Valentine’s Day can be a secondary consideration for some in Lagos. The Nigerian city of more than 20 million people is renowned for its hustle and bustle, its restless energy and commercial drive; it is a place where honks from signature yellow passenger buses fill the air.
However, this Valentine’s Day, Lagos-based rock musician Bianca Okorocha, known as “Clayrocksu,” wanted people to take a moment to pause and feel loved.
She took her music onto the streets of the city, crooning love songs to random commuters and handing them single-stem roses. Their faces, first shocked at the encounter, gave way to a broad smile as she pulled the strings of her guitar, twanging to James Blunt’s You Are Beautiful.
Photo: AP
“I am a musician, and we just thought it was a special and nice thing to do for people,” Clayrocksu said. “Especially in this time and climate where everything is kind of difficult and all you hear on the news is bad news.”
Since Nigerian President Bola Tinubu came to power in 2023, he has undertaken major economic reforms, including the removal of a decades-old fuel subsidy program. The government said the changes would save costs and boost investment, but they have resulted in one of the west African nation’s worst cost of living crises in a generation.
The country’s deadly security crisis has also worsened the fate of millions, limiting access to farmland in the conflict-battered north, which resulted in a surge in the prices of goods elsewhere, including in the economic hub of Lagos.
But amid the tough times, people like Clayrocksu are bringing joy and color to many across the city in this season of love.
Barbara Lulu, a Lagos resident, who was serenaded by Clayrocksu and her partner, was going about her day stressed until the rock team showed up.
“First off, this was a very shocking moment for me, because I never expected it. It just kind of happened, and all I can say is yay!” she said.
In a city where Valentine’s Day is usually focused on lovers, Clayrocksu said that she wants to change that perception and bring roses to many others.
“People think that Valentine’s Day is only about romantic gestures, only boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife,” she said. “But Valentine is really just about sharing love.”
SPEAKING OUT: After Siranudh Scott’s allegations surfaced, celebrities and public figures took to social media to share their own experiences of sexual misconduct and abuse A high-profile alleged sexual abuse case within a wealthy Thai beer brewing family has prompted a wave of painful accounts from survivors of unconnected abuse in the conservative nation. Siranudh Scott, a member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the ubiquitous Singha beer brand, posted an emotional video this month accusing his elder brother Sunit of repeatedly abusing him when he was a teenager. Sunit, who is in his 30s, later denied the allegations in a video posted online, but Singha parent Boonrawd dismissed him from his executive role with the company on Tuesday last week. “I felt I needed to speak
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
SEEKING ORDER: Rodrigo Paz said that ‘anyone who wants to destroy the nation will have to deal with this president and the full force of the constitution’ Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday said that the nation was at a “breaking point” after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Paz, who took office six months ago amid the worst economic crisis there in four decades, is battling a groundswell of fury over his policies. The political capital, La Paz, has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the indigenous majority calling for his resignation. “The country needs order and is reaching breaking point,” the 58-year-old said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue. On Tuesday, the Bolivian
Forecasters in Europe yesterday warned of exceptional heat as record temperatures driven by a “heat dome” push temperatures well above seasonal norms across the continent. The surge follows a record-breaking Monday, with France logging its hottest day in the month of May on record, its weather agency said, and the UK also posting unprecedented highs. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Restrictions on outdoor work were imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in southwest France filled earlier than usual and
RSS