Creative Industry

Published

2 years ago

September 21, 2023

KCCN Intensify Efforts To Impact More Nigerians Through Cooking

By Joel Ajayi

Empowerment and training of human beings, no doubt, remain the spine behind the sustenance of any development in the world. This is the story of the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria KCCN, who over the years, increased efforts to ensure many Nigerians are empowered through different endeavors in life.

The Center has given thousands of Nigerians leverage in arts, culture, entertainment, language education, creativity, and sports and recently added another sector, which is cooking class.

KCCN was established in 2010 in Nigeria’s Capital Territory, Abuja to enhance friendship, bilateral relations, and understanding between Korea and Nigeria through cultural and educational programs, and today, the center is making thoughtful progress.

On Tuesday in the FCT, another batch of selected members of the Association of Professional Chefs in Nigeria (APCN) were on the ground to learn more about Korean cuisine and how to prepare two of the country’s most popular dishes.

Indeed, it was another great experience for Nigerian Chefs who chose cooking as their career, as they had more knowledge about continental dishes, the Korean food that is believed will go a long way to promote and advance them in the inter-continental dishes know-how.

One of the first dishes they cooked was Spicy Braised Chicken and Com Cheese

In his remarks, shortly after the demonstration of the Chuseok cooking class, the representative of the Director of KCCN, Manager Of Cultural Content, Bae Sung Jin said the essence of the cooking class is to sensitize many Nigerian people about Korean food and to give opportunity to some who want to choose Korean food.

According to him, we are doing a lot of classes in Nigeria, not only cooking classes, but we also have K-POP Dance, Taekwondo, and language classes, among others.

“There is no Korean restaurant in Abuja, and Abuja is technically the capital of Africa, people want to try Korean food. That is what gave birth to this cooking class, to introduce our foods to the Nigerian people as well as empower them.

“We are trying to reach out to many Nigerians, which is why we choose members of the Association of Professional Chefs in Nigeria, and without a doubt, I do believe it will have an impact on their lives.” He said.

Speaking also was a staff of KCCN, Sharon Pwavi-Babale said, it’s the continuation of the effort of the center to expose Nigerians to Korean food.

“The reason, if noticed, Asian food which is popular in Nigeria is Chinese food and KCCN saw it as an opportunity, being the fact that a large number of people watch Korean movies, many Nigerians see Korean food through movies and desire to eat it.

“So, we ensure the cooking class is put in place as a means of introducing Nigerians to Korean dishes’ method of cooking and its richness.

However, Chuseok translates to autumn eve and is, at its core, a harvest moon festival nodding back to Korea’s traditional agrarian roots where traditional foods make their way onto every family’s table, and the infamous bumper-to-bumper traffic that plagues the country’s major roads in the lead-up to the long holiday, as people make the pilgrimage back to their hometowns to honour familial ancestors.

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Creative Industry

THANK YOU MOM-Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

Published

3 days ago

October 29, 2025

The Gleamer

Written by Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

…Every day I get to celebrate and honor being a mother, and honor my mother. Joining grateful children and mothers around the world to give gratitude and celebrate the special gift of motherhood is a priviledge.

I celebrate the blessing of motherhood every second of the day because it is the ultimate gift. I celebrate being a mother and having the most special mother every moment and want to give a loving shout out to my mother.

Anyone who knows my mother, Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa (nee Yusuf Gurshe Rafindadi), will be aware of what a difficult task it is for me to attempt to find the words to describe her. A role model to all who know and love her, my mother lives her life with great humility. Her selflessness and kindness to others knows no bounds. She is a fantastic person who has been blessed with a great sense of humor, a kind nature, and an unassuming ability to make all those around her feel special and loved.

To have the blessing of being able to call Hajia Ladi, ‘Mom’ and Alhaji Musa ‘Dad’ is, perhaps, the greatest fortune of my life. Continuously, I learn and grow from the pure example set by them.

The energy my Mom pumps into the love and caring she displays to all those around her and beyond is boundless. She continues to be a source of inspiration to so many that she meets by her unselfishness, dedication and Faith in Allah. She unceasingly encourages her children, family, friends, neighbors and associates to work hard at life but always to put Allah first. Her faith cradles her and her loved ones even during the times when life throws curve-balls. The courage she always shows in the face of adversity and her inner strength are truly what great people are made of. She is a true blessing.

