West Africa | Zikoko!

Two decades before it became known as “Afrobeats”, women have been there, contributing to contemporary Nigerian music, its artistry and culture.

Here are some interesting things you didn’t know about the most instrumental women to the development of Afrobeats as we know it today.

Weird MC

When Weird MC arrived on the scene, she came rocking a shaved head and oversized street urban wear. Her 1996 debut song, Allen Avenue, was released with a video, making her the first Nigerian artist to do so. She won the first-ever AMEN award for Best Hip-Hop Album (Simply Weird) in 1997 and was the first Afrobeats artist to make an animated music video (Ijoya, 2005). This woman is the coolest since cucumber.

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Sasha P

Sasha P is another Afrobeats woman who has accomplished many “firsts”. She was the first Nigerian woman to perform at the World Music Awards in 2008 and was awarded Best Female Artist at the Women in Entertainment Awards in the U.K. the next year. In 2010, Sasha P won the MTV Africa Music Award for Best Female Artist. We’re grateful she spent the money for her SAT forms on a studio session. Sacrifice like that is why she’s still recognised as the First Lady of Nigerian Hip-Hop.

TooXclusive

Efya

The Ashanti singer might’ve gone viral after her Don’t Judge Me cover in 2013, but before that, there was her Irene & Jane era which came from her first music deal in 2011. Ghanaian artists who’ve won Best Female Vocal Performance at the Ghana Music Awards four times back-to-back can be counted on one palm. Efya has been there, done that.

Daily Post Nigeria

Waje

Did you know the female vocals on P-Square’s Do Me and Banky W’s Thief My Kele are Waje’s? Apart from being one of the strongest R&B vocalists in Nigeria, she runs a film and TV production company, Hermanes Media — producers of She Is (2019) — with fellow singer, Omawumi. Women making money together >>>>>

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Goldie Harvey

Goldie was cool. So cool, only Lady Gaga could touch her when it came to style. The late singer lived her name, with golden hair and all-gold-everything accessories.

Plus, it wasn’t popular when she came on the scene in 2009 with Yorùbá-infused pop music. Her unique style laid the template for the women after her.

Gistmania

Tiwa Savage

Way before Kele Kele Love, Tiwa Savage had a degree from Berklee College of Music, backed up famous OG singers like Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige and George Michael, and wrote for Babyface, Fantasia, and Monica. In 2018, Tiwa Savage became the first woman to win Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. And don’t forget Tiwa Savage is the woman who performed at the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. Her CV >>>>>

The Guardian Nigeria

Simi

She started off as a gospel singer. If you were there when Ara Ile (produced by Samklef) dropped, you know what I’m talking about. Her Restless EP was her final crossover to Afrobeats music in 20xx. Today, her catalogue is stacked with seven solid music projects. Simi is also a sound engineer with crisp music mastering and mixing skills. She engineered AG Baby’s first album, Gold.

iamsimi.com

Tems

As a budding recording artist, having money issues isn’t unfamiliar. Tems began producing her own songs when she couldn’t drop a bag for production, and her vision didn’t align with most producers. For the Broken Ears is proof of her production skills. She handled 90% of it. Tems is also the first woman to win Best International Act at the BET Awards (2022) and the Nigerian with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She’s HER, and she knows it. Can we really blame her for taking all the space and attention when she pulls up at functions?

WWD

Ayra Starr

Before Don Jazzy came across her music in 2020, Ayra Starr was a model signed to Quove Model Management. You should see her killing her role as video vixen in Eri Ife’s Dear Future Wife music video. Ayra’s story is proof that people don’t just appear on top, they’ve been grinding on the low.

ayrastarr.com

These women aren’t just Afrobeat musicians; their uniqueness and self-application have contributed immensely to the movement.

To learn more cool things about what more Afrobeats women are up to, this Spotify website got you.
Can you tell whether these African countries are in the North or South? Take the quiz to prove yourself:
You think you know West Africa?

Take this quiz to prove how well you do.
We gave you the African countries quiz and you killed it. Now, we want to see how you’ll perform in a West African quiz.

Note: If the text you’re typing turns red, then it’s either wrong or incorrectly spelt.

