Photo by Mark Fischer (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Club moderator, Gemma, chose our next country. Can you guess which land we’re adventuring to next based upon these interesting facts from a US News article?
Over 1000 species of butterflies & moths were documented there.
It’s home to over 250 ethnic groups with more than 520 spoken languages though English is the official language.
While there are a number of different religions practiced there, the majority of the population is either Christian or Muslim.
The former capital is the country's largest & most populous city dubbed “[the continent’s] Big Apple” in reference to New York City.
Due to its export market, this country has the largest economy on its continent. (Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of the country's employment, but petroleum products account for more than 90% of its exports.)
It’s nicknamed the “Giant of [continent]” due to its large economy & population.
The richest man on the continent lives there. His business interests in agriculture, banking, cement, manufacturing, salt, & sugar have earned him $12+ billion.
Any guesses as to which country this is? What about if I added in that…
This country's film industry is the largest film producer in the world, second only to India's Bollywood. (Hollywood in the US comes in third!)
Hausa, Yoruba, & Igbo are major languages in this country.
Despite gaining its independence in 1960, this country has remained a member of the British Commonwealth (an association of 53 sovereign states).
So what country are we reading?
It’s the Federal Republic of Nigeria (or Nigeria as it’s commonly called)! Fun fact: The world’s largest film industry in Nigeria is called “Nollywood”.
Before we get to your book suggestions, I want to introduce you to a cookbook by a Nigerian celebrity chef who notes that “100% of the book profits will be used to provide free meals to orphans, single mothers, & widows affected by COVID in Lagos, Nigeria”.
Famed chef, Wofai Fada owns & operates a popular Nigerian restaurant called Just Afang and Yogiegee Lounge, located in Lagos State which has been in operation since 2018, serving delicious & finger-licking indigenous delicacies. When Wofai is not cooking, she’s devoting time on set shooting her cooking show called Yogiegee Culture. She’s also been featured in popular Nigerian tv shows & movies.
Her cookbook contains over 25 Nigerian delicacies beloved at her restaurant some of which have also prepared on her Yogiegee Culture cooking show. As noted on the cookbook cover, the list of recipes are Nigerian’s “favourite Mama Put” (aka favorite street food recipes).
Yum!
HAVE ANY BOOK SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your Nigerian suggestions by Fri., Jan. 21 11PM ET. (That’s NYC time. See it converted to your time below.)
You can comment with your suggestion below or in our online book club in Facebook.
We'll use 1 suggestion from each moderator, 1 suggestion from an admin, & 2 suggestions from book club members to compile a list of 6 books. The book judged as best will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books, they must:
Largely occur in the location specified unless the world/situation described is not specific to a country (e.g., sci fi, fantasy, some poetry, philosophical books, etc.)
Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere
Also, we love it when folks suggest books which are also available in audio format. While we know this isn’t always possible so it is not a requirement, it is more inclusive & something for which all of us should strive.