Eid Kabir, also known as “Eid ul-Adha” or “Eid Qurban”, is the most important festival among the three grand festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide annually, including in northern Nigeria. The other two are “Eid Fitr” and “Eid Maulud.”
Eid Kabir is also celebrated to mark the ending of “Hajj”, the pious pilgrimage to the city of Makkah, and observed on the very last day of the religious journey. The festival is celebrated on the tenth day of ‘Dhul Hijjah’, which is the twelfth and last month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the date shifts approximately eleven days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. This celebration of Eid Kabir goes on extending up to the thirteenth day of Dhul Hijjah.
Origin/History and Significance of Eid Kabir to Muslims
Eid Kabir, also known also as Eid Qurban or Eid ul-Adha, both meaning “Festival of the Sacrifice”, traces its origin from the story of Prophet Ibrahim according to the Quran.
Prophet Ibrahim had made prayer and promised to God to sacrifice a child of his own if God blessed him with children. After being granted his wish by God, the oath Prophet Ibrahim made visited him in his dreams where he dreamt he was slaughtering his firstborn son named Ismail. He then informed Ismail about the dream, who insisted that his father fulfill God’s command.
Ibrahim then took Ismail to ‘Mount Moriah’ where he intended to carry out his intentions. The devil (Shaytan) however, did not like the decision Ibrahim had made to obey God. So he tried persuading him not to.
But the prophet did not listen, with the help of ‘Angel Jibreel’, he threw pebbles at Shaytan in order to drive him away from the scene. After he succeeded and Shaytan was gone, Ibrahim proceeded further to carry out his intended act. However, God in his infinite mercy looked upon the dutiful heart of Ibrahim and sent Angel Jibreel a ‘ram’ in order to give to Ibrahim to replace Ismail for the intended sacrifice. Hence, Ismail was saved.
Eid Kabir since then has been celebrated annually by Muslims across the world to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command and fulfillment of his promise. Each year, Muslims on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah sacrificed rams to celebrate this festival. In its absence, sacrificed cows, goats, and camels are used.
Eid Activities in Northern Nigeria
Festivals are a time to play songs people know and are looking forward to hearing.
Here in northern Nigeria, Eid Kabir also known as ‘Babban Sallah’ or ‘Sallan Layya’ is celebrated by Muslims before and during the festival in so many ways. The whole atmosphere turns into a cheerful and festive mood where northerners engage in the following:
1. Beautification of Self
Starting from a week to Eid Kabir, the complete and thorough beautification of the body is common among northern Nigerian Muslims.
As observed, practices among women include grooming of toes and fingernails, styling and braiding of hair, and “Lalle”. Boys/men similarly engage in grooming of nails and barbing of hair.
Both parties busy themselves purchasing fabrics and handing them to tailors to make beautiful outfits for them to wear throughout the festive period.
Markets become full while orders are made online, and everyone is in feverish excitement to buy clothes and accessories to adorn himself/herself with in order to look their best on the occasion.
2. Purchasing of Sacrificial Rams/Animals
As earlier said, Eid Kabir is a time when Muslims everywhere are striving to purchase rams or other animals which they are to use for sacrifice, starting mostly from a fortnight to it. Although the sacrifice itself is not made until the marked day, this purchasing; mandated for those who can afford it, is mostly done beforehand as rams then are generally cheaper.
This means that the earlier you buy them, the cheaper they will be. Men can be seen everywhere buying and transporting rams in preparation for the big day.
3. Attending Communal Prayer (Eid Prayer)
Young and old, male and female, are seen on the morning of Eid Kabir in large and countless congregations making their journey noisily and vibrantly in new attires to attend communal prayer/Eid prayer nearest to them.
This Eid prayer, also known as ‘Salat al-Eid’, is a special morning prayer after sunrise, offered to commemorate two Islamic festivals. The first is offered on Eid Fitr while the second is offered on Eid Kabir. Although this prayer is not exactly mandatory, it is highly recommended for Muslims considering the huge reward associated with it.
Traditionally, Eid prayers are offered in large congregations in open fields separating the women from the men. Two ‘Raka’ats’ are prayed. Eid Kabir prayer unlike Eid Fitr is offered in an earlier and more hastened manner as the slaughtering of rams at home comes immediately after the prayers.
