Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Joy Elias-Rilwan

Born Nigeria, 15 Jun 1954

3 facts1 source

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

Facts and their sources

  • Born15 Jun 1954, NigeriaTaken as verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 15 Jun 1954

    Born in Nigeria

Family

See the tree

Partner

During her lifetime

She has lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Nigeria.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1950s · Joy is born in Nigeria

In the news1959

First Television Broadcast in Africa

In October 1959, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) began broadcasting, making it the first television station in Africa.

Getting around

Bicycle taxis and walking in rural Nigeria

In the 1950s, people traveling to hospitals often used "cyclists" who operated their bicycles as taxis. Because roads were unpaved, passengers frequently had to walk half the journey while the cyclist carried the bike over rough terrain.

In Africa1957

Ghana leads the way to independence

Ghana became the first colony south of the Sahara to win its independence.

Daily life

Feeding a crowd for ten dollars

In 1971, a birthday celebration for a child in a compound, including rice and beef for a large crowd of children, cost only 10 dollars.

What people wore

Aso-ebi originated as mourning uniforms

Aso-ebi, the practice of family members wearing matching fabrics at events, emerged in Lagos in the 1920s and was specifically used as a uniform mourning outfit to show respect for the dead.

Music

Highlife dance and song duration

In the 1950s and 1960s, highlife dance performances often featured songs lasting about 10 minutes, with people of all ages dancing at the front of the stage.

At the table

Traditional palm wine and modern soft drinks

Palm wine was a traditional staple drink enjoyed at social gatherings and bars, while imported soft drinks like Coca-Cola and Fanta became popular status symbols at weddings and burials by the 1970s.