2020: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

OMO!… What. A. Year.

2020 was supposed to be different, but, unlike a cliché 80s or 90s time travel movie, 2020 wasn’t the year that brought us flying cars or household robots, instead we were given a plague that snatched away our laid out plans and replaced them with masks and sanitizers. It was a wild year (gbas gbos ear and dere) and regardless of how much we wanted to ‘throw away the year’ or were ‘done with 2020’, this year would go down in the history books. Whether it was the ‘Covid-19 year’ or the ‘#EndSars year’ or even the ‘year of Tik Tok’ for you, it was unforgettable.

After reading this, hope you have more reasons to scream even louder by midnight and unleash those dance moves during crossover night.

The Good

As distant as the memory may seem, the year started off great. There was bubbling excitement for its prospect and January to early March were really fun filled. Who can forget the surge of Obesere and his egungun be careful antics (if only we took his advice cause we entered the express finally).

There were many positives to take from this year and probably the most important one was unity. The world came together as one this year to battle disease, injustices, racism and violence. The good in humanity was as prominent as ever, breaking down the barriers of class, race and culture to stand up for one another.

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Umm… it was also a great year for the music industry in Nigeria and across the globe as our favourite artistes embarked on projects that delivered. In Nigeria, the big boys of the music industry, all released albums that complimented our ears. Whether or not you stan the African Giant, belonged to Wizkid FC, are a member of the 30BG or even the Ybnl, you were not disappointed. On the foreign scene, we also got mouth watering projects like Beyonce’s ‘Black is King’ and many other singles, albums and collaborations from artistes that suit our taste. I’m sure your favourite SoundCloud and upcoming artistes also delivered.

The Bad

Covid-19 or the coronavirus claimed over 1.5 million lives around the globe this year and infected many many more. Two weeks lockdown turned to two months than four months and before we knew it, nine, and counting…

Apart from coronavirus related deaths, there were many more high profile deaths. The sports industry mourned the deaths of Kobe Bryant and Maradona amongst others and we lost a movie icon in Chadwick Boseman. Sending love and condolences also to anyone who lost a loved one.

Nigeria had a worse year than usual, battling two diseases (Covid and Poverty) as well as a failing education system. Our economy was declared as being in recession (like it has ever not been), and there were major hikes in the prices of food, fuel and electricity. Another awful year for Nigeria and it got even worse…

The Ugly

It was a year marred by protests and violence for Africans and blacks.

In Nigeria, #EndSars protests spurred the nation’s youth into action with an online protest on Twitter as well as street protests in various states. The street protests were however turned bloody by the government. Soldiers invaded the Lekki Toll Gate leaving an unconfirmed number of protesters dead.

The police who fired several live rounds at protesters, killed many with stray bullets, most notably, Jimoh Isiaq in Ibadan. Protests then turned into looting. It was a mess. At least, people got their indomeennn.

Congo also experienced similar protests to stop killings surrounding cobalt mines. Ugandans experienced more political violence this year.

Perhaps the most celebrated campaign this year (no, not Biden x Harris) was the Black Lives Matter movement. Sparked by outrage over the killing of George Floyd by police officers, the BLM movement reached new heights this year.

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2020 was strange and it’s very understandable why many can’t wait to put it behind them. I mean, whatever next year has in store for us can’t be as bad as 2020 turned out, or can it?…

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We at Yosi of Earth Blogs wish you a very Happy New Year in advance and give you a very big Thank You for 3,000 views and counting this year.

Describe Your Year in One Word In the Comment Section Below.