🥤This woman built a braiding machine

👋 Good afternoon! I spent two days at Moonshot, and one thing kept coming up in conversations with successful people. I’ll let you in on the secret: it’s the importance of value. Wherever you find yourself, whatever role you occupy, make yourself useful. The ability to consistently bring value to what you do is one of the surest ways to remain relevant and build a career that lasts. Let’s get into it.

In this edition: This Week in Culture, an interview with an actor, are we afraid of innovation, New Music Friday, and more.

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🗞️ THIS WEEK IN CULTURE

🎵 MUSIC

Victony is joining Don Toliver’s Nitrous Tour in Europe as a special guest. The tour opened in Paris on October 25 and will run until November 24.

The one-month run is going to be a reel of performances from Victony, especially following the release of his second project, STARLIFE, in August. We’re watching closely and having fun while at it!

📽️ FILM

Clarissa, the movie by the Esiri brothers, has earned four nominations at the 36th Gotham Film Awards. The nominations include Best Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay for Chuko Esiri, Outstanding Lead Performance for Sophie Okonedo, and Breakthrough Performer for India Amarteifio. Check out the full nomination list here. 

Congratulations on the work! With what we're seeing so far, we can't wait for its cinema journey.

📚 LITERATURE

Nigerian writers Ope Adedeji and Svetlana Chigozie Onye have made the shortlist for the 2026 4thWrite Short Story Prize. Adedeji was recognised for Omugwo, while Onye made the list with London 2060. 

When announced, the winner will receive £1,000, a publishing workshop with 4th Estate and publication in The Guardian. Congratulations to both writers!

🎟️EVENT

Media company TechCabal held the fourth edition of its annual Moonshot conference at the National Theatre, Lagos, on October 28 and 29.

The conference celebrates innovation and technology, bringing together professionals, investors and interested attendees from different walks of life. We really believe that everyone should attend Moonshot, tech person or not, the things you see really opens your mind. It’s over for this year but anticipate next year’s.

⚡TRENDING

For a couple of days now, Ikeja Electric has been on an apologizing spree to its Band A customers across social media. The apologies follow its failure to meet the minimum 20-hour daily electricity supply commitment, citing grid instability and other challenges.

This has understandably resulted in angry reactions from customers, many of whom feel apologies do little when they are still not getting the electricity they pay for. Hopefully the power gets fully restored as the hot weather is no child’s play. 

PARTNER MESSAGE

Lagos Cocktail Week Brought Africa’s Cocktail Culture Home

For two days, the Cocktail Village brought together cocktail lovers, beverage brands, and hospitality professionals for a celebration of Africa’s bar culture, with a colorful and homely feel that made everyone part of the experience. Here's a recap!

Lagos Cocktail Week held its 12th edition from October 16–23, with this year’s theme, Africa Pours into Lagos. Through guest-bartender exchanges, bar takeovers, and industry conversations, the festival celebrated the flavors, techniques, and creativity behind the continent’s cocktail scene.

Held at Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, the Cocktail Village was all about good drinks, music, dancing, and fun vibes. Attendees got to explore drinks from different bars and participating beverage brands, including Orijin, Gordon’s, Lord’s Gin, and Nestlé, with games and entertainment adding to the experience.

Another highlight was the Bar Battle, which moved to the opening day this year, with the winners announced during the festival. All ending with a Grand Finale to celebrate the brands and community on the final night.

From trying new drinks to dancing and enjoying the company of fellow cocktail lovers, the Cocktail Village offered a taste of the community behind Africa’s growing bar scene.

After all, what better way to celebrate culture than by bringing people together?

MAIN SQUEEZE

Even when the roles weren’t coming, Adeyy Baqsi kept going

Adeoluwa Akintoba, popularly known as Adeyy Baqsi, started acting before his teens and has since taken on roles across comedy-drama, crime thrillers, and other genres. While projects like Sista introduced him to a wider audience, his journey has also included quieter periods when the roles he wanted weren’t coming. 

Now, with recent projects including Black Market and Tele x Zikora, he reflects on his growth and resilience as an actor, and his ambitions to create stories for younger audiences.

You started acting before your teens. At that age, acting might have been something you enjoyed without necessarily thinking of it as a career. When did you begin to see it as something you wanted to pursue seriously, and what made you stick with it?

Growing up, I always saw acting as something I’d pursue.  After my first film in Nollywood, Prophetess, was released, it was such a huge success, and I figured I’d venture fully into this new line of creative work. I always knew that I’d be big and successful at it, so I guess it was all just me fulfilling destiny. 

Your role as Fola Jr. in Sista introduced you to a wider audience. How did the reception to that role change things for you, either in the opportunities that came your way or in how people perceived you as an actor?

Sista came out in 2023. I remember that I was shooting Slum King at the time, masses kept on saying they loved the character and kept applauding the efforts that I put into the character. The reception was grand; however, the opportunities didn’t really start coming immediately after, but I persevered and just kept going and pushing. That role did show people that I had range, and I’m grateful for that. 

From the comedy-drama Prophetess to Sista and the crime thriller Slum King, you've worked across different genres and characters. How do you approach a new role when it requires you to step into a world or personality that is different from what you've done before?

For me, each character is a new soul that I have to embody. I take that process seriously, and I make sure to read my scripts over and over again. I repeat this countless times to understand it, understand the characters’ points of view, and also take in how other characters perceive my character. All this helps to shape and direct how I see and portray any character I play.

