LET’S RETURN TO OUR ROOTS
I don’t know why Nigerians like to copy the British or Americans. Fine! They colonised us but that does mean we should follow their style of doing things, the British also colonised the Americans, who even changed most of their spelling after independence to erase the traces of colonisation. It was important for America, a new and revolutionary nation, to assert its cultural independence from Britain through language.
I don’t know why we are still not proud to be ourselves, to be purely Nigerian. Our newscasters fake accent. Months ago, I had an assignment to transcribe 12pm news on a certain radio station. I couldn’t hear clearly what the newscaster was saying; I had to repeatedly go over the audio and guessed some words I didn’t hear properly. I was so frustrated that day, na by force to use accent? Even Yoruba movies use English words, who does that? Someone will be watching a Yoruba movie and will just hear “No mi o understand, jor elaborate si” if they want to be nice to the old women watching the movie, they will subtitle the English words in Yoruba.
From Monday to Thursday, you are only allowed to wear corporate wears, only Fridays for native wears. If you work in the bank your own don finish, everyday shirt, trouser and tie. That is why I love the Hausas; the men are always on native wears, what am I even saying? Our President rarely wears suit, shirt and tie. Why can’t I wear an Ankara gown for an interview? Why?
Thank God for fashion designers that are making use of the Ankara print. Halleluyah! Now, women know that keeping their natural hair doesn’t make look unkempt, like a bush woman or a over religious person.
I was talking about this to someone, and he was like since you are all hype up about being African or Nigerian, stop using medicines, use herbs, don’t use technological devices bla bla bla. No! All I am just saying is we should try to be a Nigerian without dragging some part of the British with us.
Don’t say I am a Nigerian yet you still use fork to eat Eba because using your hands is unhygienic or it makes you look uncivilized. Don’t be Nigerian parents that speak only English to their children, now they can’t speak their mother’s tongue. Don’t be that Nigerian with English first name and English surname, with no possible way of people identifying your roots, you see it all starts from beginning, our ancestors allowed the British change them totally, down to their names, trying to erase every single detail of our rich culture. At least, if your name is John Oluwasegun, I know you are a Yoruba man but John Williams, haba!
I rest my case!