Common religious practices of Muslims on Eid day in relation to this prayer include:
Taking of ritual bath before going to the mosque.
Wearing one’s new or best outfit.
Going on foot to the prayer ground using different routes for the journey to and fro.
Eating only upon returning from Eid prayers.
4. Slaughtering of Rams and Sharing of Meat (Layyah)
Eid Kabir is all about sacrificing an outlined animal and giving out parts of it for charity. Without this, the festival is meaningless. As such, the most important moment everyone is waiting for comes right after the offering of Eid prayers on the first day of Eid Kabir; which is why in Egypt, they refer to it as the ‘Meat Festival’.
After the sacrificial animal is slaughtered, men can be seen engaging themselves in butchering the animal. Right after, women in the households take over, preparing the meat in various ways through frying and making of ‘Dambu’ and other recipes for eid.
Families will normally engage the services of ‘Mahauta’ to butcher the animal. But before that, the person to offer the sacrifice; who is financially able, sound man, and reached the age of puberty, will slit the animal’s throat after offering some words of prayers.
The skin of the slaughtered animal is then given in charity to mosques. Whereas the meat of the animal is divided into three parts and shared in charity among the needy, neighbors, and the owner’s immediate family.
5. Cooking and Sharing Food and Snacks in Large Quantities
Of course, no festival is complete without the attestation of the stomach. A wedding or naming ceremony, it is grand. But for Eid Kabir, it is even grander.
Northern women are marvelous when it comes to preparing food. During the first and second day of Eid, they can be seen setting up firewood or otherwise under the wide-open sky; where they chat, joke, and laugh while preparing Rice, ‘Tuwo’, ‘Waina’, ‘Sinasir’, or any other food or snack of their choice.
Food and drinks prepared are served to anyone visiting on the Eid period or sent to family and friends elsewhere. Also, this food is distributed to neighbors, typically by children of the house, who are more than happy to attend this errand in order to receive the customary ‘Goron Sallah’, one of the biggest highlights of Eid for them.
6. Visiting Family and Friends (Yawon Sallah)
Festivals are happy places and you don’t really want to enjoy them on your own.
If you are not visiting anyone on the day of Eid, be sure to expect visitors streaming in casually at all times. Why? Because Eid is a period where neighbor’s relatives, friends, and colleagues casually drop in to check on one another and share in the celebration and also give or receive “Goron Sallah”.
In northern Nigeria, celebrating Eid Kabir alone is unheard of. These visits happen mostly in the next three days after Eid and can continue up to a week.
7. Attending Cultural Parade (Hawan Bariki and Hawan Daushe)
The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals
Siddarth Katradagga
Among the Hausa people, ‘Hawa’ meaning ‘Mounting’, is what makes Eid special in Northern Nigeria. It also distinguishes it from other Eid celebrations across the country and world. This is a cultural event where colorfully dressed horsemen mounted on colorfully decorated horses, match across streets while being cheered on by a large crowd of Muslims dressed in beautiful attire.
Hawan Bariki and Hawan Daushe are examples of this parade observed on the second and third days of Eid Kabir respectively, each one having its cultural importance. These two types of Hawan Sallah are popular in northern Nigerian states including Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina.
They have been passed on from generation to generation and are held in very high esteem by the northerners that even members of the royal households including the king partake in this parade. The king waves and smiles at the people as he progresses slowly on his richly dressed horse and is escorted by palace members.
This rich tradition has made it annually possible for people to be linked up or reunited on the streets as they witness this parade, Also, it is a chance for the king to have close contact with his residing subjects and share in their celebration. In addition to that, every year, it keeps the tradition of the Hausa people alive.
8. Going on Family Outings or Organized Events
If you are a restaurant, bakery, ice cream, or any food/confectionary or event center owner, then it is the time of year for you to smile. Be sure to step up your game because family/friends’ outings, funfairs, school reunions, and other social events are all there to patronize you during Eid celebrations.
Here in northern Nigeria, families can be seen swarming in eateries to have good quality time. Because Eid Kabir is a public holiday period, social events such as kid funfairs and adult school reunions among others are a part of activities planned beforehand and enjoyed during Eid.
