SONDER: By Maryam Alhassan

      I wonder if the tides rise and fall in every other person as hardly as they do in me. In my moment of euphoria, when I'm close to touching the ceiling and my existence is nothing if not perfection.. Or in those moments when dejected, just crawling, picking on crumbs, trying to get that high back again..
         With this curious little thought I've found that I've learned to judge people a little less harshly... I don't think we fully realize how "human" the next person really is. We rationalize our own shortcomings but  expect others to be perfect. We don't know each other's complete stories, or others trials but we dismiss them as unworthy.
         Being a complete person and balancing out life on itself is a challenge. So big a challenge that I don't understand why we try to make it that more difficult for each other by judging, like they have it any easier than us.

         Imagine how it feels when you're hopeful about something and you've planned on how to achieve your goal. Now imagine watching that product of your dreams slipping or someone threatening to take it away.. It's incredible where you'll find yourself, and the things you'll do to get back on that high. These will include things you've seen others do and turned your nose up at, because you weren't in their shoes then.
• I understand it's not so easy being stronger than the will of your heart and choosing to do the right thing..
• I understand no matter how much justification you think you deserve to give for your shortcomings, someone out there deserves more.. Someone else's story is grimmer than yours..

           I don't think we realize how much we are tested on the daily ..the prayers answered, the hurdles jumped are as much a test in themselves as the apparent trials..
           Everyone speaks of living and learning through your mistakes and experiences and coming out on the other side, stronger and wiser. However, I'm surprised I've never heard of someone mention how easily those lessons can be forgotten. No one talks about the way the same winds from the past can come and swoop you away; how so easily those past trials can change form, hiding behind new masks. How they can take you again unawares, until you are flat on your face again, your lessons unlearned ..back to square one.
          I'm here thinking that even at the time you come out victorious, write your life's lessons somewhere permanent. Put in it in a glass jar, stash it somewhere in full display so it serves as a reminder. Don't do away with your scars, they are a souvenir from where you were and how you've been able to escape.. They are you, they are your story..
            One of the worst ways to live is to live and learn and forget it all.. With everything now, I feel like I want to celebrate every human being for just being human, my reason being that each of us is miraculous in our own right, intriguing and incredible.

Capital City Magazine 

MODEL PROFILE: JASMINE

My name is Jasmine Damcida from Borno State. I adore fashion. Right from childhood, I developed a passion for it and I knew that I wanted to be a fashion model. I remember my mother signing me up for a runway show herself in my early years once, after seeing that passion in me from such an age. Although I'm currently studying software engineering at Baze University, I've already worked for designers such as Zoe, Nana, Mason Dots and T and Dee to name a few. 

                                      

I have also worked in makeup photoshoots, lingerie photoshoots and such for multiple other designers. I can't say that I have one particular role model at the moment - I like to think I'm a model of my own - but I undoubtedly have a lot of respect for other successful models out there.



Capital City Magazine

ABUJA IN PICTURES: BAZE UNIVERSITY (PHOTOS)

Capital City Magazine

THE CCM MAKEOVER CHALLENGE - WINNERS!!!

The #CCMMakeOverChallenge was the first online Capital City Magazine competition. The contestants entered by posting pictures of their make-up work on their instagram pages and tagging #CapitalCityMagazine. We then posted it on our own Instagram page. The criteria for winning was simple - The contestant with the most likes on their picture after a week wins! 

It was very competitive and the margin between the winner and the runner up was very slim. It really could have gone any way. 

The reward the winner gets is A FREE feature, an advert as well as branding for their Makeup Business. 

In third place with 367 likes was: @hasna_amorika

In second place with 473 likes was: @hanis_makeover

And finally the winner with 489 likes was: @waseelah_

ART: WESTERN INFLUENCE ON AFRICAN CULTURE By Ruby O.Ogbiti

    "The eyes, mouth and nose take the exaggerated form of African masks and the forms these take are in semblance of the all too popular "selfie" pose of squinting one eye and sticking out the tongue which originated from America."




 The work is basically depicting western influence on African culture (society). The eyes, mouth and nose take the exaggerated form of African masks and the forms these take are in semblance of the all too popular "selfie" pose of squinting one eye and sticking out the tongue which originated from America.

     The colours fade from light to dark in the background to show that though some of these new adoptions and influences are beneficial, there is a dark side which lingers.

                                                                                                                                 Ogbiti .O. Ruby

VIDEO: EMIRATI - BHP (Big HeadPhones)

BHP (Big headPhones) is an up and coming rap crew comprising of 5 young, versatile and talented artistes: Zik, Abyssinia, Ross, Dee and Mr. HD. They met a few years ago at ABU Zaria and the rest is history.

Here's their latest music video EMIRATI, shot at several locations in the Capital City of Abuja. Directed by Ruben Reng. Thank me later. ENJOY!!!
WATCH OUT for their exclusive interview with CAPITAL CITY MAGAZINE


Get #REALNIGGAZONLY here http://tinyurl.com/l2vhr3l  Subscribe to BHP HIP HOP TV on youtube, join bbm channel C004ECDD0, for more info: bhpmusic360@gmail.com

DEAR FATHERS By Samira H. Sanusi

Dear Fathers,

Compliment your daughters before another man criticizes her.
Tell her she's beautiful before she learns to apply layers of make-up to be called 'pretty'.
Remind her she's special before she dresses half naked to be called 'sexy'.

Show her kindness and love, before she settles for a guy who treats her like a stone rather than a diamond.
Teach by example how a man should treat her; how you treat her mother tells her how she should be treated.
If you do that, she'll know the difference between a man who spends on her and the one who invests in her.
                              

