2020 has been quite the year but amidst all the doom and gloom there were moments of joy and flashes of light.
It was a year where we stayed at home more than any time in recent history, and thankfully, we had the internet, social media, digital entertainment to keep us inspired, connected and entertained.
One highlight for us was Viola Davis’ tweet and this viral video of the 11 year old Nigerian boy dancing ballet in the rain who stole our hearts and evidently the hearts of millions more around the world, ending up bagging multiple scholarship offers from prestigious dance schools around the world.
Another highlight, also a video which went viral, was from the Nigerian comedian, Josh Alfred aka Josh2funny which became the focal point of the ‘Don’t leave me’ challenge.
At a time when the global pandemic and lockdowns kept us apart, this challenge brought us together and rocked the world in hilarious waves from Africa to Europe, Asia and the Americas.
And then, one man prayed down curses on another man, praying ‘may he suffer 600 years in this life…’, birthing the hilarious trend of #600years.
You may have noticed this trend on social media and may have been wondering, why 600 years? Or maybe you didn’t even notice but now you’re reading this and also wondering, why 600 years? What’s this trend all about? Well, get comfy and read on for all the funny details.
It started when a video surfaced in which a self-acclaimed pastor in Nigeria is seen quarrelling with another man and after several loud threats of ‘I go comot ya teeth’ (I will remove your teeth) and ‘I go beat you now, now!’ (I will beat you here and now) at the height of the shouting match, he drops his black satchel bag on the floor, hitches up his trousers and he bends down to rub his palms against the earth. He then stands up, raises both hands up in the air and with his face pointed towards the sky, he prays “after preaching…that boy said I’m a beggar, let this boy suffer for 600 years in this life, let this boy beg until he goes to prison…”
Since this video went viral on social media, it has spawned a slew of parody videos including this one by a Youtuber named Lord Sky which has garnered over 100,000 views since the musical mix parody was uploaded at the end of August.
Another extremely hilarious and creative parody video is by the Instagram user @tymharry_ who mixed short clips from a number of different scenes from Hollywood and Nollywood movies to create a tight, action-packed, hilarious dialogue. The different scenes are obviously non-related but through a brilliant juxtaposition, the video comes alive perfectly and worthy of ROTFL status!
For instance, the video opens up with an actual scene from the original video where the pastor is shouting at the man and saying, “You called me a mad man!” The video cuts to Jeff (in ‘Accounting for Lawyers’ Episode 2, Season 2 of American TV Series, Community) saying, “I never said it. You may have heard it, I may have thought it and it may be true, but I never said it.” This was just plain H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! You have to watch it for yourself!
Content creators like @olorunsegunolorunfemi on Instagram drew inspiration from #600years in creating their works.
Some businesses jumped on the trend as well to connect with their customers.
Some others turned the 600 years curse into a blessing…
And so played out the fame of #600years. Even staying at home, there was enough to ensure not a dull moment!
The quirks and hilarity of the year didn’t end there. At a certain point in the year, the prices of foodstuff in Nigeria rose markedly. Trust Nigerians to find the laughs in an otherwise uncomfortable period.
Onions, one of the affected foodstuff skyrocketed to an all-time high, forcing many to do without or look for cheaper alternatives. See below what some of our able Nigerians resorted to:
A toon with a man reading “How to cook without onions”, and a caption “#600years of blessings for the author of this book. Order your copy now. 😀 :-D” What could be more hilarious!
So we see how 2020 became the year when in an interesting twist of fate, a self-acclaimed pastor praying down curses in a dramatic fashion on someone to suffer for 600 years in this life turned out to be a blessing for same ‘pastor’ as this has brought him fame and fortune. Shortly after the video went viral, he was gifted a house by a certain politician and since then has been featured in various comedy skits. Some truly roundabout year.
As we go into 2021, we look forward to moments of joy, flashes of light and the next 600 years.