#Yung Nollie

[heyncsngre]

Nov. 20, 2022

Araw kung saan nagkachat ulit kami ni kuya cliv after how many years.

Last kita and chat kasi namin noong bago sya lumusong which was last 2014. This story began when I restricted kuya Jerome’s messenger account para hindi ko Mabasa messages na. Yung time na ichachat ko na sana sya nakalimutan ko na nakarestrict nga pala sya, kaya pag nagtatype ako ng “Claude Sky” “Clacky Ray” ang lumalabas, and nacurious ako ung sino yung Clackey Ray. Noong tinignan ko yung chat naming, doon ko na nalaman kung sino sya. Si kuya Clivien Ner, childhood (pnk) crush ko.

Simula ng araw na yan nagkakachat na kaming dalawa pero hindi everynight or everday, pero every month hahahahah. Kaya hindi ka talaga aasa na magkakamotibo kasi wala e, wala talaga hahahaha. Wala rin naman kaming gaanong usap about sa buhay, most common usap naming about lang sa Maria Clara at Ibarra tapos mga pang-aasar na lang.

Hanggang sa nangamusta sya early march then sabi ko paghahanda namin and sabi nya di muna daw nya ako iistorbohin, so yun nga hahahah walang usap for weeks. Then dumating yung day na nagchat sya, nagkamustahan kami and may chika ako sa kanya, hanggang sa wala na lang ulit hahahahha. Sabi ko pa nga sa sarili ko, di na ulit ako magchichika sa kanya kung ganun lang din magigign reaksyon nya hahahha

March 25,2023 (Sunday)

Sat night before 25 came, nagkausap kami about sa Gawain nila sa Saudi, and syempre dahil sa time difference naming natulugan ko na sya at kinabukasan na sya nagchat. Sunday morning after 4 months na magkachat kami sa messenger, hinge na nya din tg number ko dahil daw ako lang naman kachat nya sa messenger and wala pa daw notif, so ayun binigay ko.

Sunday hapon, wala sana akong balak magpunta nang maaga sa kapilya kasi mag-oopisina na lang naman ako, pero dahil may itatala daw na mga bagong bautisado so need ko magpunta. Pinasundo nila ako kay kuya mart at nagpunta ako para magtala pero wala na palang itatala kasi naitala na pala bago pa man mabautismuhan. So ayun tambay at kulitan na lang kami.

Si Noeh tinawag ako kasi si Cyrus magpapatala ulit, pinapaunta ko sya sa tarheta board kasi napapapansin ako kay kuya Jerome hahahahha kinuha ko stub ni Cyrus, ka Olan was about to leave our opisina as I walked in, and infront of many people he said, “kahit may katarayan at kadaldalan ka din pala may hihiling pa din pala sayo”.

Yes po, nanginig si ate nyo ghourl. Nabingi si ate nyo ghourl. Lumamig ang paligid~ hahahah lahat ng tao nagulat, mas lalo naman ako no. Paulit-ulit nila ako tinanong kung may nakakausap akong mwa pero sa totoo lang wala akong maisip, oo ket 5% sumagi sa isip ko na baka si kuya cliv pero may sumagi din sa isip ko, 5%, na baka nireto ako ni kuya cliv hahahahhaa.

Umuwi ako nang bahay, kahit nanlalamig ako at nanginginig tuhod ko. Hindi talaga ako makapaniwala sisterrrr. Yes po, ang kapatid ko din hindi makapaniwala, lalo na po sa part na si kuya cliv ang humiling. Lahat ng tao talaga forda shookt as in, kasi opo akala ko rin naman na last na mwa ko na si kuya nolly. And yes po, opo, hindi ko lubos na inakala na hihilingin ako ng kuya cliv.