Goodluck!

Name as many West African countries as you can

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Ajala travelled all over the world!
So you live in Lagos, or somewhere in Nigeria and you feel like you need a break from the stress of being Nigerian or living in Nigeria, you don’t have to look far out when you’re thinking of places to run to and hide for a few days or weeks.

The Jollof road team has been travelling through West Africa for the past 55 days. They’ve been telling a lot of deep stories about what it means to be West African in West Africa today, meeting people from Marlians to foreigners who can zanku better than the average Nigerians. But importantly, they’ve been chronicling some of the places you should go to for your next vacation. If beaches are your thing, then this article will recommend five beaches you should consider putting on your travel wishlist.

1. Grand Popo, Benin Republic

Labadi Beach, Ghana

Robertsport Beach, Liberia

Kotu Beach, Gambia

Ile De Ngor, Senegal
When planning a vacation, no one ever really thinks of Sierra Leone as a holiday destination. But I’d like to change that.

Sierra Leone is a small country with a population of about 7 million people. It is famous for “blood diamonds” that were mined and sold during a civil war in order to purchase armaments. Fascinating, right?

There are also many cool attractions that would leave you in awe of the country’s beauty. Here’s a list of things to do while in Swit Salone:

Experience Nature & Wildlife at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Let your inner History buff out at Sierra Leone National Museum

Take a dip in the ocean at River Number Two Beach

Stock up on some Salone souvenirs at Big Market

Be plunged into the world of bomb rice at Crown Express

Unwind after a day of exploring at The Warehouse

The Jollof Road squad was in Sierra Leone for a few days. Find out what they got up to here.
Crossing any border can get very tedious, but West African borders rank the highest on the spectrum because the process can drive you up the wall (most times). We’ve been travelling around West Africa by road and so far, we’ve had 9 border crossings. I decided to rank them from the most stressful to the least one.
- Ivory Coast to Liberia
For us (the Jollof Road team), this border crossing wasn’t difficult in terms of the bureaucracy. The problem was the bad roads. We couldn’t continue the journey into Liberia because the roads were unmotorable. So we returned to Ivory Coast, and then followed the guinea route in order to get into the country.

If you ever want to visit Liberia by road from Ivory Coast, avoid the Gbinta border route. But if you think you’re Dominic Toretto, go ahead!

Quick thread. Yesterday we started the day at Man, Côte d’Ivoire and after 7 hours and 4 passport stamps each we ended up back at Man, Côte d’Ivoire. Because this is what the road somewhere between the border at Gbinta and Ganta, Liberia looks like. #JollofRoad pic.twitter.com/gTJV21LLb0
— Vogue (@toketemu) October 15, 2019
- Liberia to Sierra Leone
Crossing this border was a bit of a breeze, but there was one thing. Bad roads. So bad the team had to sleep overnight in Black (the bus) because it got stuck in mud. Make sure you’re driving a jeep wrangler with 45-inch tires if you want to be able to weather the storm that is bad roads.
- Togo to Ghana
You will need argent and an “agent” for this one. Why? Z. However, this is not enough to help ease the long process. It will still take about 3 hours to sort out paperwork and to do a vehicle inspection. That’s enough time to reduce your brain cells, but don’t be grumpy, time flies while you’re having fun.

Ps: If you’re still trying to figure out what argent is, I’ll help. It’s French for money.
- Benin to Togo
With the help of an “agent”, it only takes about an hour to cross the border into Togo. But don’t get too excited, because you will have to make some unnecessary payments. Like 1000 XOF, if you have a “virgin” passport.
- Ghana to Ivory Coast
The process is simple if you ignore the rude border officers. They follow due process. No fee required. No palms to grease.
- Nigeria to Benin
Thanks (but no thanks) to Bubucakes, crossing this border was a walk in the park for us. About two months ago, he ordered the closure of the border to clamp down on illegal trade. And as a result, traffic congestion has reduced.
One meal that connects all of West Africa is Jollof rice. Although we have different names for it and can never agree on who has the best recipe, Jollof rice has overtime become a West African marker.

