Battle of Jollof 2023 vs 2024
Rice, basketball, and content
Subway rides to write this: 4 (first half only… this was a bigger piece that needed more work at home)
Last year I snuck in, but this year I had media credentials…
A couple weeks ago, I attended the 4th annual Battle of Jollof—an event celebrating West African culture through food and basketball.
I recommend watching the video I made to get a better sense of the event and what I’ll be talking about.
This was actually my second time at Battle of Jollof.
I went last year and wrote about how I (1) snuck into the event without media credentials, (2) mic’d up my first NBA player, and (3) created a hit video.
Last year was a big moment for me, but I had to exceed what I previously did.
So in this blog, I’m comparing the differences between my time at Battle of Jollof 2023 and 2024.
The topics I compare are:
Preparation
Relationships
Impact
But before diving in, I want to share some background information about the event.
What exactly is Battle of Jollof?
Battle of Jollof is an annual tournament that has a “Ghana vs Nigeria” celebrity basketball game featuring players from or of descent of those countries.
There is also a Jollof cook-off between local Ghanaian, Nigerian, Senegalese, and Liberian restaurants.
What is Jollof?
If you’re not familiar with Jollof… first off, you’re missing out.
But in case you don’t know, Jollof is a popular rice dish from West Africa that originated in Senegal.
And it sparks ~friendly~ competition among countries like Nigeria & Ghana—as each claim to make the best Jollof.
But Jollof is more than a plate of rice…
…as eating it is associated with good times.
Hopefully you have a good understanding now.
But if you want even more of an understanding, I was featured in the Battle of Jollof recap lol.
Okay that’s enough context, here’s the comparison.
Preparation
2023:
I did not have media credentials for Battle of Jollof 2023.
So rather than prepare a content strategy, I prepared a 3-step strategy to just get in.
Step 1: Arrive to the venue early and stand outside from afar
Step 2: Observe how the media credential list worked
Step 3: Talk my way in based on those observations
This somehow worked.
But the real work started after I got in since I had to make a quality video with zero preparation.
My lack of content preparation meant I filmed everything possible and mic’d up any passionate attendees/players/coaches/etc.
I spent so much time editing the video after.
Had all this footage with no clear direction. Almost gave up at one point.
But once all the pieces came together, it was so worth it.
Huge dopamine rush.
But never again lol.
Here was the video btw.
2024:
Since I had media credentials this year and experience filming last year’s event, I was actually able to prepare my content strategy.
It made life so much easier because I knew exactly…
What I wanted to film
What I needed to film it
How to film it
Below is what I shared with the Battle of Jollof team ahead of the event.
This preparation made the (1) editing easier and (2) turnaround time quicker.
The number of days from event date to video-published date highlights this:
2023: 27-day turnaround (October 6 event, November 2 video)
2024: 5-day turnaround (November 9 event, November 14 video)
This is 22 days faster for a higher quality video!
Relationships
2023:
I didn’t really know anyone at my first at Battle of Jollof.
Which was good and bad.
The Good:
No real pressure or expectations
Opportunity to leave a strong first impression
The Bad (not really bad things, just challenges I faced):
No idea what to expect from the event
Had to quickly build trust when filming with players/coaches/etc
But once I realized there were no real expectations of me, I gained the confidence to mic up anybody at the event—including NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo.
This confidence helped me build trust with other players/coaches as I approached them with, what the kids like to say, ~aura~.
(I’d say I have an awkward aura, but my passion & conviction for what I do shines through)
I stayed connected with many of the players/coaches on Instagram after the event.
And I tagged them in the 2023 video I posted, which solidified the relationships because—when it came to content creation—it showed I was “walking the walk” not just “talking the talk.”
I’d message some of them throughout the year too, which helped in 2024.
2024:
As I just alluded, my relationship building for 2024 started way before the day of Battle of Jollof.
Here are some ways I maintained relationships with players year-round.
Young Prince (this year’s host): Invited YP to emcee part of a HOOPBUS x Knicks event in May
Kobby Ayetey (last year’s MVP): Invited him to play on a 3x3 basketball team I sponsored (unfortunately he was out of town)
Matthew Adekponya (responsible for Nigerian hypertension): We hoop together in Sunday Washed Club
My favorite part of Battle of Jollof this year was seeing those relationships come full circle.
I loved catching up with friends and familiar faces.
Made me smile the whole time.
Those strong relationships also meant I had built-in trust with many of the players/coaches from the start, empowering me to create a way better video than last year.
And that was present in the impact…
Impact
2023:
I had no idea what to expect my first year at Battle of Jollof, so I also had no expectations about the impact my video would have.
By no means did it go viral, but it captured the event’s energy in a relatable way.
People were resharing it almost a year after it was posted to hype up Battle of Jollof 2024.
Really shows the power of creating evergreen content.
2024:
Battle of Jollof is a special event, and I wanted to share its story better in 2024.
The last thing I wanted to do was pull up to the event and leave without producing any good content.
So there was some pressure—albeit self-imposed.
But for the founders to trust me (via media credentials & interviews), I owed it to them to create something just as special.
And more importantly, I owed it to the Regular Hoops community to tell the story of Battle of Jollof because more people should know about its mission—to connect the global black diaspora through food, sports, and music.
I feel like I was able to live up to my standard this year.
Here are some top comments across Instagram & TikTok:
I was also able to film most of the game this year and actually share all my clips with the players.
It was cool to see them post highlights with that footage. See examples below.
The lessons I learned
Preparation is key for success and efficiency (makes life easier)
Relationships come full circle (have people-first mindset)
Impact happens when you create freely (no real pressure or expectations)
Closing thoughts
I’m feeling extra grateful for the trust & support the players/coaches/founders had in me to tell part of the Battle of Jollof story.
As a first-generation American & the child of Lebanese immigrants, the intersection of identity and food through basketball means a lot to me.
(I even make Lebanese cooking videos with my Mama whenever I’m back in Michigan)
Looking ahead, I’m excited for Battle of Jollof 2025.
I have no idea how I’m going to exceed this year’s video, but I thought the same thing at this point last year.
So that gives me faith in my process and journey.
And who knows, maybe this is the year I make Battle of Falafel happen haha.
“Subway rides to write this” is a metric I share at the start of every blog to show that making content doesn’t need to be so difficult. You can find the time to create during everyday activities.
Each subway ride for me is ~15-30 minutes long.
And…
Please note: some of my new blogs (Sept’24 and beyond) contain a lot of satire and should not always be taken at face value.
Expect to see typos, wordy/repetitive sentences, passive voice, and anything else you’d expect from a “D-” graded high school assignment.
Because that’s my writing ability according to my first ever hate comment back in 2018.
I am in for the Battle of Falafel 🥙 🧆 💪