Welcome to the first episode of The AlterNative African (ANA), a weekly podcast for African-born oddballs and social outcasts. I think you'll take something positive away from this series. Strap in, and enjoy the ride!

For background, here are a few bite-sized resources:

• Loneliness - a short, accessible, and educational video from popular YouTube channel Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, where they go into the historical, scientific, and evolutionary aspects of social bonds, the medical risks associated with social/tribal isolation, and ways to mitigate them.
• The Loneliness Epidemic on the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where they noted that social isolation can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
• Nigerian Stereotypes
• The definition of blerd on dictionary.com.

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