Yes po, opo, nakatanggap ako ng mga pagpapayo mula kay sir, sa harap ng mga kalihim na nag oopisina, so yes po hindi na sya sikreto, hindi na po sya tago, na dapat pala sana’y tago hahahah. Tinanong ako ni sir kung ano daw hiniling ko noong BNH, ang eksaktong hiniling ko sa panalangin ko ay, “mabigyan ng pinakamagandang kinabukasan”, humiling na din ako ng magiging future boyfriend na may katangian na “mas higit pa po ang pananampalataya kaysa sakin at tanggap po kung sino ako” at ang pinakahuli ay ang “maging katuwang ako ng pamamahala sa pangangalaga sa Iglesia”.

Minsan ko nang nabanggit sa panalangin ko si kuya Cliv, pero hindi ko talaga inaasahan, kasi ipinanalangin ko na din sa Ama na ihanda ang puso ko sa kung ano man ang maging kalooban nya, sapagkat masunod ang kalooban Niya at hindi ako kalooban ko, at sumasampalataya ako na may mas higit syang plano kaysa sa mga plano ko.

Chinat ko sya kinagabihan, noong una hindi pa sya naamin hanggat sa lowkey syang umamin hahahahah

at hindi naming napag uusapan yung tungkol sa hiling nya, kasi panay kami asaran. Ang alam ko lang, kaya hindi nya sinabi sakin ay para hindi na makatanggi, non-verbatim pero ganun yung thought (o baka ako lang) hahahahaha then March 10, 2023 sya gumawa ng kahilingan, na walang halong pag-aalinlangan.

Ngayon, isang buwan na after dumating ang kahilingan ni kuya cliv ay naghihintay na lang kami ng pagpapatibay. Kahit dinedeny ko sa iba, ay hindi ko maideny sa sarili ko na excited na akong makita sya after almost 9 years, at excited na akong makilala pa sya lalo.

Kung nasan ka man po ngayon kuya cliv, at ano man po ang ginagawa mo, mag-iingat ka po palagi. Lagi ka pong laman ng mga panalangin ko. Salamat po at naappreciate mo ang isang tulad ko.

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[404mph]

Hellraiser plush toy by yung lean

[dippedanddripped]

Old Nollywood aesthetics and fashion may be considered trendy today, but the films were not always so well-regarded. In the 90s and early 2000s, when these movies were made and watched in parlours across Nigerian homes as they were shot, straight-to-video, they were considered as bad entertainment, or ‘low culture’. To watch and enjoy Nollywood films was to celebrate mediocrity. But today, nostalgic young Millennials and Gen Zers are overlooking the jarring audio, grainy pictures, and sometimes hammy acting, to appreciate not only the grooming and style of the actors, but the original and diverse stories that reflect unique Nigerian experiences.

It was for this reason that sisters Tochi and Ebele Anueyiagu started Nolly Babes, a nostalgic Instagram account dedicated to celebrating the cinematic period’s women. Started in December 2017, their first post was of Nollywood’s biggest star Genevieve Nnaji; a still taken from 2004 film Sharon Stone In Abuja, directed by Adim Williams. Nnaji plays the titular character, a sexually liberated young woman who uses her beauty and charm to ensnare unassuming men into doing her bidding.

The account is an ode to the female characters of old Nollywood who were often portrayed as warning examples. The storylines were steeped in moral principles rooted in the patriarchal culture and the dominant Christian religion of Southern Nigeria. A large number of the female characters were considered immoral because they kissed other women, challenged men, smoked and drank, or wore mini skirts. Today, Nolly Babes and similar accounts are reimagining these women, taking their scenes out of the moralistic context of the films, and turning them into iconic feminist personas.

The first time Nollywood content seeped into the mainstream internet consciousness can be traced back to 2017 when videos of Nollywood’s favourite comedic duo Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, better known as Aki and Pawpaw, rose to popularity due mostly to the influence of a now-defunct Twitter account @nollywoodroll ran by Nicole, a woman based in Brazil.

Their memes became the go-to reaction videos for expressing a wide range of emotions: joy, disappointment, sadness, frustration. The appeal was in seeing children making mischief or in adult situations – drinking beer and smoking cigars, wooing bigger women, or in oversized suits shouting instructions at people twice their size. Although both Ikedieze and Iheme were in their 20s in the early 2000s when most of the films were made, they mostly played children because of their body stature. By 2019, the memes had achieved such virality that brands like Rihanna’s Fenty would use them for social media clout.

