown the earth will be the ones to reopen it. With or without vaccines against this pandemic the earth will be reopened. No wars or pandemic can end the world until Jesus returns again. Do you get? Fear not! Live and embrace life with gratitude to God. 

Well, we have enjoyed the peacefulness of the earth in a long time, since after the ´´World War II.´´ The kind of peace human race experienced can not be penned down. Going back to human history, there had always be social unrest either by wars or pandemic. If people don’t die by weapons of war, they surely will die by diseases. So sad! However, no one can trace how this virus originated and how it spreads. Some claimed there were predictions about it and so on.

Well, investigation continues and we hope the truth comes out in due season. Hopefully a vaccine and antiviral drugs will be discovered and produced to immune people against the virus. Meanwhile, preventive measures continue. Personally, I don’t think the preventive measures should be a problem though but on the other hand, in the third world countries this a big deal.

However, doctors says the best advice is to follow public health directives and protect and others, and of course take care of yourself. Stay safe and peace to the world!

Why I enjoy Taking Traditional German Breakfast

Well, starting your day with a healthy breakfast, is the key to a good digestive process. Eating food that are rich in fibers makes it more easy for you. Eating unhealthy foods is one of the ways sickness peenetrate into our body and unhealthy foods could have effect on the digestive and cardiovascular system- My class of disease theory (Krankheitslehre).

German breakfast comes in different varieties, from crusty Bread (white, brown, dark and black breads), Sausage, Fruits, Cereal, Mueslis, Corn flakes, Yogurt, Quark or Quarg, Cheese, and so on. Nevertheless, to spread on the Bread is Butter, Jam, Nutella, Honey and so on. My favorite bread is the Rye Bread Rolls (Vollkorn Broetchen) and it comes in dark color. According to a German Backer, the darker, the better in nutrition.

Since, I relocated to Germany, a lot of things has changed about me, amongst the changes includes; change in food...

What has really changed about my food, is that I take precautions to what I eat, although in Nigeria I do eat healthy food but cannot be compared to what I’m eating now. I usually starts my day with warm water with lime juice, well this is my ritual every morning. Before starting with my proper breakfast. Basically my breakfast is just what you will find on the list of the normal German traditional breakfast list.

Although, I missed my Nigerian agege bread, with Blue Band Butter and “Ewa Agoyin“ Back then in Lagos, my breakfast do not contains most of the superfoods like what I am having here now. However, in Nigeria, I do not really have a regular breakfast ritual like most Nigerians. Sometimes, in Nigeria our breakfast is not really planned or programmed, one just eat anything that is available or what one feels like eating. Sometimes in Nigeria one can eats one type of food for breakfast, same food as lunch and dinner. For example, rice or even eba. I did that too before and I enjoyed the liberty of eating what one like to eat and not what one see...

Nevertheless, eating healthy food and good food is what every one should enjoy here on earth because foods plays an important part in our body, like growing of new cells and repairing dead cells in the body. And of course healthy food is also important for the immune system.

 Axel Haverich, is a German cardiac surgeon, who is currently working on the vaccine against Covid-19. Also advice people to eat healthy food to fortify their immunity against outer bodies.

SUPERFOODS: Superfoods are good for the healing and improve our body’s ability to protect itself and helps our body to fight some dieseases. Said the nutritionist- Dr. Susan. Here are some of the most nutrient-filled vegetables and fruits: strawberries, apple, kiwi, Mango, grapes, orange, kale, broccoli, carrot, spinach, garlic, ginger, turmeric, beans, peas, potatoes, lentils, cashews, legumes, nuts and seeds, kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, green tea, eggs, peanuts etc. Well, these are my favorite superfoods.

Well, Coffee is part of German traditional breakfast. I do not really drink Coffee but sometimes I do when i am hanging out with friends or when having a meetings... Although, many researched work in humans, show that coffee improves various aspects of brain function...

Eat healthy, Stay healthy and visit your GP or doctor for your general check ups and do not rely on your own wisdom but you can get to know your body, to know when things goes wrong or when things are falling aparts in your body system.

Personally, I love life and I cherish my health, good health is our heritage according to the word of God.
''And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose is seed in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.'' (Genesis 1:12)

Spring is Here! Tips for Critical Social Distancing!

See This Time as a Gift: Tips for Social Distance

Wow! Spring is finally here, I am so excited for the change in season because I believe such a change in nature, will have a beautiful effect on all the people. Particularly at this time the world is undergoing crisis. There  is no room or reason to be depressed, see this time as an opportunity to appreciate life and to have a rethink of all the damages mankind has done on the surface of the earth and the neglect of cleanliness. 

How wonderful would it be! If only we can finds meaning in things or events that are beyond the control of humans imagination. By the way, we are all on this little rotating rock, called planet earth together and we have little or no clue of what is happening in our world today. The only thing we have in this wohle wide world, is each other. The only thing that is going to keep us away from the spirit of fear and the „isolation“ called social distances is each other. 

