A Personal Reflection
October 1st- Nigerian Independence Day
“Is it in the songs sung? The stories heard? The recipes passed from generation to generation? Is it the feeling of the comb parting hair unchartered while sitting between the steady legs of the one that loves you?
Is it in the prayers prayed during the midnight watch? The heated dialogue heard from the Elders? Is it in the daily mundane-the washing, the chopping, the preparing, the sweeping, the caretaking, the sleeping, the celebrating, the mourning, the dancing, the talking?
How do I know I’m Nigerian?
Is it in the carefully chosen names full of meaning and blessings-unable to be shortened for foreign ease? Is it in the amount of oso in the latest soup? The rhythm in our bodies that move in synchronous harmony? Is it in our prominent features: our forehead, our eyes, our nose, our lips? Or is it a Knowing, a feeling indecipherable, a connection deeper than words can express?”- a reflection. 9/30/2020
How do you know you’re Nigerian and what does it mean to you?
I know that i am a Nigerian cos it gives me a sense of identity and pride to do my best in all i do. It means a lot to me, because i can be who i am without feeling like a stranger to my heritage or culture.