Winsome Like…
As she walks down the street, the wind hustling through her hair, she seems different. Her heels knocking the ground in soft thuds, head held high, and an expression – the face that says she is free and powerful. Yet her eyes contain an innocent gleam. That is when our eyes come to rest on her tank-top, and suddenly, everything makes sense.
“Winsome like Kilode”.
Nigeria is home to over 250 ethnicities, a variety of religions, and people currently conversing in more than 200 different languages. However, despite their differences, they are similar. Almost each one of them is as cheery as the other. All love to talk, be it an important discussion or some heartfelt chit-chat by the shops. Cognizant of the different ethnic groups, each one of them is mindful of the others’ customs, and desires to be respectful of their differences.
This is when the phrase “Winsome like Kilode”, merely encompassing three words, manages to achieve a lot. ‘Winsome’ is a word of the Engligh language, meaning to be appealing, in an innocent yet fresh manner. ‘Kilode’ on the other hand, is a Yoruba word – one of the indigenous languages of Nigeria. It means something like: what is happening. However, the beauty of this word is, it changes across contexts. When coupled with other words to form the phrase, it means to be innocently attractive in a way that cannot be expressed in words. To say to the other, you are so attractively innocent, that I don’t know what is happening. As if the other has been left speechless, making it a very high compliment.
However, this phrase is not just praise, rather, it points to the diverse yet united community of Nigeria. Stringing together words from the English and Yoruba languages gives off a sense of harmony, and social connection. It pays respect to the locals, whilst celebrating them just ‘being’ how they are. It is surprising yet beautiful how a flashing tank-top in red could mean so much. But this is the thing with words. They hold an entire world within themselves:
Click here for the Winsome like Kilode top.
