*This is an email exchange between two friends using epistolary storytelling.
I’m currently sitting with my neighbor in a new apartment in Kaduna, and it suddenly hit me: I haven’t told you about Ìyá Angola and Ìyá Bísọ́lá.
My neighbor here in Kaduna isÌyá Bísọ́lá. She’s been a mother figure to me here. I’d guess she’s in her 50s, though I’ve never been bold enough to ask. She’s a calm woman who lives alone now that her daughter, Bísọ́lá, is married. I’m still not sure what happened to her husband; Maybe I should ask. 
She runs a small business right from her parlor, selling “pure water,” glass-bottled ‘minerals’, and recharge cards. She uses it when she gets a sewing job for some little child, which does not happen a lot. Anyways, I find myself spending a lot of time with her.
A Guest from the South
Lately, the atmosphere has changed because her younger sister, Ìyá Angola, is visiting.
Talking to her is like taking a masterclass in African geography and economics. I’ve been fascinated by her stories of life in Angola. Apparently, they use U.S. dollars right alongside their local currency, the kwanza. Every time she mentions the price of something, she naturally converts it to dollars. Since they speak Portuguese, I’ve gathered they were colonized by Portugal, which adds another layer to her stories.
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The Great Migration
Their family history is a map of the continent. Ìyá Bísọ́lá left Lagos for Kaduna back in 2001, but her sister’s journey was even more ambitious.
Two days before her birthday in 1998, Ìyá Angola departed Nigeria for Cameroon. From there, she moved through Gabon, Congo, Rwanda, and Namibia before finally settling in Angola. Interestingly, she actually lives in Rwanda now! I’m literally asking her questions as I type this. She tells me that Rwanda and Congo are so closely linked in her mind that she sometimes forgets they are separate countries.
I’ll admit, I got a bit carried away this morning, partly making Golden Morn and partly just settling into the rhythm of my new house, but I couldn’t wait to share this.
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