9. Watching Religious Shows/ Pilgrims’ Activities
Apart from sermons, T.V shows, “The Message” which is displayed annually during Eid Kabir is popular among Muslims in northern Nigeria, it is an epic historical drama chronicling the life and times of the Messenger of God. This is shown every year to serve as a lesson to all and a reminder to those already familiar with it.
In addition, since Eid Kabir also marks the end of the Muslim annual pilgrimage in Makkah, their activities are displayed also on T.V. It has become part of Eid celebrations for Muslims in northern Nigeria to sit down and watch these shows.
10. Taking of Pictures/Internet Saga
Click! Smartphone cameras have replaced the traditional way of visiting photo studios to take photos during Eid. Although some people still maintain this tradition, most people prefer to conveniently take pictures with their phones at every step of their Eid celebration. This they keep for memories or to share with their family and friends.
In this 21st century, the internet, especially social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter Instagram, and Snapchat, has become very busy with people uploading and sharing experiences of themselves and others. Women especially busy themselves with sharing photos of their hennas. All in a jolly mood to keep the spirit of Eid alive days on after the celebration has ended.
This internet saga enables people separated by a large distance and unable to visit one another to continually share in each other’s celebrations.
Conclusion
Looking back at these activities carried out by Muslims in northern Nigeria to celebrate Eid Kabir, one automatically feels like dropping by to personally share in the joyous mood and experiences of this period; which is a time of sharing and caring.
Visit Northern Nigeria, share in the hospitality of the Eid period, and tell us your own experiences of celebrating Eid Kabir in northern Nigeria.
Photos of someone who is fully or partially naked are known as nudes. Things can go wrong after you’ve shared photographs with someone you trust. The person to whom you sent them may threaten to post these images of you online out of rage or for another reason, or they may be distributed to friends.
In other cases, the wrong person might get their hands on your photos and try to blackmail you this is sometimes referred to as “sextortion” and is illegal.
Nude leaking is a type of ‘image-based sexual abuse’ known as revenge porn (legal term). This is a problem that affects people of all ages. However, incidences involving teenagers to people in their mid-twenties have been the most frequently recorded.
So here is what to do if someone threatens to leak your nudes. Before we get into that, one piece of advice to avoid all of this inconvenience is to never, ever post your nude. A relationship does not guarantee a lifetime of happiness, which is why you should never trust anyone with your naked photo. A failed relationship can lead to unstable behavior, and revealing your nude may be part of the deal.
What to Do If Someone Threatens to Leak Your Nudes
1. Do Not Blame Yourself
The first thought that comes to mind is to blame yourself for sending the nudes, but that isn’t fair. Just because you send someone a nude doesn’t mean they have your permission to share it. You put your faith in them to keep your personal information private. They betrayed your trust and put you in a dangerous position. Remember that ‘image-based abuse’ refers to sharing (or threatening to share) someone’s photos or videos without their permission. It’s a very serious problem. It’s not your fault, and you’re not alone.
2. Screenshot Proof or Record of Evidence
What to do if someone threatens to leak your nudes is to get proof either by a way of screenshot or by recording. If you are threatened, this is something you must do immediately. When something like this happens, it’s easy to want to forget about it and go on, but screenshotting the threat can provide documentation of the abuse and be valuable if you need to report it or take legal action against the individual who threatened you.
Make a list of as much information as you can on the threat (or threats). If you’ve been threatened by text messages, make sure to grab screenshots as proof.
Take down the name and contact information of everyone who overheard or witnessed the individual threatening you. If you chose to pursue legal action, they could be a witness.
3. Tell a Trusted Adult or a Friend
If you have someone in your life that you completely trust, you should inform them. We understand that you may be concerned about being judged or having rumors spread about you. However, talking about it is the most effective way to safeguard your mental health and find a solution. They may be able to refer you to the most trustworthy adult in your life who can empathize, be nonjudgmental, and help you through this difficult time.
4. Report to the Police or NGO
Another thing to do when someone threatens to leak your nudes is to report it to the police or NGO. If someone is blackmailing you by demanding money, sex, or anything else, you should contact the authorities right away and provide evidence of the blackmail. The police, on the other hand, may treat the issue with impunity, which is why you should seek out an NGO willing to take up the case.