My greatest wish for my Mom, as I watch her dedicate her life to encouraging, supporting, educating, protecting, helping, loving, and caring for all those she comes in contact with on a daily basis, is for her to be able to see herself the way the World sees her; which is as a blessing, an incredibly special and amazing person. A woman who is indeed a pure soul with a pure heart, a remarkable role model and a woman with great faith.

Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa is a shining gem and an angel. She has incredibly strong values. If ever there was a portrait of a Godly mother, it is she. I am convinced that anything that is pure and good in me, Allah has planted it in me directly from my Mom and Dad.

My Mom is big on teaching. On a daily basis, she teaches me to live my life, make my decisions and conduct myself as if I am teaching my children and the next generation. One of her favorite quotes to me is one of Ghandi’s. “Hannatu, always be the change you want to see in the world…” she would say. This quote consistently reverberates in my head and sticks with me wherever I go. It is exactly how Mom lives her life.

Some of the greatest values I try to uphold; defending my honor religiously, keeping integrity, trying to do right, caring for the downtrodden, were instilled in me by Mom. Her lessons and example influence every good part of my life and positive thought process.

Mom teaches me the difference between right and wrong and urges me to constantly try to make good choices. She teaches me to be faithful to myself, to my family, to my culture, to my community, to my calling, to people around me, to my identity, to my bloodline, to my Father’s name, to Nigeria and especially to Allah. She encourages me to be more focused and strive and finish things that I start. She always urges me to try as best as I can to keep my word and learn to accept and take correction. And she always worries and counsels me about tempering the fiery temper I inherited from my equally incredible late Dad.

Mom teaches me that the things I should treasure should never be made with human hands. She teaches me that it is through giving that I will be filled and fulfilled. She teaches me that originality feeds the soul and energizes the mind. She teaches me to exercise greater patience and always try to endure. She teaches me the difference between right and wrong. She teaches me not to use my power to hurt others. She teaches me to always strive to give more than I receive. This is an example that she lives with daily. Throughout her life she has always been known to help people, even at her own expense. It is the way she lives, even now. She simply loves being there for others and making their lives easier. It is the times that she helps people that you can see the greatest joy in her eyes.

As a little girl, she often took me and my siblings to orphanages, shelters and hospitals so we could see people who were suffering; so we could develop a desire to help people who are suffering. She made us touch and feed lepers in the days when people shunned them. She worries for everyone more than she worries about herself. She tries to do all she can to fix other people’s problems. Her charity was to everyone she interacted with, anyone who needed her and that was what made people gravitate towards her. That is the kind of woman my Mom is.

For the duration of my life I will dedicate every morsel of who I am, everything I have achieved and all that I have ever done good and right to my Mom and Dad. I thank them deeply for loving me so much and being the brightest light in my life. I thank them for showing me what I should be and teaching me how to be free and how to dream. I thank them for being the ultimate example of forgiveness, compassion, friendship, kindness, strength, generosity, honesty, elegance, beauty, resilience, selflessness, care, hope and love. I thank Mom for telling me she loved me every single day of my life. Even when we were not together, she finds a way of getting the message across to me, even if it was just through her energy.

Mom is my rock, my anchor; my strong, beautiful, vibrant angel; my heart and my precious gift from Allah. I am beyond proud of her and everything she is. From the time I was a little girl, Mom and Dad have always been all I have ever needed in my life. My submission to the Almighty comes first beyond everything else and my dedication to Mom and the memory of my Dad I draw through that faith. I truly have exceptional parents. My siblings and I truly won the loterry as far as parents go! We thank The Almighty with everything that we have for the grace and gift he has given us in the form of parents.

…Every day I get to celebrate and honor being a mother, and honor my mother. Joining grateful children and mothers around the world to give gratitude and celebrate the special gift of motherhood is a priviledge. I want to encourage everyone to celebrate and pray for their Mom every single day whether she is living or passed.

“Hajia Ladi Binta Musawa, I wanted to tell the world about the essence of you, my salute to you so they can celebrate with me on my great blessing of you, so they can celebrate their mothers too. You impact the world around you more than you realize. I love you on your good days and on your bad days. I see your sacrifice and struggle day after day. You are not just a mother, you are a role model and an advocate My heart will always belong to you and I want to say “May Allah always be with you.” May we witness many more days together by Allah’s special grace. I LOVE YOU MOM… I THANK YOU!”

Written by Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa

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