Pitakwa
This article uses humor, cultural insight, and conversational storytelling to challenge common misconceptions about Port Harcourt. Through lived experience and local context, the piece reframes the city as vibrant, diverse, and misunderstood, celebrating its people, lifestyle, and culture while correcting exaggerated narratives about cost of living, violence, and youth behavior.
Skills
Context
Written for Nigerians and non-locals alike, this article speaks especially to people whose perception of Port Harcourt is shaped by stereotypes rather than experience. It aims to humanize the city through voice, humor, and culturally fluent storytelling.
Task & Challenge
Task
To write a culture-driven article that dismantles widely held misconceptions about Port Harcourt while presenting the city through an authentic, relatable, and entertaining lens.
Challenge
The challenge was maintaining a light, humorous tone without dismissing real concerns or sounding defensive. The article needed to balance satire, local slang, and cultural pride while still delivering clarity and credibility.
Article Excerpt
"How far!!"
TOP will be taking you on an enlightening trip through her home base, the vibrant city of Port
Harcourt, or as it is popularly known here "Pitakwa" in pidgin.
The city of Port Harcourt is the third most developed metropolis in Nigeria after Lagos and
Abuja.
The city, also known as the Garden City because of its numerous avenues and ornaments,
has over the years been rife with a number of misconceptions some of which will be brought
to light and debunked right abou...t NOW.
Here are the TOP Four most popular misconceptions about Pitakwa:
Itâs an Expensive City to Live in (things cost die!!!):
those whom perhaps lived in another city before moving over to Port Harcourt, are of
the unshakable opinion that Port Harcourt has to be the most expensive city to live
in,even basic commodities in the city are not so cheap.
Yes things are pricey BUT only at certain places. but they definitely are not as expensive as
rumours tend to exaggerate. There are still places you can go to get a lot of affordable
things; you just need to ask around to know these places, you gats know sey tin tomato
price for Market Square and tin tomato price for Mummy Daniel shop no go be the same.
Read the full article â
Core Skills Demonstrated
Audience-Centered Storytelling
Writes with a strong awareness of cultural context, using humor, slang, and lived experience to connect deeply with readers while remaining accessible to outsiders.
Brand Voice Adaptation
Demonstrates the ability to craft a distinct, memorable voice that aligns with lifestyle, culture, and place-based storytelling without sacrificing clarity or intent.
Idea Structuring & Narrative Flow
Organizes misconceptions into a clear, engaging structure that guides readers smoothly from assumption to clarification to conclusion.
Skills Highlighted in This Piece
Long-Form Content Strategy
Audience-Centered Storytelling
Brand Voice Adaptation
Cultural & Lifestyle Writing
Research & Insight Development (Contextual)
Idea Structuring & Narrative Flow
Conversational Copywriting
Tone Management (Humor + Insight)
Place-Based Storytelling
Community & Identity-Focused Writing