When she says "hi daddy," kiss her cheek or forehead.
If he rams his fist into her ribcage, she'll know what love is by the different ways the men in her life have shown it.

Daddy you must know, for her to be treated like royalty, you must first raise a queen.
And queens in turn raise kings.





Kind Regards,
Samira Haruna Sanusi
President, Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation
Ssscfoundation@gmail.com. +2348175734470

ABONYE AGBA PHOTOGRAPHY

My name is Juliet Jedy Agba, a final year political science student from Cross River state. It has always been my hobby to take pictures of myself and my friends. Seeing that, a friend suggested that I consider becoming a professional photographer since it's something I love very much. Being a student with a few hours of leisure, I jumped on the idea, getting a camera immediately and started taking photography lessons during my free periods in school. I usually ask my friends to model for me so I could practice what I have learnt, often following professional photographers to photo shoots as well.

     

I have always wanted to be like the famous Nigerian female photographer Ty Bello, who has established a household name for herself in Photography all over the country. Hopefully in the next five years, I see myself as the next Ty Bello. 

There are challenges I face in this profession as an upcoming photographer, one of which is financing. Also, the fact that I'm still in school affects me professionally in terms of growing. So my advice to the young and upcoming photographers like myself is don't let anyone intimidate you, please. Keep learning and keep giving in your best. One day you will be that photographer everybody would want to call for a photo shoot.

Contact Details:

Facebook: Abonye Agba

Instagram: @abonye_agba 

SOMETIMES HOME ISN'T FOUR WALLS By Samira H. Sanusi

It is not a house that stores your most pleasant memories, or a town that holds the playground you spent your days as a kid, the school you met your best friends.

Sometimes home is 10 siblings who are chaos together but incomplete when apart. Home is the smell of sand that fills your lungs after it rains, it's the brave smiles of hardworking people who are struggling to make ends meet and stick, it's that damaged place that holds beautiful potential with the right amount of work.

                                                       

Sometimes home is that place you miss even before you leave. It's a place that's become a part of who you were, the foundation of who you'll be. It's that place you must leave while wishing you could stay.

Sometimes home is being met with a set of wrinkled eyes that hold so much love for you. It's in a tight, warm embrace long after you have forgotten the last time you were in the company of a friend or loved one, it's more than just four walls, home is in the people and places you know you'll always need to return to.


Samira Haruna Sanusi
President, Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation
Ssscfoundation@gmail.com. +2348175734470

BBOG 365: A Year Without Our Girls by Amir Ado

'"Education is the most powerful tool you can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela

It has been a year since over two hundred precious jewels were so ruthlessly taken from us by violent extremists. The Chibok girls were kidnapped by the terror group called Boko Haram from their school dormitory in North Eastern Nigeria. Their only crime was to want an education and a better life. Just imagining the horrors they are going through makes me sick to my stomach and as a Muslim it is insulting to see Islam being used as a justification for these heinous acts.

Let us be clear, this is not Islam. Islam does not permit the kidnapping of school girls, Islam encourages education for both girls and boys – some might even call educating your kids a religious duty. Islam forbids forced conversions and strongly condemns the shedding of innocent blood. In fact Islam teaches us that if you kill one innocent person, it is as if you have killed the whole mankind. To use this religion of peace as your justification for such terrible acts frankly makes you an enemy of Islam.

 

A year on and our girls are still not back. A year on and the agony of their friends and families only increase. It is getting harder and harder to keep the hope alive and with each passing day, they are further away from us. However, we must not give up on them. It would be our collective shame as a nation if we ever did. It would mean we have failed not just those girls but ourselves.

For me, the most important thing we can do right now is to ensure that we empower and educate as many girls as we can. The economic benefits of having millions of educated young ladies is enormous. We must make it a priority to educate all our girls by shaking off harmful cultural practices like early marriage and denying girls education simply because they are girls.

If we do that then we defeat the aim of the terrorists, we fight back and we let them know that we reject them. They are afraid of education only because they know that it exposes the frailty of their extremist ideology. The pen must be our weapon of choice against extremism. It will be a tough battle but together we can win it.

To my Chibok sisters the only message I have for you is this – if by some miracle you see this then know that we have not forgotten about you. We pray for you every single day. We will not relent or rest until you are back with us and are able to get the education you are sacrificing so much for in perfect peace and harmony . To the incoming Nigerian government and other world leaders – BRING BACK OUR GIRLS NOW AND ALIVE!

Marie Couture

Capital City Magazine had the pleasure of meeting Miss Maryam Nura Giwa at the Fashion Lifestyle event. The delightful Miss Maryam is the owner of Marie Couture – a fashion design business that she started late last year. She is a first year student of medicine, which was something we thought was particularly impressive considering the fact that you do not find many people in the world of medicine with an interest in the world of fashion.

Her love and involvement in fashion started at a very young age. Having started sowing since she was 14, she has gotten rather good at it and even sows her own clothes. She does this in an extra room at home.

Miss Maryam told CCM that making mistakes has helped her to learn and grow as a fashion designer. She enjoys the learning part as well as the part where she gets to meet many people that add value to her life and to her work.

Miss Maryam admits that she faces a lot of the challenges that most other start ups face in Nigeria such as the lack of access to capital and poor electricity supply. Another problem she mentioned is finding reliable and competent tailors as in her business, finding tailors that can turn brilliant ideas for designs into a reality is absolutely crucial.

Maryam mentioned that she is a fan of Deola Sagoe and other prominent African fashion designers. As far as CCM is concerned, the quality of work we saw with Marie Couture leaves us certain that Miss Maryam is going places with her amazing work. She is also an inspiration to young ladies everywhere because she proves that with hardwork and dedication, a lady can succeed in business just as much, if not more, than men.

#CCMApproves.