The Speculative Worlds of ‘Yan Crypto

This story appears in our print issue, ‘100 Years of Ladi Kwali: Stories from Another Nigeria’. Buy here.

I do not remember the first video of ‘yan crypto that I saw, but soon, my social media feed was interspersed with similar videos of traders and miners busy at work on their phones. Memes captioned with crypto-specific slang allowed me to become immersed in their world, despite living in the United States. YouTube videos and conversations with friends and family also allowed people like my parents, who are not on social media, to learn about what was perceived to be a fake, mysterious currency. The more I saw their content, the more I became intrigued about this community, which is predominantly male, but features women as well.

Online and community networks have been important for ‘yan crypto. Ibrahim Aminu, a 29-year-old from Katsina, engages in crypto trading alongside various other side hustles like selling mobile data, owning herd animals and selling goods in the market. He first learned about crypto through evening gatherings or majalisa with his friends. During their gatherings, he noticed one of his friends would pull out his phone periodically to check his investments. ‘I would see him on his phone, so I asked him about it. I saw that he was making a profit, so I asked him to teach me,’ Aminu told me.