Blanco had two special Nigerian visitors last week who were guests of Mayor Mike Arnold.
Best selling author and businessman Reno Omokri and Prince Stephen Tobins visited Blanco and the surrounding area.
Omokri said that he found Blanco’s small town folksiness lovely. This was his first visit to the Hill Country, but not his first trip to Texas.
Omokri said he’d been considering buying another house in California, when Arnold suggested that he check out Blanco, too. That was what spurred his trip to Blanco last week. Omokri and Arnold met at Omokri’s 50th birthday party in Kenya, where they talked about real estate. Omokri said Blanconians and Nigerians have more in common than one might initially think. The spirit of community, friendliness and happiness even in adversity was a common thread between the two people, he said. He shared the phrase “catching cruise,” which essentially means to be joyful or happy even when times are tough. He said that people in Blanco tell you how they feel, and because it’s a small town, people “don’t have a filter.” People in Nigeria are that way as well, he said.
Omokri was dressed in an eye-catching ensemble of traditional Nigerian clothing and jewelry, and carried a carved walking stick. He described how the outfit was part of an initiative he personally undertook to raise the profile of Nigerian craftspeople, Nigerian products, and the Nigerian currency. He talked about how he used to be quite the fashionista - wearing all designer clothes like Hermes and Prada. After recognized the impact a “Buy Nigerian” campaign could have for his country, he donated those clothes and embraced traditional attire. He encourages Nigerians (and non-Nigerians) to support the #GrowNairaBuyNaija initiative to strengthen the economy in Nigeria and highlight made-in-Nigeria goods.
While in Texas, Omokri visited the new San Antonio Spurs facility and seemed impressed by the size and the $500 million dollar price tag, but laughingly said he would not go back because “I’m 5’11 and they told me I was short. I don’t want to go back there, it was the first time I felt short in my life.”
Omokri said that Texas steakhouses also reminded him quite a bit of Nigeria. In Nigeria they have suya (grilled beef). They grill vegetables too, and he felt like the food was lovely and reminiscent of Nigerian food in these ways.
He was particularly enthusiastic to discuss religion and the journey of his Christian faith. He spoke about reading the Bible as a child, and then when he began traveling he learned Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek to deepen his understanding of scripture.
“I don’t know how long I have left on Earth, but my remaining promise of my life is to bring back scriptural Christianity, and to help people see that a lot of the things that we believe in Christendom are not based in scripture,” he said.
