Obaba Museum

It’s a full moon tonight, it means we have the liberty to stay out longer and perhaps listen to a tale or two from grandpa. Grandpa Sam is well over a hundred years, his calm and croaky voice gives him the persona of a sage, dad tells me that grandpa was born in the late 19th century when there were no gas cookers, airplanes or smartphones. I wonder what life was like then.

Vershima, my maternal cousin has just completed sixth grade, however her knowledge in history and science rivals that of first year undergraduates. She once made my uncle rethink his education when an innocent conversation got him mixing up a cow with a bull. Funny story it is but mum instructed me to speak no more about it. ‘Grandpa’ she says ‘what was life like before electricity?’ Tofunmi whispers to the other kids, ‘omo it’s really going to be a long night’. Though he openly denies it, we know that Vershima is grandpa’s favourite. It is understandable that they seem to blend well, she is very inquisitive and asks a lot of questions and those are the kind of people the elders love – I think there’s a Yoruba adage that talks about children dining with elders after they have properly washed their hands. Moreover in Tiv language her name means ‘the focused one’.

My child you know a lot has changed in my lifetime, there has been quite a lot of changes in the way we eat, worship, dress, talk and even pass time. In fact the rapid rate of technological advancement is so overwhelming. Electricity generation started in Nigeria in 1896 but you know it was mostly confined to some select places where the British imperialists had established a foothold especially in industrial cities like Lagos, Jos, and Calabar, so not much Nigerians had access to electricity. In fact, it took many years after independence before majority of the cities in Nigeria were connected to the National grid.

Well, since your question isn’t about history of electricity let me go back to your question, how was life like before electricity? Hmmm before electricity we had better sleep quality and a much simpler life, in fact, it is easier than can be imagined to live without electricity. I would suggest you try to live this way for a period. You will learn a lot about yourself and the practicalities of simple living we did a lot of innovation. Moreover with every advancement comes a new problem, the rapid rate of technological advancement seems to threaten interpersonal relationships. Today, despite having easier means of communication and connection, families appear to be more divided and distant. You’d probably agree with me that we had more onsite games and outdoor events to attend than you have today. I wish we could ditch our cellphones for sometime and appreciate the joy of physical touch, care and fellowship.