There are a number of platforms online that are tied to Ibadan and it is a good thing. Ibadan is a phenomenal city and it does deserved to be talked about and celebrated. For me, however, I believe that the greatness of the city is not just about the colonial architecture like Mapo or the sculptures like Bashorun Ogunmola.
I believe that the greatness, and the future greatness of the city of Ibadan is her people.
The people will determine how far the city will be relevant in the years to come. It was out of this belief that I decided to create a platform where I can share people’s experiences within Ibadan.
Coming from a background as a storyteller, the only thing I could give was to use my gift of storytelling to express people’s experiences and chronicle them so that others can be inspired or can connect with our humanity. That was how Awa Ti Ibadan came to be. I wanted to name the platform “People of Ibadan” but I thought it would be cool to put it in Yoruba: “Awa Ti Ibadan.”
This project started in August 2016 and it began with a community of less than 200 people. Today, it’s an aggregate of 12,000 people and I have had to create a page for the project. Our team structure is currently evolving and I can’t wait to see what we become.
As we go on into 2018, we hope to share more stories, to collaborate with more people and organizations, and to work within more communities.
Welcome to the new year.
‘Femi
