You gave up meat for Lent. You told everyone. You posted about it. You felt spiritually superior. Then Friday evening arrived, and the pepper soup joint called your name. The Nigerian Lent performance is a specific hypocrisy. We don't just fast. We announce. We brand. We make the sacrifice visible, measurable, and slightly competitive. "I'm giving up rice." "I'm giving up sugar." "I'm giving up Instagram." The giving up is content. The content is the point. And the loopholes! The "I don't eat meat" that becomes "I only eat fish." The "I don't eat rice" that becomes "I only eat ofada." The "I fast till 6 PM" that becomes "I fast till 3 PM because I have low blood sugar." The Lent contract is negotiable. The negotiator is always the signer. But the community! The Lent group chats. The daily check-ins. The "how are you coping?" that is really "are you coping worse than me?" The solidarity is real. The solidarity is also performance. Everyone is struggling. Everyone is pretending they're not. And Easter Sunday! The resurrection of everything you gave up. The meat returns with vengeance. The rice is mountains. The Instagram is flooded. The Lent is over. The content is complete. The spirituality is archived until next year. Did you give up anything for Lent? And did you actually stick to it, or did you find creative loopholes?
