The Pidgin News Hustler

When I'm not blogging on Hive, I work remotely as an editor for KONTRINEWS, a website that writes news in pidgin English. My job is to go through other news websites, find important stories, and then translate them into pidgin so that people who don't know much English can understand.

KONTRINEWS
But this one that I'm doing is remote work! I work from my house, so I don't need to worry about traffic or leave early for the office. Once I wake up, I just settle down with my laptop and start working.

It may seem like a simple thing, but it has its own importance. This way it becomes easy for many people to hear stories about what is happening in this world. It's like ensuring that news is not some complicated thing that only highly educated people can understand. Even a local food vendor can know what is going on worldwide.

And it's from my house that I sit and publish news in pidgin anytime a major story breaks, whether in Nigeria or abroad! So it's me and my team bringing the news to people in their own language. It makes people feel that we value their language and culture, even in modern times. Plus, some stories that may not be clear in proper English become better understood when translated into pidgin.

It's true that this work doesn't really stress me out as such, since I work from home. But it still has its own importance. While taking a break from blogging, I get to do what I love (which is writing news) plus I'm still giving back to my community. There's a satisfaction I feel when readers appreciate the hard work.

And anytime I'm at my house tapping on the keyboard and scrolling the internet, I'm only using my small muscles! So it doesn't stress me out at all. It's a simple task that even kids could do if they were taught from a young age. The only hard part is translating the proper big grammar into sweet pidgin that everyone can understand.

But the truth is, if I had the chance to change what I do for work, I wouldn't change it! This one suits me well! It gives me joy, it's something I like, plus the money they pay me isn't bad at all. What would make me change jobs? Only if it was to start my own online news website that would write news in pidgin - then that's when I would switch! For now, I'm enjoying it like this.

KONTRINEWS

Plus, since I work from home, it protects me from a lot of the harassment and stress that comes with being in an office - like traffic to work, issues with the boss, distractions from colleagues and many more unnecessary things. I just concentrate on doing my work without any drama.

So that's what I do for a living! Tell me, what is your own hustle in this life?

Now, let me use this opportunity to talk more about this thing that I do as a remote KONTRINEWS editor:

The first time I newly got this job, I wasn't sure of what I was about commiting myself into.
I just looked at it like a simple pidgin English news website. But as time went on, I realized that it's actually an important job I'm doing!

This is not just about giving people news in their language, there's a deeper meaning attached to it. This is cultural preservation work! It's true, English is the official language in Nigeria. But any country that doesn't have a strong sense of identity and culture, that one will always struggle.

Pidgin English is our lingua franca in Nigeria, our common language that binds us together regardless of tribal lines. It has existed in this country even before the Colonial masters settled here. That means it's part of our roots and identity as Nigerians.

So when we promote it by translating news content to pidgin, that's our way of preserving this important aspect of our culture and passing it on to the next generation. Let's not forget our roots as we move into the future!

It's important that our young children are still able to understand and know this language that unites all of us as one Nigerian people. If the only place they hear pidgin is on the streets and in the markets, it will soon lose value in our society.

That's why KONTRINEWS is important, to ensure we integrate pidgin into areas of knowledge and current affairs - to give it status and legitimacy. It's our way of valorizing this linguistic aspect of who we are.

KONTRINEWS

Plus, the simple truth still remains that most people in Nigeria don't really understand too much English. Only a small percentage of us have access to the formal education that would allow us to fully understand the Queen's English. What about the rest of the majority?

The only way is for us to translate the news stories into their language so that everyone can feel a sense of belonging and stay updated with current affairs. Nobody will be left behind or ignorant because they don't understand the language.

Because even developed countries like Jamaica, Hawaii and other Caribbean islands still value and promote their local pidgin dialects too. It's not to downplay English at all, but just to recognize the place of our lingua franca in our national identity.

And since I work from home, it really makes this job easy for me. I don't need to worry about traffic, office drama, distractions from colleagues and all those kinds of things. I'm in my comfort zone, just focused on doing my thing without any fuss.

So the work we do at KONTRINEWS is very, very critical, even though it doesn't overly stress a person out. This is how we ensure that nobody is left out or behind - to preserve and promote our language and give everyone a sense of belonging.

KONTRINEWS

That's how it's important to our society and our people. Even that local woman who didn't get a chance to go to school, she'll still understand and appreciate the happenings of the world through this remote platform. That's what makes me really enjoy this kind of work!

Yes, it doesn't overly stress a person out and the pay is good. But the biggest motivation is still the impact I see it having on my people and our society. Every day when I'm at home working, I smile because I know I'm doing something meaningful that uplifts us culturally as a nation.

There's joy in being able to promote and preserve our language and identity through my remote work, while still keeping our people educated and informed about current affairs. That's my "why"! And I hope more platforms like KONTRINEWS will still rise up to further valorize this national treasure.

So in summary, that's what I do for a living! I have a simple but meaningful remote job as an editor who translates mainstream news into sweet pidgin. It has a deep significance in preserving our language and promoting a sense of identity for all Nigerians, irrespective of class or tribe. Plus, I really enjoy it as it protects me from office drama.

Please continue sharing about your own hustles too! But as for me, I'll be at home promoting our culture and language through KONTRINEWS.