Some NGOs that deal with this issue in the North include:
1. House of Hilkiah Foundation: An NGO based in Markurdi Benue dedicated to the promotion of human welfare and social reforms
3. Sexual Awareness and Response Initiative: This NGO is located in Abuja and they deal with any form of sexual abuse which including when someone is threatening to leak your nudes which is an act of image-based sexual abuse.
You can also call these Police hotline numbers if you’re faced with blackmail;
1. Adamawa: 08089671313
2. Kano: 08123821575, 08032419754
3. Kaduna: 08123822284
4. Katsina: 08075391255, 08075391250
5. Zamfara: 08106580123
6. Abuja: 08032003913
Blackmail is always handled as a criminal violation so you have the option of hiring a lawyer to help you deal with the threat. If there is so much value associated with the nude that you risk losing your reputation, then you must take this step.
If the person is unknown, you may need to hire a private investigator, which will be more expensive. Again, if found, the offender is likely to face jail time and may even be forced to compensate you for your losses.
In Nigeria, there have been numerous internet revenge porn cases, particularly in recent years of internet upheaval. The Nigerian enactments covering the subject of revenge porn are the Criminal Code Statute and the Cyber-crimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act 2015, but the cybercrimes act covers the issue comprehensively, particularly in Section 24 Paragraph B, which specifies the penalty, which is a fine of not more than 7 million Naira or imprisonment for a term, not more than 3 years, or both.
From the foregoing, the Nigerian legislation prohibits sharing of such contents without the consent of the other person captured on it, the legislation that pertains close to the matter of revenge porn has covered the area fully. It can be confidently argued that under Section 24 of CYBERCRIMES (prohibition, Prevention Act 2015), revenge porn is a punishable offense so if anyone threatens to leak your nude you are covered by this section.
Should I Talk to the Person?
You might feel compelled to respond to the person who is threatening you right away and beg them to stop. Keep in mind that each circumstance is unique. If the individual who is threatening you is a stranger, you should report them rather than respond.
If the individual is an ex or someone you know, consider what you might gain from speaking with them. You are free to approach them and ask them to stop or remove the photograph if you feel safe doing so. However, you should not feel obligated to do so; you can simply report it without contacting them personally.
Conclusion
The problem that victims of revenge porn have is that they are unable to disclose such cases to the appropriate authorities because they are afraid of being judged and ridiculed in public. When confronted with such problems and the images or files being spread online, the police should be alerted or legal advice sought on the next course of action.
Many revenge porn incidents have been recorded as a result of the widespread use of social mediain this day and time, but only a few people are aware of how to combat this threat.
Because the world is changing on a daily basis, regulations should be enacted to keep up. These provisions should be re-evaluated by legislators to ensure that they are still relevant. Let me know if any of these helped in the comments.
The title says it all; you should know that this is a comprehensive guide on how to become a Stock Photographer. Continue to read if you are an aspiring stock photographer or if you are curious about it. Oh well, your curiosity will be well fed here so stay with me.
What is Stock Photography
Stock photography has been on trend since the 1920s. It is defined as a collection of images that are licensed for certain purposes such as magazine publication or pamphlet production. In short, it is simply the production and supply of photographs for specific use. These photographs are often licensed.
I am sure you have seen pictures while surfing the internet with the watermarks- Getty images, Shutter stock, and others like the 10 best stock image sites, or maybe you have randomly searched for girls with green eyes and blue hair, where you see different images pop up with watermarks as though they have been waiting for you to ask. That is exactly what stock photography is. If you have a passion for photography or you are looking to earn money off photography, then the five comprehensive steps that I have put together on how to become a stock photographer below are for you.
How to Become a Stock Photographer
1. Get Equipment and Experience
There are lots of good mobile phones that can take good images almost as well as cameras do but if you are looking into becoming a professional stock photographer and not just for hobby’s sake, you will need a good camera; a DSLR is a top choice for a lot of people and a good one to start with. You’ll also require a system as well as software to edit your pictures with.
Adobe Photoshop app would be a good starter. When you have the necessary equipment the next thing to do is get the skills you need to kick start your stock photography plan into action. You can do this by attending photography workshops, registering for online training classes, doing research, and reading important books or notes you need to improve your skill.
