Adorable Nigerian dog festival is changing the stereotypes surrounding Africans and dogs
Dogs are often mistreated in Nigeria. Let's change that.
Two contestants in the Dog of the Year contest at the Lagos Dog Festival.
Nigeria is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to its treatment of dogs. It is one of the few countries left in the world where they are sold for their meat and many people who do own dogs keep them for protection, instead of as pets.
Matthew Nash, a lead researcher of an in-depth Dog-Friendly Country Index, ranked the country 45 out of the 51 on a list of dog-friendly countries. For the list, countries are ranked based on animal rights, pet-friendly hotels, veterinarian availability, animal protection, risk of rabies, recognition of animal sentience and animal companionship.
The good news for Nigeria and its dogs is that Jackie Idimogu, animal rights activist and organizer of the Lagos Dog Festival, is working to change her country’s relationship with dogs and doing it in a very adorable way.
For the past four years, the Lagos Dog Festival has been a way to change stereotypes of how Africans treat dogs by throwing a carnival that brings dog lovers and their furry pals together. The carnival’s main event is the Dog of the Year competition where the canines, dressed to the nines, take a walk on the red carpet.
The competition encourages dogs and their human companions to look their best while they strut their stuff.
"Since the dogs cannot express themselves vocally by saying thank you, we created Lagos Dog Carnival to create the humans that take care of these dogs, and also give awards to these dogs, it’s a way of appreciating people for the love they show to their animals," Idimogu told Africa News.
This year’s competition saw a bunch of different breeds. Siberian huskies, American Staffordshire terriers, American Eskimos, Neapolitans, French bulldogs, Maltipoos, poodle crossbreeds and golden retrievers all strutted their stuff on the red carpet.
This year's winner was Pasha, a 6-year-old Caucasian shepherd mix. He dazzled judges with his red and black outfit and black sunglasses. His look was perfect for this year’s theme, "Splashes of Colors.”
"I chose red because it is vibrant, it is royalty, it is majestic just like him," his owner Hadiza Seidu said, according to Yahoo.
Pasha may have won because he and his owner are festival regulars.
"I would say we are like veterans because this is our fourth edition, so we’ve been coming to the carnival since 2019 and it feels really good and we look forward to it because it’s an opportunity for us to interact with other dogs, for me to meet other dog lovers and for him to get to socialize, so, I always look forward to it," Seidu told Africa News.
Idimogu is happy with how the carnival is changing minds in Nigeria. "I have been able to make humans understand that dogs are not for guards like they are not just to be kept at the gate or outside the compound," Idimogu said.
"I am happy to say that Nigerians are beginning to understand the love language of these animals,” she continued.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."