Africa doesn’t merely beat in the rhythm of drums or echo in the chants of ancient tribes—it roars through the spokes of a bicycle pedaled with audacity across borders. In a time when many seek comfort in aircrafts and automated mobility, one man dares to rewrite the story of transit and endurance by cycling from Nigeria to the United States. This isn’t just a journey of tires on tar; it’s a bold narrative rolling across cultures, laughter, danger, and discovery.
When the cyclist stumbled upon a signpost that read “Don’t Mind Your Wife Chop Bar,” he didn’t just laugh—he documented the irony that Africa constantly serves with a steaming bowl of humour and unfiltered reality. He skipped the breakfast not for fear of food, but out of respect for the story the road was telling. From the unexpected to the unforgettable, the African landscape offers metaphors on every mile, serving both challenge and cheer like a griot serving ancient wisdom in riddles.
George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.” In this context, the Nigerian rider is splendidly unreasonable. With nothing but grit, gears, and God, he rolls across the jagged arteries of West Africa, absorbing cultures, carrying hope, and gifting strangers with the rare currency of shared joy. His trip is not an escape from life, but a spiritual pilgrimage into its very essence.
Every border he crosses isn’t just geographical—it’s psychological. He peels off prejudices, crosses through ancient kingdoms reborn as nations, and reminds a continent of her fluid unity. In the words of Chinua Achebe, “The world is like a mask dancing. If you want to see it well, you do not stand in one place.” Our cyclist moves, and by moving, he sees not just the road but the soul of a people—untamed, unbroken, and ultimately unforgettable.
In Ghana, he met laughter; in Togo, he met hospitality; and now, with Côte d’Ivoire in sight, he inches closer to completing the African leg of a trip that defies logic and exalts meaning. In the villages, people bless his journey like priests on duty, calling down protection from ancestors. In the towns, children run alongside him like shadows trying to catch up with a dream. Every mile pedals a new tale, and every tale becomes a new tattoo on Africa’s collective memory.
To some, this journey may appear eccentric. But as Socrates once quipped, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” This rider examines life with every breath. With each rotation of his wheels, he collects laughter, records pain, documents joy, and immortalizes the spirit of a continent too often spoken of in pity rather than poetry. In his solitude, he becomes a living bridge between tribes, tongues, and time zones.
His tires hum songs unsung by mainstream media. He doesn’t speak in press conferences but in sweat. His manifesto isn’t drafted in a parliament but scribbled in the stories of those he meets. Africa follows him not just on GPS but in spirit, cheering him on like a mother urging her lastborn to succeed where others stopped. His bicycle, an ordinary machine, becomes a chariot of audacity and a sermon on simplicity.
This journey is no longer just his. It is Africa’s metaphorical migration—one of resilience, reinvention, and rising hope. From Nigeria to the United States, he is not just crossing continents. He is crossing assumptions. He is challenging the world to see Africa not through the lens of suffering but through the prism of strength, humor, and unshakable will. And with every mile, he echoes a silent anthem: Africa, we move.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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