Theodora Imaan Beauvais is the curator of Yung Nollywood, another archive of clips and stills from old Nollywood paying homage to its controversial female characters, after screenshotting moments from Nollywood she found “appealing or inspirational”. Yung Nollywood is remarkably distinct from Nolly Babes for its subtitling of the films’ stills from Nollywood films, something she attributes to Tumblr. While the idea to give witty captions to the actors’ facial expressions came from watching Netflix. “I thought, ‘If someone could describe Nollywood reactions in short phrases it’d be an art form on its own,’ and I became that someone.’”

In December 2019, Tochi and Ebele hosted a Nollywood-themed party in Lagos. Nollywood actor and musician Nonso Bassey attended the party dressed in a two-piece jean set and bucket hat, a signature look of the bad boy/alpha male archetype, and a role reprised multiple times by older actors such as Hanks Anuku, Emeka Ike, and Jim Iyke. Since that party, Nonso has attended social functions and premieres in outfits that make a nod to the fashion choices of that era of Nollywood. He insists, though, that he isn’t cosplaying Nollywood characters of that era. “I’ve always been attracted to the idea of merging old world charm with a new school approach,” he said.

The party caused a cultural stir amongst Nigerians and Africans both at home and in the diaspora – every other week, there seems to be a Nollywood-themed party held either in Lagos or London. Take for instance friends and business partners Imani Okunubi and Aseosa Uwagboe, two Nigerian-British kids who grew up in the UK. Nollywood was one of the ways they could connect back to their roots. That experience informs their event brand, Lasgidi to London, targeted at Nigerians living in the UK. “We wanted to create events that were reminiscent of the Naija hall parties (Owambe) we attended as kids, as we don’t want to see that culture die,” Aseosa said. Their next owambe is a Nollywood-themed party and guests are expected to come dressed in their “best nolly Y2K aesthetic”.

Below, the Nolly Babes sisters talk about creating and hosting the first Nollywood-themed party and the cultural moment it has inspired.

How did that first event come about – please take me through it, from the planning to how it turned out?

Nolly Babes: From the inception of Nolly Babes, we knew we had to throw a party. Fashion is a huge part of what makes Nolly Babes different from other Nollywood-themed pages and we knew we were the only ones that could set Nolly Babes as the dress code and have people commit as they did. There are many iconic Nollywood scenes and scenarios. The daughter meeting her evil mother-in-law, the ominous visit to the Babalawo, the campus stroll – just the mere mention of these scenes evokes images that have been embedded in the minds of our fellow Nollywood enthusiasts. The party scene is probably the most iconic of them all. Whether it’s in a club, a mansion while mum and dad are out of town (but coming home early to crash the whole thing) or poolside, the Nolly Babes party scene has its staples: mad music, dancing, and sick outfits.

December in Lagos is notoriously hectic. On each day, there are day parties, beach hangouts, concerts, and we just knew we had to be a part of it. Our flyer was the first thing we made sure was done right, and that has been replicated (but never duplicated) many many times. We went through at least six drafts of that until we got the flyer to be a realistic replica of the home video covers from the golden era. The DJs Kemi Lijadu and vIVENDII Sounds understood the assignment and played music from the Nolly Babes era. We’re talking Tony Tetuila, Mo Hitz, Wande Coal, Plantation Boyz… We curated a special cocktail menu: Genny Colladas, Jim Iyke’s Hard Lemonade, MargaRita Dominic, and our Lagos Island Iced Tea, in tribute to Nollywood stars Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke, and Rita Dominic respectively. We had a video projection on the famous red wall at Nok showing a mashup of emblematic scenes. We were partying while seeing images of a young Jim Iyke dressed just like many of the attendees were dressed. It was magical! We have an event we’re planning in New York for the summer – it’s going to be a madness.

Did you envisage it becoming the cultural movement it’s now become?

