For 80 days in 2019, a bunch of rascals at 91大神 set out on a trip across West Africa by road. You already know the pitch; Jollof Rice is consistent across West Africa, even though it originated from Senegal.

The question that pushed us to the road is; if Jollof Rice spread across West Africa because of the people, what else did they carry with them wherever they went? What were they listening to?

You can believe this was the question that drove us to the road, or you can believe that we just needed an excuse to get Tomiwa and Chidi to give us a bus and money, then set us loose. Whichever one it was, it worked. Toke tried everything, the Jollofs, the drinks, and the soups. Kayode flew his drone and pointed his camera at literally anyone, and anything.

Captain Taiwo held the wheels through 10,000 kilometres of highway and mud. Tosin kept everything and made sure we were never short of French and food. Me, I just ate everything 鈥� or most. Between these, we met with people we鈥檒l never forget, ate things that we definitely want to try again. Most importantly, we documented a lot. We kept a , took a ton of photos and collected dozens of hours of footage, you鈥檒l find tiny bits on .

鈥淲hen will the lockdown be lifted?鈥� – The hours of footage in the drives.

For about the amount of time we spent on the road in 2019, we, along with the rest of the world, spent time in our homes. In between having the fourth lunch and endless video calls, the itch to do something about the never-before-seen footage became stronger. While we were on the road, we shared stories and reactions as we experienced them. Now, we want to give them an even better treatment. Here鈥檚 what you should expect:

• 10 themes, from food to sound, to people. 10 episodes.
• A physical piece of the road for you to keep close, and never forget, and help you find your Jollof Road.
• One more thing that we can鈥檛 tell you yet, but the world will in fact feel small.

Over the next few weeks, we鈥檒l be sharing updates. We hope you like what鈥檚 coming, but this post exists to serve one purpose: We might be back from the road, but you haven鈥檛 heard the last of it. We just dey start.

On the 22nd of September 2019, we鈥檒l be hitting the road across mainland West Africa, touching down in these 14 countries in the region: Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, C么te d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

鈥淏y a stroke of luck and genius, I was born in the large kitchen of Penda Mbaye, in the small town of Saint Louis, in Senegal.鈥� 

Has anyone ever wondered what Jollof Rice would say if we all stopped fighting and just listened?

There are 16 countries, hundreds of cities and millions of people in mainland West Africa. And you know what binds most of us together asides ECOWAS and Nollywood? Jollof Rice.

The Story Of Jollof Rice Is The Story Of West Africa.

Travel across West Africa, and you鈥檒l find people swearing by the flaming hot heaven. But this isn鈥檛 just about rice. It is about culture; from the stories to the sounds to the colours, and most importantly, to the people. 

We know Jollof spread across West Africa somehow, but what else spread? 

And so, we鈥檒l be travelling across the region, hopping from city to city. We鈥檒l start in Lagos and travel the entire coastline, through the Python temples of Benin, through the beautiful beaches鈥娾�斺�奱nd the not-beautiful ones鈥娾�斺�妕hrough the markets, through the music bars and street performances. 

We鈥檒l travel all the way to Senegal, the westernmost country of mainland Africa.  

Then we鈥檒l head back through the landlocked countries; through the old cities of Mali, through Sankara鈥檚 country, through our Northern neighbours, Niger, and back into Nigeria.

What We’ll Be Looking For.

Everywhere we go, we’ll be looking out for four things:

• Where do the people go?
• What do the people eat
• What do the people move to?
• What’s uniquely interesting about them?

Everything we find鈥娾�斺�妛hether it鈥檚 human stories or wicked recipes鈥娾�斺�妛e鈥檒l share in photos, and videos, and journals. 

So follow 91大神 everywhere; , , , and most importantly, .

West Africa Is Just The Beginning.

“Why not take an entire continent?”

We鈥檙e starting with ECOWAS West Africa, first because of the uniqueness of West Africa, and secondly, because it鈥檚 visa-free. 

We Need You.

If you live in any city across West Africa, preferably outside Nigeria, or if you know anyone who lives anywhere across West Africa, holler. We鈥檙e looking for people who know their way around their towns and cities, and cheap (or free) places to crash. 

What do you think we should be looking out for? Tell us.

If you鈥檇 like to be involved somehow, holler in the comments, let’s get talking.

What’s next?

We prepare. Do you want to know how we’re preparing? Subscribe below. But first, this video: