What Macron Chose to Do in Nairobi and What We Should Learn from It
When @EmmanuelMacron landed in Kenya, he did not reach first for a summit table or a billionaire's boardroom. He put on his running shoes and jogged through the streets of Nairobi with @EliudKipchoge.
That single choice is worth more than a thousand communiqués.
Like Sir Roger Bannister, who broke the sub-four-minute mile in 1954, Kipchoge, the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon, even if not as an official record, and Sabastian Sawe, whose London record followed in that tradition, will forever be remembered for setting new boundaries that proved the infinite nature of human possibility. Long after today's leaders are forgotten.
Most African leaders, when they travel, compete to be photographed with the powerful. Macron, a sitting President of France, chose to be seen with the excellent. Not a strongman or a tycoon, but a marathoner. A man who became a global icon through discipline, humility, and relentless self-mastery.
That is not a small thing. What a leader chooses to honour tells you everything about what that society will eventually become.
The photographs also say something about Nairobi. A foreign Head of State jogged openly through its streets. That means the city is safe enough, organised enough, and human enough for that morning to happen.
Civilisation is not measured only by airports and towers. It is measured by whether ordinary people can walk, jog, and breathe freely in their cities. Sidewalks, public spaces, parks and livability matter.
I am a runner. I know the commitment, dedication and discipline required to maintain a running habit while in public office. I know what a shared morning run does in building a community of shared interest.
During the run, titles, positions and artificially constructed social standing fall away. What remains is just two people, breathing hard, moving forward, to the rhythm of their footfalls. At that moment, like on our deathbed, all paraphernalia dissolve and our common humanity becomes the tie that binds.
That is the Africa we must build. Cities designed for people. Leaders who celebrate competence over connection. Societies that practise the elitism of ability, not the elitism of access.
Kipchoge used that run to speak about the next generation of African athletes. Our leaders need to reconnect to the streets, feel the pulse of the people and share in both our aspirations and our anxieties.
This was beyond a run. It was a civilisational signal. A signal Africa should take seriously.
Osita Chidoka
18 May 2026
A police officer stopped a young man's car and, upon checking it, realized that his driving license had expired.
The police officer asked him why he was driving with an expired license.
He answered:
«They just fired me from my job, and the money I have is only enough for me to eat, pay rent, and my bills. I am from another state and I have come here to study at university. Plus, I have a job interview».
The police officer had the option of applying the law and prohibiting the young man from driving his car, but he decided to listen to his heart.
He parked his police vehicle, helped him tie his tie, got into the young man's car and accompanied him to the interview location.
They entered together. The #police officer apologized and explained the reason for the young man's delay. They hired him!
The young man got the job and obtained a temporary driving license until he raised enough money to renew his license.
That's humanity!
@AlbumTalksHQ one thing i like about this crew is that no body is useless everyone here has his/her duity post unlike wizkid wey belike na only people wey dey smoke igbo dey folo am waka hahahahaha
Sharon Adeleke: I think that David is one of the people that started all this being flashy and showing off and making it cool, in Nigeria.
Davido: When we came to Nigeria, Mo'Hits did it with like having a crew but you see how in America, every successful musician has a crew, his guys and all that.
Asa & Sharon: You brought that. Nobody used to do that.
— Via Apple Radio Live Takeover
Super Eagles legend, Yakubu Aiyegbeni says after 16 years, Nigerian fans still taunt him over his famous World Cup miss against South Korea in 2010
Have you forgiven The Yak 🤔💭
🚨 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥: Ronaldinho did not get called up for the 2010 World Cup by Brazil.
He was still playing in Europe at the time, getting 15 goals and 16 assists for AC Milan that season.
Most "Market Making" on Solana is terrible.
The best teams don't share their tech stack.
Today that changes. Sonic SVM acquired @ForgeX_tools, a battle-tested MM toolkit for devs/agents.
We're open-sourcing it today
GitHub: github.com/mirrorworld-un…
Here's why it matters👇