However, travelling on the Jollof road, the team discovered that beyond Jollof Rice, we have so many similar meals. They left Nigeria on the 22nd of September and since then, have been to four West African countries: Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. In each country, they’ve discovered so many similarities especially in terms of food.

It’s World Food Day, so we decided to compile a list of different Nigerian foods and their #JollofRoad country version.

Eba

Attiéké (pronounced A-CHE-KE) is a traditional Ivorian dish. Let me tell you, Attiéké and Eba are one and the same. The only difference is that while Attiéké is cooked in tiny lumps, Eba is cooked till it’s a firm dough.

Eba

Attiéké

Pounded Yam

Igname Pilée (pronounced EE-nyam Pee-lay) is the Beninese version of pounded yam. It is also eaten in some other parts of West Africa. And as the name suggests, it is cooked with boiled yam. And someone’s sweat, possibly.

Amala Lafun

Amala is known as Pate de Manioc in the Republic of Benin. Wherever you are, legend has it that every consumer of this epicurean goodness always succeeds in life.

Okra

“Le Gombo” is the Ivorian name for Okra soup. It’s also the same name in some other West African countries. The Nigerian and Ivorian version have similar recipes. You either hate it or love it. There’s no in-between. Absolutely no grey area here.

Ivorian

Nigerian

Fufu

Across all the Jollof Road countries we’ve visited so far, Fufu has been the most common. It’s usually accompanied by different soups that are specific to each country and as a result, the taste is never the same.

Watch the Jollof Road team tell us about some of these foods:
On October 7, we (the Jollof team) headed to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from Cape Coast, Ghana. Our experience in Ivory Coast started off on the wrong foot – arrogant officials at the border at Elubo and then, rude staff at the hotel we lodged at. It felt all too familiar; Abidjan reminded us of Lagos with its striking similarities – from the food to mad drivers, the city had it all.

In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of everything that happened while we were there:

We discovered Attieke!

Attieke is a staple food in Cote d’Ivoire. It is made from Cassava and looks just like Eba, a staple food in Nigeria. The squad tried it with some chicken and you bet it was so good.

We met so many cool people!

There was Francis, who let us use his concept store to film; Frederique, who was kind enough to provide us everything we requested – from a bottle of water to contacts in some countries we’ll be visiting; Stephanie, who was very cheerful and ready to supply us with hot cocoa; and Awa Sanoko – the supermodel whose beauty caused Toketemu to quake in her boots.

Awa Sanoko, the model

DJ Arafat fans are the most loyal.

We attended a memorial for DJ Arafat, the singer who died in a bike accident two months ago. There, we met a super fan who quit his job and now lives at a shrine where he keeps a candle burning for the deceased Ivorian star.

Comptoir Des Artisans the Restaurant Cum Concept Store

You should visit Comptoir Des Artisans if you’re ever in Abidjan. It doubles as a restaurant and a concept store. We had an interesting conversation with our hosts about the Fashion scene in the country and compared it to other West African countries.

Nearly died when we saw the price list at one restaurant:

The price menu for Aboussouan – a fancy restaurant, nearly gave some of us heart attacks, so the gang opted for street food.

Aboussouan’s price menu

https://twitter.com/zikokomag/status/1182047213683429378

A Neighbourhood Called Biafra:

In a neighbourhood in Abidjan called Biafra, Fu’ad went on a mission to find an Igbo speaking Nigerian that could tell him the history of the district, but was unsuccessful. How frustrating!

At the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace…

Toketemu wasn’t allowed in here, the largest church in the world located in Yamoussoukro, for wearing a “short” dress, so a good Samaritan gave her a headscarf to tie around her waist.

Before

After

Jesus’ 13th Disciple lived in Yamoussoukro

We discovered that on a stained glass window at the Basilica, Félix Houphouët-Boigny – the first Ivorian president, had himself painted at the feet of Jesus.

What’s a trip without going close to a body of water?

Our visit to the Waterfall in Man, Cote d’Ivoire, was a bit of a damp squib as some teenage rascals made lewd comments at Toke and Tosin.