Nolly Babes: We really didn’t. We hosted the party because we knew people were taking inspiration from our page for styling jobs and music video treatments, and wanted to give everyone a chance to recreate some of their favourite looks. Now every week we see people planning Nollywood-themed parties and sending people to our page for references. It’s awesome. Toke Makinwa even recently attended a Nolly Babes-themed party and she was dressed as a character we have immortalised – Regina Askia in President’s Daughter. She killed it! Even though the character wasn’t referenced, it was clear as day and it was awesome to see that she pulled it off! Honestly, when we see people really pay attention to detail and execute the theme well it’s so, so dope.

How has TikTok helped grow Nollywood's influence? You posted a scene from Girls Cot, the famous “you stink with poverty” clip on TikTok and it went viral and birthed these recreations even by non-Africans.

Nolly Babes: We’re just happy to see that another aspect of Nollywood that we champion – the iconic scenes and one-liners – is also resonating across the world. We see Nolly Babes as an archival work and as much as we focus on beauty and looks on Instagram, it’s nice to be able to point people in the direction of the scenes that are forever embedded in our brains. These are scenes we recreated in jest ourselves before there was even a Nolly Babes to begin with, so to see it catching on TikTok is exciting and a new frontier for us to fully explore. I think what distinguishes Nolly Babes from other Nollywood pages and what contributes to our TikTok success is that we really watch Nollywood movies. We grew up watching these movies and continue to do so now so we can capture those moments in films that the casual consumer or poster of Nollywood content might not.

What are your thoughts on Nollywood’s influence on the Alté scene? Music videos of artists such as Lady Donli and Odunsi nod to the aesthetic and fashion styles of that era.

Nolly Babes: Nollywood, and specifically the aesthetic we have shone a spotlight on, is probably one of the biggest influences in terms of visuals in that scene right now. I have never seen so many Eucharia (Anunobi) eyebrows on TV and we love it! It’s awesome to see our images and scenes being used in treatments and storyboards. If we’re being candid, we think it would be great if we got the chance to step into our stylist/creative direction bag and help with the execution of the aesthetic.

“The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens” – Nolly Babes

How far do you see Nollywood's influence on pop culture, beyond Nigeria and Africa?

Nolly Babes: When we moved to New York we found our Dominican and South American friends had also grown up watching Nollywood films. The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens. Nollywood clips were online everywhere – but it was always in a comedic way. Aki and PawPaw are meme gods now, and that’s because their expressions transcend cultural boundaries. Black Twitter eats that stuff up.

Nolly Babes chooses to center the beauty, style, and iconic imagery, even the home decor with our #NollyDecor hashtag of the golden era of Nollywood. We share the makeup, accessories, fashion, iconic phrases, and scenes in a way that isn’t just comedic but inspirational and aesthetically groundbreaking. I see Nollywood being at the centre of this Y2K resurgence that is happening all over the world, from TV to runways and fashion collections. That era is coming back around and, this time, the Black experience is being revisited and centered in a way it wasn’t back in the late 90s and 2000s. (Black people) were always the originators of the trends and this time they’re tapping into the source and Nollywood, particularly the era we celebrate as Nolly Babes, is a great resource for that.

Follow Nolly Babes on Instagram

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

Within the elements 

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

(Jabari Barak)

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[heyncsngre]

Hindi na ako gaanong nakapag update dito a. Siguro sobrang lungkot ko lang talaga ngayon, malungkot pero hindi ako makaiyak hahahahahha siguro kasi pagod na ako, sobrang pagod na.

Kasal ni ate pey, I was the maid of honor that day. It was supposed to be a special day for everyone, but it's unfair for me kasi naka tanggap ako ng balita na halos gumuho ng mundo ko nung araw nayun. Kuya nolly, yung ex ko nakahiling na, yun na yung babaeng papakasalan nya. Ayaw kong ipakita sa iba na sobrang apektado pa rin ako kaya tinawag ko si lea at pumunta kaming cr doon na ako naiyak. Buong buwan ng february sobrang lungkot. Akala ko di na ako makakabangon sa sakit, pero salamat sa lahat ng tao na sumuporta sakin, mga kaibigan ko, pamilya at lalong higit sa lahat ang Ama.