As we all know, that the spring time is a  flourishing  season for nature, as the earth puts on a green garment and flower blooms, I encourage you to enjoy the beauty.

However, this spring season offer you a precarious about the on going social distances due to the current crisis. For most people living at the country side, this is the best time for you to start your planting, go for a walk in the beauty of nature, ride your bike and do home sport with your family to keep fit and take a long walk in the forest. Free your soul from every form of stress and fear. 

Whenever, there is an outbreak of pandemic disease, there is always social unrest and fear but then we should not be carried away in the midst of all of these things. One of the Christian feast during the spring is the Easter celebration, as the Christians believe that  Jesus Christ was ressurected during the Easter period, no wonder the spring time  is a season of rebirth and rejuvenation, isn’t that wonderful? Yes it is, when we embrace life with gratitude to the Creator of all things. This is not the first pandemic and it might not be the last, but the next pandemic will be in the next 100 years again. The first influenza pandemic was in the 1918, where over 500 million people was infected by the virus and 50 million people died from the virus,´´ according, to CDC. ´´I think this is  humans error... because it is not the Will of God for anyone to be sick.´´ Said Mr Temi. He is a God, that is full of compassion.

Tips from queenscourt: Start your day by following the basic hygiene of hands washing with soap and warm water. 

Drink warm water with lime juice and a glass of orange juice because you need your daily recommendations of vitamin C. According to, everydayhealth, a daily recommendation of vitamin C for women and men is 75 to 90 milligrams... and it is always advisable to get your vitamins from your diet. Avoid crowded gathering, keep 2 meters distance from people.Stay home, if you don´t have any important things to do out there. Follow all the advice from World Health Organisation (WHO), CDC, and Health Care. Protect yourself and your family, whoever protects his or herself is protecting others. Everyone can do something, to stop the spread of this virus. To shout down the world for some months, might just be the best solution. There are no cure for virus infection, for now, maybe in the future... so your body is the best medicine to fight the virus, for those who are in good health and who have a strong immune system. 

Happy Springtime! and Stay Healthy.

Preventive Therapie Isn´t Free: Why Preventive Therapie Isn´t Free If the Health Insurance Goals is to keep People healthy for a long time?

"Prevention they said is better than cure.“ but How do one go about this? In this age where the love of money is the peak of the day. Last year, I was having a pain on my gum and I decided to visit the dentist after trying out my preventive prophylaxis with salt and warm water for days without any improvement. Well the dentist assistant removed some plaque and told me I will need to come for professional plaques removal. They asked if I have ever done that before I said yes... Anyway, that is another story.

They told me is from 130-160 Euro... I told them I know because I have done that before. The dentist wrote me some prescriptions for my gum pain to get from the pharmacy but I didn’t buy that anyway my pain vanished.

Last week I decided to call because I discovered my mouth was smelling and they asked me to come.  So I went there on Friday, the dentist told me that he has to do X-ray to know what is the problem and if there is a problem the health insurance will have to pay for the treatment. I agreed to do the X-ray and after the X-ray he said it is gum inflammation... and the treatment is professional cleaning. But I should not worry the health insurance will pay for that because it about 900 Euro. I will do professional cleaning every three months and after that I will be coming for control and everything will be fine again. So my first appointment was 16.3.2020, 12:30 pm, when I got there, the dentist assistant took me to

where the treatment will commerce. She was very friendly, so I asked her to take me some pictures. Which she did, only for her to start telling me that I will pay 400 Euro and the health insurance will pay more than a thousand  Euro. I said but the doctor told me a different story. Why should I pay if i‘m having a problem in my gum which need to be taken care of? I don’t get it. She replied that , that's their rule. Our conversation was in German language and I told her that I would like to talk with the dentist and she told me that the dentist would be available in 15 minutes. After few minutes he came in and started explaining things to me in another dimension. I quickly cut in, by saying but why didn’t you tell me this before the X-ray? You only told me that the health insurance will pay. What do I do now? He said I will be coming for control they should give me the next appointment for 23.3.2020. hmmm... then he asked the nurse to do the normal plaques removal for me. She replied she had done that already.

 The same thing the other day I went to see a gynecologist for check up ,new though because of change in my environment and they brought out list of prices for every check up, including ultrasound. I was surprised because I have never pay a dine  since I have be visiting gynecologist in Germany ,the health insurance pay for that. I know when I go to my personal doctor for general check up I don’t pay too, only if I do other checks that the insurance don’t cover.Trust me, I don’t joke with all my check up because preventive therapy is just the best and I think is one of the most expensive therapy. Not only in cash but in investing your time doing all it takes to remain healthy for a long time.

Queendaline Schneider Blog: Franco-Nigerian singer Asa talks about Love and br...

Queendaline Schneider Blog: Franco-Nigerian singer Asa talks about Love and br...: African women in Music:Bukola Elemide Asa on Lucid tour talks about love and broken relationship. On the ´Lucid´ tour recently in Germany....

