‘Copy Editor’… if I must confess, it has a nice ring to it. From this big little editorial desk, we have come full circle for the year 2023. Looking back on each cover, I am dazed in quick succession. Memories of how each cover came to be. In January, the phenomenal editorial team decided that this year, it was not going to be business as usual. We opted for ‘different’ as our watchword for each cover and our themes without straying too far from our voice.
In the year 2023, we turned our people to upcoming Achebes and Osundes. Our cover men and women channelled their inner Kate Moss and Dijmon Hounsou but what might seem like just another cover, internal engagement activity or KPI actually was a diary to some and a passion project for us.
We started the year exploring the issue of love and it was interesting to see that you all had lovely stories to tell. From toxic relationships to self-love, romantic movies to watch and love languages, we had a ball reading. We will not forget the disruptive piece on open relationships in a hurry. As we usher in the December season, I suggest you read that article again here and guide yourself accordingly.
In March we celebrated women, embraced equity and oh did we have an amazing cover. We had our ‘We for She’ mantra on full display and it was incredible to see us all identify the steps on the journey to doing so. Our women showed up and showed out, letting us know that there is no limit to their achievements and the gaps we need to fill to level the playing field.
April showed us the best of both worlds, with our very own ENN and Nneka Onita on the cover. It was the dual cover we didn’t know we needed. With our people exploring the sustainability of self, our people welcomed us into their worlds of spirituality, wellness, and life as it may be.
In May, we shun the light on heroes without capes, us, HH People. We work hard daily, contributing our transformational quota to our continent, but through the hustle and bustle, we find our place in the stars with our colleagues who have our back. We celebrated our guys!
In June, we saw the beauty of becoming, becoming a father, leader and generally the best version of yourself. We celebrated Father’s Day and tried to understand the bro-code, but I guess, we never will.
July, we took it all the way to friendships and understanding the concept of having relationships with strangers who become family for a time period or forever. We explored the effects of ‘japa’ on our social circle and the various friendships we can form within family, business or anywhere.
In August, we went 13 on 13 at HH People as we celebrated the life and times of HH People. In this amazing issue, we reflected on our journey with an open letter from an old cat to the new cats, career stories and special moments we’ve created in the last 13 years.
September was all about Hospitality and its queen. Travel and tourism seem to be a sweet spot for HH People. In this issue, we discovered that we travel in different ways, through time, through books and on airplanes too. While the economy might be hindering the passport stamps in recent days, some of us have found a way. The only tip is to create content, if there’s no evidence, then it didn’t happen.
October we celebrated freedom, freedom of ourselves and the scam that is the freedom we call adulthood. The Freedom we so desperately craved as kids isn’t all that it seems, but the silver linings are what keep the fire alive in our people. In Jessica’s voice “Is house rent your MATE??”
In November, we had our men in the spotlight as we got a glimpse into the life of a big boy. In our attempt to understand the deal with men, we were able to deconstruct society’s concept of who a man is. Though we might never be able to fully define ‘man’, we have our part to play in creating an enabling environment to raise healthier men and combat male suicides.
And to our first dual month issue, the December/January issue is all about the most wonderful time of the year. As I write this, I am aware that you, the reader are yet to read it, so I’ll let you get to it. But all I’ll say is, we tried to have fun with it.
Through the year, our HH Influencer ensured we were hooked up with the right places to wine, dine and enjoy and it’s officially champagne season.
Curating content and channelling contributors in directions we hoped would tell a different story was and remains a high point for each month and as we wrap up the year, we look back on each cover with pride. A special thank you to the very best Editorial team and Editor in Chief, every HH Person who graced our cover and our contributors, you made 2023 a phenomenal year!
Watch out for 2024!
