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Streets of Africa - Part One

I was born here... Raised here...Will probably die... God forbid that. I was looking for a catchy beginning but what I came up with ended up looking like a death sentence or some sort so I had to pull the plug. Hey there, I'm Ozzy, I'm a guy, and this is my first time writing on this platform. That's because I'm trying to make some money to be able to handle my secondary needs during the lockdown. Now many of you might ask, "Hey, Ozzy doesn't sound like a real African name." Well, it's short for Ozioma. I'm a Nigerian, and from the Igbo tribe. Ozioma actually means "Good News", so I get asked why I like to shorten my name a lot. Well, Ozioma is principally a Girl's name. You see, it's believed that naming your girl child Good News will help tell God or the gods (or whatever) that you desire the cherished male gender next. So why was this male named a girl's name, so to say? Because my Grandma said she was given the name by God. So every now and then, I get random DMs from people on WhatsApp and Twitter that go "Hey babe" and I have to remind them "Hey bro, I'm a guy." Awesome, innit? Finding a title for this piece took quite a while, but then I remembered a verse of the the song "Streets of Africa" by Burna Boy, a musician and 2019 Grammy Nominee from my country. Yeah I like to mention he's from my country, cause it makes me feel like we're good for something, for once. The verse went "I cannot not be happy all day, I'm from the Streets of Africa." I really like the song, but really don't agree with Burna Boy. Growing up in Africa isn't a really good experience. It's bittersweet, it's not really explainable. It's like when you confess your feelings to your crush and she's like "Awwn". You get it? You don't know if she said that because it's cute the way you think you can actually be her type, or because she loves you back. As we say in Nigeria "That kain thing" meaning "that sort of situation." What's "Streets of Africa" about? It's a "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" themed series, guaranteed to cause laughs and containing A LOT of relatable experiences. This is my diary that you all get to see. This is my first attempt at something creative, but if it doesn't really work with you guys I could change and write about something else, whatever people like on this platform. With further updates you could get to know me better and maybe laugh at my experiences. Hope I makes you happy in these trying times. Thanks. P.S: I would really want to start a fiction as well, but I don't know what you guys are interested in: Sci-fi, Crime thrillers? Comment please

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