It was more than just a dessert; it conveyed a message. Last weekend, a wedding ceremony of the A list in the ancient city of Kano was momentarily stopped when the “cake” was revealed. The cake stood nearly 15 feet tall and was like the majestic architecture of the Emirs Palace. The masterpiece had a reportedly staggering price tag of 70 Million.
Immediately the videos were posted on TikTok and X, the Nigerian digital space exploded.
Was it a demonstration of “Northern Excellence” or an exhibition of “Insensitive Opulence”?
The Structure of the Story
Craftsmanship: Art or Excess?
It wasn’t a regular cake from the neighborhood bakery but a “Cake Architect” that was brought all the way to Kano, by the event organizers to prepare the cake.
The cake was hand painted with a 24 karat gold leaf which was also evidenced in the photos, it had rotating mechanical tiers, and internal LED lighting that was synced to the couple’s entrance music.
It took six bakers and over a week assembling the structure on site. To make sure the Kano heat wouldn’t melt the 70 million investment, they used temperature, controlled humidifiers.
The Cultural Significance
In traditional society of Northern Nigeria, especially within the upper class of Kano, the wedding ceremonies, locally termed as “Fatiha”, are not merely about the coming together of the bride and the groom but rather they represent the prestige and history of the marrying families. There are those who are against such lavish spending and blame it on the increase of the country’s inflation rate while on the other side, there are those who maintain that these occasions help to keep the so called “Wedding Economy” alive which in turn supports the livelihoods of numerous vendors, offering them well paid jobs, decorators, caterers, bakers specialized in producing these architectural edible creations, etc.
The Viral Conflict (The Comment Section War)
An uproar erupted across social media platforms with two camps opposing each other;
Camp A (The Critics): “In an economy where people are suffering, to spend 70 million on sugar is outrightly criminal.
“Camp B (The Defenders): “If you have the money, why not! This is not mere buying of sugar, it is art and it symbolizes the opulence of the Kano aristocrats.”
Submitted by: itzbarrynn@gmail.com
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