What it means
Means showing off, being extra, putting on airs. Someone doing shakara is acting bigger than they are, whether it's a girl playing hard to get when she's already interested, or someone flexing new clothes they bought on credit. Wizkid made it even more famous with his tune but the word has been on Nigerian streets forever. Not always negative though, sometimes shakara is just good confidence.
Usage examples
"See this babe, she dey do shakara since morning like say she no dey check her phone every two minutes waiting for his message."
"She dey do shakara say she no get time, but na she dey always first to reply for group chat."
"Forget the shakara, bro, we all know you bought those sneakers on instalments."
Where it comes from
Long a fixture on Nigerian streets, rooted in the local way of calling out anyone putting on airs, and pushed far wider when Wizkid built a whole tune around it. At heart shakara is the art of acting bigger or harder to get than you really are.
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