Growing up in Third World countries is stereotypically likened to survival sports. While there is a constant search for safety blankets, there is solace in sharing connected experiences.
Sometimes they were jingles we couldn’t get out of our heads. On other days, we had TV programmes whose time schedules we memorised.
These events have had their shine and faded into a realm of dreams of our better days.
CANON EVENTS OF THE 2000s:
- Super Story Time:
The weekends are often relegated to family get-togethers but Wale Adenuga had Nigerian families communally glued to their screens every Thursday night in anticipation of the next episode of Super Story. White Lotus and Black Mirrors might be everyone’s favourite anthologies today but before that came the 41 seasons of Super Story. The dynamic was similar to Disney and Nickelodeon shows; Wale Adenuga productions would take our charismatic cast members from a Super Story ensemble and make them a lead in another show. A memorable example would be Nnenna from the eponymous season 25 of Super Story going on to host Nnenna and Friends, a kids’ TV show.
Super Story brought us love, dark and funny but always dramatic stories. It was the only Nigerian show on air that singlehandedly went toe-to-toe against the Mexican Soap operas. Super Story had a strong run from 2001, however, after the 2010s, it lost its strong grip on the masses. Presidents changed, we grew up but Super Story is right where you left it— on NTA (and now WAP TV) every Thursday by 8 pm.
- Mexican Soap Operas Obsession:
Super Story had the attention of the Nigerian family but it was not the singular drama series to do that. Shows like Catalina and Sebastian, Paloma and Diego, Second Chance, and When You Are Mine redefined what romance was for many. It had everything Super Story had, and the best part? It had accents too. The TV station, Africa Independent Television, popularly known as AIT, had people writing a thesis sometimes in outrage because they delayed the finale of a telenovela and other times, they kindly asked for reruns.
Discussions about When You Are Mine are still available on Nairaland, with one user saying, “What AIT did yesterday was scandalous, unethical, disturbing, disgusting and even tricky. How can they go back as far as Episode 4 when we are getting near Episode 90 or thereabout? I was so disappointed I couldn’t continue watching the soap yesterday.”
AIT was called all sorts of names but at the end of the day, they kept the people talking.
- WAPTRICK:
The greatest things we learn in life are the things we do not remember learning. Nigerian stations ran several ads against piracy, I only remember seeing people driven to jails in the ads, so I knew it must have been bad. But I had no idea that if I downloaded the latest episode of Vampire Diaries on Waptrick, that would classify as indulging in this “piracy”. Waptrick was the gateway site for piracy and in a country often overlooked by the mainstream media, lots of people sought these back alley routes to view movies and download songs.
The streaming era has made movies, shows, and music accessible. Nevertheless, there was a mini crash out on X, formerly known as Twitter, when it was announced that Nosferatu wouldn’t be aired in Nigerian cinemas.
- Heavy Light Skin Men Investment:
The 2020s have been a hard decade for light-skinned men. With trends like #endlightskin on X and TikTok which are often videos of people showcasing the cringe antics of men with lighter skin tones.
Colourism runs deep within various races but the idea that an ideal man is dark while women are required to be fair has a lengthy history with footprints in the medieval era. European male monarchs— the admired ones— were often described as tall and dark, despite many looking like melanin was their nemesis… Henry VIII.
The 2020s have a similar sentiment; fairness has subtly associations with femininity but in the 2000s, light-skinned men were in demand, at least in Nollywood. Ramsey Nouah and the Ghanaian men— Majid Michel and Van Vicker were unstoppable. They were everywhere and had the ladies swooning. They were in action movies, rom-coms, and even traditional films.
- Traumatised by Mount Zion movies and Destined Kids Music videos:
Now and then, there are discourses on how Mount Zion films might have not been the most ethical thing for kids to what. Some argued in favour and others against, but the truth is where were the Nigerian censorship boards? How did some of those movies even make it to households for families? From its poor portrayals of sensitive topics like sexual assault and death.
Mount Zion often engaged in 1800-century misogynistic beliefs where misfortune was heavily associated with promiscuity, carelessness, and “waywardness”.
The Destined Kids on the other hand could do no harm. They gave bangers like Fire The Devil. With classic lyrics like “He is a stupid man, he’s a rogue”. The Destined Kids were on a roll; however, their music videos were sometimes too camp.
- Supa Strikas power scaling:
Loving the South African football-themed comic, Super Strikas was not enough. We had argued about who was the most skilled character. In the Supa Strikas lore, the titular football team was dubbed “the world’s greatest”. But among the greats, there is always a greatest and we all know it was Twisting Tiger but contrarians, yunno.
Supa Strikas was sold at Mobil Filing stations and for the longest time, that was the only gas station Nigerians really cared about. Supa Strikas eventually got an animated show on Disney which ran for 7 seasons.
- Resonance:
They had a camera, some songs, and a dream yet the success of the track Chinwe Ike took them surprise. In 2006, Esther Olaedo Iyizoba (Ebigbo) and Uche Ozoigbo formed their Christian Duo called Resonance. With songs like Chinwe Ike and Holy Ghost Fire, the two proved that there is a space for a soft pop genre in the Nigerian market. Their self-titled album became inescapable as they were played in every public space. Unfortunately, the group was short-lived as they split in 2007. Iyizoba continued to release music, however, the success of Resonance was never replicated.
- Wanting to Bank with GTCo (neé GTB) or Bank PHB:
There are universal ideas that every child has asked— are there flying cars? Can cars run on water? Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank) knew this and capitalised on it. They dished out ads with catchy tunes and constantly alluded to the adolescent to ask their parents to open investment accounts with them.
While Bank PHB’s struggle to stay afloat tells a story of its lack of success at convincing the masses. Nevertheless, their ads made them memorable and most importantly, desirable.
In Nigeria’s history, no bank has invested as much in marketing as Guaranty Trust Holding Company PLC (GTCo), formerly known as GTBank. From its tagline highlighting that it costs 0 naira to bank with them to its subtle product placements in Supa Strikas, GTCo was on a winning streak. This popularity paid off, as their halls were consistently filled with customers. In 2019, GTBank was recognised as both the Best Bank in Africa and the Best Bank in Nigeria by Euromoney Magazine.