2. Shoot and Edit Your Photos
No matter how much you learn theoretically, the only way to truly improve your skills and start earning while making a name for yourself is by practising and shooting pictures. Shoot pictures and apply the editing skills by using the best software you’ve been learning from them.
Don’t just take one, take a lot and work on them, then ask people to rate them and help you choose the best. Continue to do this until you feel you’ve gained a good mastery of producing good pictures. The tips below will help you with that:
Make Use of Your Tripod
If you don’t have a tripod, then you need to get one. A tripod helps in cancelling blurry or shaky photos, which is the last thing you want your pictures to look like. Stock photographs should be sharp, focused, and crisped. A tripod stand helps you get that.
Shoot High-Quality Pictures
Stock photographs aren’t pictures you just take on a whim, they are well thought out and planned and to shoot one picture, you would need to do some pre-shoot work like setting resolutions, checking pixel size, going through the camera, and even lighting settings. The same way you love to get great pictures on your mobile for your Instagram, the same thing applied to these agencies or websites you are submitting your pictures to.
Put Your Training from the Photography Workshop into Use
You might want to experiment and try out new things for yourself and that is totally okay and encouraged even, but while you are doing that, do not discard the knowledge and skills you have learnt while training especially when you are just starting. If it gets confusing, check theeasy steps to put you through.
3. Brand Your Kind of Photography
This basically has to do with the kind of pictures you take as they will help you in choosing your brand name and professional signature. In case you are wondering what a professional signature is, it is the mark you leave on your photos to help people recognize your work once they see it.
After this, choose a brand name wisely, and be careful not to pick one that is already in use by someone else.
4. Find and Embrace Your Area of Specialization
This is also referred to as choosing a niche and refers to the type of pictures you want to be known for. Do you want to take pictures of the oceans, mountains or restaurants, or even children in the park? Choosing a niche is something that should be done carefully because it can boost your work and pull more attention to you. How do you do this?
Take time to watch the kind of things that interest you and make you whip your camera out. The things you shoot constantly most times show what your interest is in and the signature you have created for yourself. An advantage that you could have when selecting a niche is choosing one that isn’t common. However, whatever you do, build on an area that you are really good at. Check out this course, it promises to make you a better and more self-aware photographer.
5. Search and Submit to Agencies/Website
Every agency or website that purchases stock photographs, has different protocols and guidelines with which they operate. Make sure that you read through their website and understand the rights that they will have over your photographs once you have sold them to them before you make a choice.
Conclusion
Stock photography isn’t a walk in the park-like you’d think. But it could be over time. Here’s my point, it takes effort, skill, and time to be an excellent stock photographer. So keep with the trend, make your research and be good at it. I’m rooting for you.
Leave a comment below if it’s a part of photography you’ll want to try out.
This means the visual content (images) that are taken by the photographers for an agency or outlet that allows it to be circulated and bought with the necessary license. Simply put, the stock is the image that is being sold in stock photography.
Are stock images free?
Not exactly. However, there are websites where you can get free stock images, these include pexels, unsplash, and a few others.
How much does a stock photographer make?
Determining how much a stock photographer is based on so many other factors asides from selling stock images. Although, it has been estimated that a good stock photographer makes an average amount of $3,200 monthly and $37,000 yearly. Note: it might not be constant.
How do I become a stock photo photographer?
Pretty simple, follow the comprehensive step-by-step guide above and do detailed research online.
Can you make a living with stock photography?
Yes, yes, and yes. However, it is not easy, just like how every other career needs time, effort, and excellence, stock photography does too.
Is stock photography profitable?
Yes. You can earn from selling stock photos but you have to put in a lot of work.
How can I earn money with stock photos?
One of the most common ways to make money with stock photographs is through microstock where images are sold from as small as a few cents to tens of dollars.
How much money can I make selling stock photos?
This depends on whether you’re selling individually without royalty or if you are selling with an extended license. Without royalty, you can earn 25-45 cents per image per month but if you get royalty payments, you can earn up to $500 per sale.
Is Stock Photography right for me?
Photography can be an escape and means different things for different people. If you are passionate about photography and the idea of taking stock photographs excites you then, I think stock photography is right for you.
What is the realistic income from stock photography 2022?