This has been a particularly busy period for you, from being part of the Guinness World Records title-winning attempt with Black Market to featuring in Tele X Zikora, which recently debuted in cinemas. Looking back at these experiences, what has this period taught you about yourself as an actor, and how have you handled the demands of moving between different projects?

Honestly, I would say all my experiences are enlightening. I remember that throughout last year, I only  filmed about two to three big projects, and I told God, “I want to do big films next year.”

So, all these films coming out from 419 to Black Market to Tele x Zikora to Aunty Toyin’s film, Bestie, it has been beautiful. I’m grateful for it, because I remember times when I was sad about having anyone call me for roles. In those times, I stuck to making content and chilling; meanwhile, I’d rather be filming. 

With Tele X Zikora now in cinemas, take us through your experience working on the film. What drew you to the project, and was there anything about the role or production that challenged you in a way you didn't expect?

When I got the script for Tele x Zikora, I called the director immediately to ask her when shooting would commence. That’s how much I love the project, and I’m grateful I got to be on the project. As for challenges, there were no challenges for me. Shout-out to production; they made it so easy for us on set. 

Outside acting, are there other aspects of filmmaking you're interested in exploring, such as directing, writing, or producing? What appeals to you about those parts of the process?

Yes, that will be Creative Production, although I sometimes think about directing, but we’ll see. I’d also like to be a showrunner. For me, I want to create stories and build story worlds, especially for the younger audience. That audience is such an untapped one, and I really can’t wait to start telling these stories. Let me just say, I,  Adeoluwa Akintoba, already have something in the works. 

🔪 THE PEEL

Are we afraid of what innovation might take from us?

The discourse

Yinka Ogunbiyi, a biomechanical engineer, made an addition to the beauty industry by building HaloBraid, a machine that gets hair braided quickly and with less stress. She says she built HaloBraid for her mum, her stylists, her aunties, and people around the world who know what it means to spend hours in the chair.

While this is undeniably groundbreaking work, it is too early to tell if it will catch on. It has also already drawn mixed reactions from people. A number of people have commended it; others have questioned its usefulness, stating that the money used for this could have gone into creating more useful machines and solutions. One person even raised concerns about people whose means of livelihood could be affected by the introduction of the machine.

Is this resistance to change justifiable, or does it prevent us from recognizing what the invention could do? When new technology promises to make life easier but threatens familiar ways of working, are we resisting progress or protecting things we have good reason to value?

Peeling it back

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, innovation is the introduction of something new. It could be an entirely new invention or a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. In simple terms, it means introducing something that changes how things are done, often with the aim of making them better or easier.

In cooking, people no longer have to bend their backs over mortars and pestles to make fine pastes or prepare delicacies like pounded yam and amala. There are now motorized pounders, food processors, and other appliances to do so. This does not mean food vendors and hospitality businesses have become irrelevant. If anything, these tools give people more options and can make certain tasks less stressful.

In the fashion and clothes-making industry, sewing machines have also changed the way clothes are made. They allow tailors to work faster and take on more orders without having to sew every stitch by hand. Yet, people still need tailors to cut fabrics, take measurements, and bring their designs to life. Introducing a machine does not necessarily mean the end of the work people have been doing; it also means including people living with disabilities. 

Another layer

In every era, there have been jobs that became obsolete and disappeared. There were things people did before computers came along, and people had to evolve from using typewriters to working with computers. Today, we are having similar conversations about artificial intelligence.

The phrase "AI will take our jobs" has become a concern in certain industries, especially as businesses adopt tools that can perform tasks previously handled by people. Some companies have cut jobs, while others have changed the way their workers operate.

The fears can’t be dismissed either.  Understandably, people are worried about what these developments could mean for their livelihoods. Not everyone will have the resources or opportunities to make that transition easily. So, while it is easy to celebrate what technology can do, it is also important to consider what happens to the people whose work it changes.

This brings us back to HaloBraid. For someone getting their hair braided, it is exciting. For a hairstylist whose income depends on braiding, however, the same invention could affect the future of their business. And for many clients and stylists, the hours in the chair are also hours of socialization and company, not only labor. For many like this person, it is an experience some won’t ever consider abandoning.

But even though the machine does part of the work faster, will customers still be willing to pay the same amount for the service? Could it help hairstylists take on more customers, or could it eventually reduce the demand for their services?

These answers will differ from person to person because innovation doesn’t benefit everyone equally. There is also the question of cost and accessibility. An invention might be impressive, but can people afford it? If it is too expensive or does not address a need people consider important, it is understandable that they might question its value.

The core

Sometimes, resistance comes from a genuine concern about what we stand to lose. Other times, it might mean we are yet to recognize the possibilities of something new. 

Not every new invention will be useful to everyone, and not every concern about it is resistance to change. Still, we should be willing to consider the possibilities of new ideas before dismissing them entirely. Innovation should not be beyond criticism.

There’s a balance to strike, and then, an embrace to be earned. HaloBraid may well save hours in the chair. But if those hours also carry conversation and social connection, it is right to consider what people would rather do with that time, and what they may lose along the way.

🎵 PRESSED BY THE JUICE

On this week’s playlist, we’ve got Omah Lay and Gunna on a track, Ṣẹwà, Tiwa Savage, Reekado Banks, Yarden, and more ready to hit your speakers. Now let’s get into it!

Save your favorites, as New Music Box💿 is updated every Friday! 

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