Mann Waterfalls

That’s it, folks! If you don’t want to be diagnosed with a severe bout of FOMO, keep following the #jollofroad journey on our website, Telegram Channel and Youtube.
Going on a road trip is an adventure that requires a lot of packing and planning; the road can be annoying, and you’re going to be far away from the comforts of your home — better to be safe than sorry.

The Jollof Road team are currently touring West African countries, having the best time of their life and telling important stories while at it. Before they left, they had to do a shitload of planning to ensure that nothing goes wrong on the trip.

Here are eleven travel tips they’ve got for you on what you must have before embarking on a similar trip:

Get the right documents:

Passports, and yellow cards are some of the important documents to carry. Having these important documents will ensure you don’t waste time when it’s time to cross a border.

MAKE SURE TO GET ALL THE SHOTS DONE

This is to avoid stories that touch the heart, TBH. It’s true that you can pay the officials off to not get the yellow fever vaccine and just get your yellow card. BUT we advice you not to, you don’t know where there’s an outbreak and whatnot. Secondly, it’s important to get the meningitis vaccination done. When you get to Ivory Coast, if you don’t have proof of having done it, they’re going to make you do it.

Agent Or Fixer:

If you’re going to be crossing a border or several borders like the Jollof team is doing, you want to ensure that you factor an agent or fixer into your budget. Who is an agent or fixer, you may ask.

An agent is a fixer is someone who knows the right palms to grease to ease the process as you cross. Which is a lot more difficult and expensive when you are crossing with a vehicle.

Take medications:

You might get an unusual bout of diarrhea attack (especially if you’re trying out a lot of weird, new food, like the Jollof team is doing), a cold or a headache. Taking along some off-the-shelf medicines will save you the stress of trying to buy one at midnight, particularly in a country whose official language you don’t speak.

Pack just a few clothes and only the necessities. Extra clothes can always be bought on the road. And to me ‘necessities’ include medication.
Tosin, Jollof Road Team Member.

Get A Translator:

Except you are multilingual and can speak most languages, you might wanna hire a translator to travel with you so you don’t have problems communicating or having the best experience in the foreign country. Or, maybe just try Google translator if that works best for you.

For Jollof Road, we have Tosin who speaks superb French. She’s made like extremely easy for the team

https://twitter.com/zikokomag/status/1176207203860189188?s=20

Grab A Camera Or Two:

Yeah, your phone camera will work but if you desire flawless images you should buy a camera, it doesn’t have to be a DSLR, unless you want it to be.

Pack as little as you can and pack a whole lot of gear. Two cameras, two mics, a drone, a couple of 18 terabyte hard drives and of course a drone because you can’t spend 80 days travelling through West Africa without a drone.
Kayode, Jollof Road Team Member.

Have A Comfortable Wardrobe:

You’re going to need durable running shoes, easy clothes that don’t have so many trappings and can withstand the heat.
Take Care Of Your Skin:

Get sunscreen if you don’t wanna roast. Your favorite body and hair care products should always be with you. Oh and bug spray too, because the mosquitoes have upgraded their biting skills and you don’t them to ruin your trip.

Extra Cash Is Good, But Your Debit Card Is Better:

Having a bank account that allows you to withdraw cash whenever you need it is bae. Ecobank is your best bet for that, since they have branches in more than 30 African countries and you can use Ecobank Pay everywhere across West Africa. Whew what a relief.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PaLThF5lP/?igshid=mryor35glwca

Get Insured:

Travel insurance is really vital. It saves you from thinking of the what-ifs. So, get a cover for medical, financial or any other oopsies that may happen while you are in another country. That’s why we’ve got our trusty Leadway Travel Insurance, to keep us rest assured.

Be Ready To Buy New SIM Cards:

The best way to stay in touch with those you left at home, and people you are going to meet in the foreign country is by buying a new SIM card that keeps you connected. Oh, and a broadband plan to get you online, because you’d be wanting to keep your peeps abreast of your travel experience, like the Jollof Team has been doing.

Follow us on the Jollof Road! In addition to our website and social channels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, which you should totally subscribe to and follow, we now have a Telegram channel. The best part about this channel is that it’s going to have all the bits of gist, photos and information that don’t make our daily journals and videos. You can join the channel here. Tell someone to join too!