It is quite apparent that people nowadays manage to use their smartphones to perform almost every task that is traditionally known to be done on a computer. For instance, photo editing which was normally done using computers has now been made easy and can be done using smartphones thanks to the tons of android photo editors, most especially the free android photo editors available on the net.
An android photo editor is a mobile phone software specifically developed for the purpose of editing pictures on mobile devices. Tons of free android photo editors out there that offer varying astonishing editing features you can use to perform so many things like designing flyers for advert purposes. This will save you the cost of having to necessarily hire a professional graphic designer.
You might have been looking for a perfect application for your project but finding it difficult to get the one that best suits your needs. So many other people out there might be having issues similar to yours. In honour of that, we decided to compile a list of the top 10 android free photo editors to use in 2021.
10 Free Android Photo Editors
1. Fotor
Fotor Photo Editor is one of the most incredible free android photo editors to use in 2021. The Powerful, user-friendly and globally accessible app Fotor, is widely known for its amazing photo collaging feature. It also has in addition, some basic photo editing tools such as red-eye removal, the use of stickers and overlays, cropping, photo deblurring, aperture addition and so on. Fotor has also a web and desktop version of the app.
Canva is a free android photo editor, used mostly in creating social media graphics, posters, Instagram stories, video collages, other visuals and lots more. There exist in the app, some predefined templates for users to use. The software is absolutely free to use.
Nevertheless, there is a paid version of the app like the Canva Pro and Canva for Enterprise for additional capabilities.
VSCO is a free android photo editing software (with and in-app purchases if need be) and also a social networking app just like Instagram. It is best known for its unique and massive collection of preset filters. VSCO filters enhance your photos without distorting the quality or making the photo look too filtered.
It has many other features than just filters, many of the standard features that come in most editing apps, like tools to fix exposure, contrast, and straighten and crop pictures, and they’re all available for free without having to buy VSCO X.
Google-owned free android photo editor known as Snapseed is a free photo editing app that comes with so many extraordinary features and presets that are quite convenient to use. The app has some good photo editing features that are inherent to desktop photo editing software. You can adjust things like contrast, shadows, brightness, saturation, and many more.
PhotoDirector is a photo editing application designed specifically for the purpose of enhancing the look of your photos. It allows you to vivify your photos using some special effects built into the app. You can also easily remove undesirable objects, change the background of the photo, and many more outstanding features.
Photo Effects Pro is a remarkable free online photo editing app to use in 2021. This app is easy and fun to use with numerous elegant features. Some of the things you can do with this app include the addition of frames, texts, speech bubbles, fixing of photos, adjustment and application of filters to your photos in a web browser.
Pixel Lab is the most amazing free android photo editor with which you can practically do almost everything that has to do with photo editing and graphics design. It has several astounding features, some of which include; creation and customization of text, 3d text, different shapes, stickers, background removal, a wide selection of presets, fonts, stickers, backgrounds, you’ll be able to create stunning graphics and amaze your friends straight from your phone.
Pixel lab is absolutely free to use. Get pixel lab app on your phone.
8. PicsArt
PicsArt is a free android photo editor with so many promising features to give your edited photos a perfect look. Some of the best features this app is known for are the background erasing feature, background changing, unwanted objects removal, adding filters to images, customized texts with over 200 font styles and lots more.
LightX is one of the best free photo editors that has almost every feature a good photo editor should have. LightX app has some fascinating features such as photo background removal and changer feature, photo collaging, good stickers, frames for your pictures, cartoon making a feature, blurring of images, portrait photos making, changing of hair colour, splash effects, and many more.
With LightX photo editor, you can as well put text on your photos and can also create a customized text for your works. Get it from thestore.
10. Adobe Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop Express is one of the best quick free android photo editors someone can have on his smartphone. It has a lot of classic features such as automatic correction of contrast, exposure, white balance, removal of red-eye effect, adding text, preset crop shapes as well as adding shadows and many more. Photoshop Express also has hundreds of filters within its library. Download Adobe Photoshop Express here.
The above-listed apps are the best free photo editors we deem everyone should have in his smartphone. Similarly, if you know or have an idea about any good photo editor which you think should be included in this article, please endeavour to let us know about it by dropping a piece in our comment box.