Franco-Nigerian singer Asa talks about Love and broken Relationship with ´Lucid´

African women in Music:Bukola Elemide Asa on Lucid tour talks about love and broken relationship. On the ´Lucid´ tour recently in Germany. In this interview, Asa, sits with Queendaline Schneider to discuss her album Lucid. And her reasons for the five years break...

Asa, congratulations, it was a great show. How did you feel out there on stage?

Thank you! People are very kind here and very nice, i felt at home on stage tonight. So the audience was really warm, you can tell they are having a great time and i’m having a good time too.

Do you have any rituals before or after a show?

What i do before a show. I usually, you know warming up, preparing. I just really like to meditate, you know, for like 10 minutes if i can, so that i can already be on the stage before being there. That is my rituals, just to meditate and breathe pretty much.

It was the first show on your current „Lucid“-tour. Did you enjoy how the audience responded to your new material?

Yes, people have been very open, very warm towards Lucid, it is really good, it is really good rational that I have gotten so far!

Are you nervous when you are presenting new stuff for the first time?

Yes, always nervous, if i’m not nervous, then i know there is a problem. I’m always nervous.

Many of those new songs deal with a broken relationship!

Is about love, Lucid album is about love. You know, different aspects of love; the joy, the happiness, the sad, everything broken. You know, it really not strict, nothing perfect with love. Love is a feeling, love is life, is a way of life and so, that is what i was talking about in Lucid. Lucid is real inspired by personal story from me and what happened.
Yeah heartbreak is one of it, it a whole package, you know, so it is about love, in different colors of love, different aspects of love.

Was this heartbreak the reason for your five years break? What have you been up to in this time?

Actually no ooo, i was working, i was writing, i was just very quiet. I wanted to come out with something that was meaningful. I did just want to go into the studio and i needed something, i have songs but i felt they weren’t the right songs for that time and then life happened, you know which gave me story to write about. You know, i was in a relationship, i was no longer in a relationship, it was fun while i was there, it was heartbreak, it was an interesting experience for me. So i think, in actually, i was writing about this, not knowing it was just an album, so it happened naturally, everything happened natural.

You were born in Paris, then moving back and forth between Nigeria and France. When, where and how did you get into music?

Oh! As far i can remember, getting into music, i was a little girl and music has always been what i wanted to do, i never changed. My father told me, i was singing when i was very little, i couldn’t remember, i just know that, as a little girl, music was what i always did. I did a lot with my mummy spring jazz, i played the guitar with my mummy turning spoons and i played precaution on any flat surface. So music has always been in me since i was a kid.

Did you attend a music school and have you learned any new skill?

Yeah, i left the university to go to the music school in Lagos, Badagry Lagos. That is where i learned to play the guitar for six months and after six months i lef, i was already working professionally. I think when i made the two put steps to go to music school. I didn’t want to go to the music school because my parents, especially my father didn’t wants me to do music. ,He said no child of mine will do music.’ I like to peep and see people who do music but i was not very confident to do it, until i was pro to late 18, when i decided to go for it. So, when i made that decision, it led me here, it led me on tour, it led me almost everywhere in the world.

How does Nigeria music differs from the Europe music and where are the challenges?

Nigeria music, i mean hey, Nigerian music is the famous famous music right now in the world, how does it differs? It differs because it’s Africa music, as Africa inspired is church inspires, it’s what we grew up, for me, the black music is soulful, it warm, how else can i explain africa music. You know, right now it’s the biggest music in the world.

You did some of your song in yoruba language, do you think your audience understand you or you just carry them along with the lyrics?

Well, with the Yoruba songs, you don’t have to understand yoruba, that is one thing when i write yoruba songs you don’t have to understand it but you just need to be in the music, let the music wrap you like a warm blanket. Well, i will talk about Yoruba because it’s my mother tongue. I enjoyed writing in those languages, i think, i express myself differently from Yoruba or Englisch. So, they don’t have to understand Yoruba, the music is there, the music says it all. Yeah!

Do you feel the market for African (influenced) music in Europe is growing?

Definitely, oh yes! You can hear on the radio, Europeans artists are beginning to play afro beats, Africa music yes.

You are travelling a lot in every case. Where do you write your songs? Can you write anywhere?

I can actually, i can write anywhere, i don’t know if i enjoy writing on the tour, it is very fast, i don’t have all the time. I do really love to stop, at least stay in a town, somewhere i can just be all by myself because i really love that quiet and silence, so that i can write well. On tour is really just music, but really i don’t know if i can write songs on tour, i haven’t give it a try. But when i was writing „Lucid“ i was right in front of Nigerian Embassy in Paris (smiles), just in Café waiting to get my passport renewed. Just within the noise environment, just because we get our ideas we can write anywhere.

Do you start with the lyrics or the music?

I start with the music, then the melodies, then the lyrics.

With the new album already out and your tour happening – what are your next goals?

Next goals is to write a new album or to bring out new songs, new singles.

Photo credit: Asa (Trinity Ellis)
Interviewer: Queendaline Schnneider