Ang mga suprise nya sakin mga nakakapanginig ng tuhod. Kahapon sa bday ng kapatid ko may mga nakarating na balita sakin na nakahiling na sya ng kasal kung pagtitibayin july or august. At dun ko narealize july pala anniversary namin sana hindi july 31. Wag sana july. I'm ugly crying lile wtf!!!!

[heyncsngre]

I'm so happy that I have a genuine friend like Ate Faye. Not only happy but grateful. Kanina tumawag sya kasi may nishare sya saking problem nya about how stressful a wedding is, pero nag end din about sakin ang usapan.

Naikwento nya yung last September, bday ni ate michelle nung time na nag oopen forum kami kasi kakabreak lang namin ni kuya nolly, habang nagbibigay daw ng mga advice yung mga kaibigan ko, inoobserbaham nya yung mga advice. At narealize nya yung mga advice na yun ay against lahat sakin, yung tipong kasalanan ko kung bakit kami nagbreak. Lahat daw panig kay kuya nolly kesho "kawawa naman daw napakabait pa naman" "sobrang lungkot ni kuya nolly" "sayang daw ok si kuya nolly" at ang narealize ni ate pey ay yung "paano si danica?" Kung paano daw ako. Kawawa at malungkot daw si kuya nolly, paano naman daw ako na nahihirapan din sa sitwasyon na yun at nahirapan ding magdesisyon. Lahat daw ng advices na yun ng mga kaibigan ko ay para lahat kay kuya nolly, one-sided daw kaya awang-awa siya sakin na ang bigat na ng burden na dala ganun pa daw mga pinapayo sa akin. Lalo daw syang naawa sa akin nung nagsalita si jackie na maging si jackie na kapatid ko, kapamilya ko, na dapat unang susuporta sakin ay against din sa desisyon ko. At dun ako napaisip, si jackie pa lang yung narinig nya paano pa kaya yung mga magulang ko na never ako sinuportahan sa mga desisyon ko.

Nasaktan si ate pey para sakin dahil nalaman nya na ganun ang pamilya ko nung mga panahon na iyon. Lahat ng blame sakin, maging mga kaibigan ko kasayahan ni kuya nolly iniisip nila, pero paano daw ako. Yun yung hindi nya daw maintindihan kung bakit naging kasalanan ko. Kasalanan ko daw bang hindi ko nakikita ang sarili ko sa ganung buhay. Kasalanan ko daw bang hindi pa ako handa sa ganung buhay. Kasalanan ko daw bang madami pa akong pangarap. Doon ko rin narealize na, wala pala talaga akong naging kakampi noong mga oras na yun. Na wala palang umintindi sa akin. Sa akin lahat ng sisi. Dahil nabigo ko sila. Lalo na pamilya ko.

Ate pey kung mababasa mo to salamat ate dahil nung gabing yung tumawag ka napagtanto ko lahat. Nung una wala lang yun sakin kasi tinanggap ko lahat ng sinabi nilang ako ang may kasalanan. Tinanggap ko yun kasi akala ko talaga ako, pero dahil sa sinabi mo dun ko mas napagtanto na di ako kilala ng mga kaibigan ko lalo na mga magulang ko. Hindi nila alam na kahit pariwara ako may mga pangarap ako lalo na sa pamilya ko. Masaya ako ate pey na may umintindi sakin at nakaramdam ako nang may kakampe. Masaya ako ate pey sobra! Alam mo bang yan lagi iniiyakan ko kasi sa bahay wala akong kakampi, pero dahil sayo naranasan ko! Ang sarap sa pakiramdam salamat atee. Sobrang kawawa ko ba te? Nabuhay ako na awang-awa sa sarili ko, at immune na ako dun hahahah di ko nga narealize na sobrang kakaawa ko pala nung time nayun. Mahal na mahal kita at pey hindi ko ito makakalimutan. Dahil minsan sa aking buhay may naniwala at pumanig sakin. Salamat.

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)

[thebiggestbari]

(Yung Nollie)