Humans Of HumAngle, Who Are They Really? — Outside The Workplace
Hello! Rolake here, the reporting and multimedia intern from our previous article. If you already know who I am, I’m doing a standing ovation for you.
If you don’t — perhaps this is even your first time here — you can read through our previous articles on Medium and check out our TikTok page to get an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at HumAngle.
HumAngle, as you may know, is dedicated to sharing stories relating to development and humanitarian issues across Africa. And every one of the employees has proven to be at the top of their game when it comes to work.
Oliver Nanzing Lipdo ensures that the office is always in optimal condition as he would cater for his own property. Shade Mary-Ann Olaoye, our multi-talented Assistant Audience Engagement Editor, keeps our audiences up to speed with all we do. Anthony Asemota, the brain behind the rich multimedia content that keeps you updated, also never tires. To mention a few, of course.
This utmost dedication to work has caused me to wonder what exactly their life is like outside work. Do they have a social life, and if they do, what is it like? Do they have different personalities at work and outside work? What are their opinions on some non-work related topics? (Shout out to ‘Kunle Adebajo for inspiring this article.)
Everybody at the office knows that the recently wedded Seun is very smitten with the love of her life. The way she speaks of him isn’t exactly letting the singles at the office breeve.
Of course, Sheriff Samir is a corps member who attends NYSC CDS every week, Halima Shuaibu is an exceptionally skilled beauty content creator, and Damilola Lawal has a raving love for boots and spreading its gospel until, hopefully, the whole world wears them.
I interviewed a handful of the Humans of HumAngle. If you recognise your fave, feel free to comment and share this story with your network. And if you don’t, you can still comment and share. Don’t enjoy the goodness of this article alone. Love only grows by sharing.
Given the fun and bubbly atmosphere at the office, it came as a shock that nearly every person interviewed claimed to be introverted.
Even Damilola believes she is an introvert, the same person who said, “I think that to a certain extent, I would describe myself as childish. I love swings and games, and I love having fun without barriers.”
Another person I interviewed was Mahdi Garba, the historical non-fiction-loving Humanitarian Reporter, who claims to be a Yoruba man masked in Hausa men’s clothing. He reportedly lived among the Yoruba for about five years and raved about how much he loves pounded yam and egusi soup, a staple dish among his hosts.
However, should we be surprised that despite all his experiences with his Yoruba brothers, he still doesn’t speak the language?
One of the questions I asked was, if they were to strip themselves of their job, how would they describe life outside the friendly workspace?
Shade, whom Kingsley Chibueze describes as HumAngle’s laugher, said, “I like to create, discover new things about myself, and find every possible avenue to bring joy into my life.”
For Mahdi, he cooks because he likes food. “I follow food recipe channels and pages online,” he explained. (He should be protected at all costs.)
Samir, the tech intern who has comfortably assumed the role of a reporter and multimedia guy by association, described himself as a problem-solver. He loves playing games and watching movies. He even recommended a movie to me. (I’m not telling you the title, by the way. Go and find your own movie plug.)
“I’m very beautiful, caring, kind, and funny. I also take good care of my husband and I’m very useful to society.” Yes, you guessed right. This response was from our madam, Oluwaseun.
“Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a social butterfly, I have a big social life. I’m into Entertainment. I have a record label where I get to manage artists,” Kingsley said.
Who would have thought that Kingsley, our illustrations and animations specialist, has long legs in the Entertainment Industry? Interesting.
If you’re an upcoming artist, Kingsley is your guy, and I’m his manager. Contact me for further details.
It is no news that HumAngle has one of the best working environments ever. Mr Ahmad Salkida has cracked the game when it comes to creating a favourable workspace where the staff can feel comfortable and deliver on their jobs.
This is why the majority of the responses I got still mentioned HumAngle, joyfully.
If you ask me, that’s a big win. Take Mansir Muhammed, for example, who said, “I have combined a lot of my personal life with my work life that it feels almost the same,” and Damilola, who says that she is mostly at the office on work-from-home days.
Everyone on the staff would choose to work here over and over because, with all the drama happening in Nigeria, HumAngle provides a safe environment you can call home.
Written by: Rolake Ogunfeitimi.
Edited by: ‘Kunle Adebajo & Mahdi Garba.
