The issue of inter-ethnic discrimination really gets under my skin, I know people that would not consider dating a person from a different ethnic group from theirs (sad isn't it?). The reason why it is such a sore point for me is that I am a product of an inter-ethnic union. In fact, my entire family history is peppered with a great number of such marriages. My father’s family originated from Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State, they migrated to Benin and to Delta state and they picked up wives and married off daughters along the way. Hence, there are people that bear my surname in Ekiti, Benin and our present hometown. My paternal grand parents migrated to Lagos in 1914 and had every one of their children here and this is our present home. Every one of their children bar one is in an inter-ethnic union.
My Maternal grand father is part West-Indian and part Itshekiri, my mothers family is even more interesting, her family is originally from Offa in Kwara, her grand father moved to what was then German Togoville (Togo), married there and sent all of his children to Lagos for a missionary education, and this is where my grand mum met her husband. I speak Togolese, Yoruba and Ika. By virtue of my family history I feel I am the personification of a true Nigerian, as far as I am concerned if any person insults or stereotypes any person from any ethnic group, they insult me. On both sides of my family I have Igbo, Yoruba, Edo, Efik, Togolese and Delta cousins, we need to realize that we are people first, before we are Yoruba, Hausa, and Fulani e.t.c
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6 comments:
I think it's a beautiful thing when cultures merge and mesh. Tribalism is a strange and silly thing.
Great post
@daddy's girl, i totally agree with you (even though i dont have a choice). I am so shocked at the level of tribalism in Nigeria, what is most depressing is that it still so common amongst the youth.... Very sad indeed.
@uknaija; Thanks for reading the blog.
Hello!! My Yoruba-Efik Cousin!!!!
@calabar girl mesiere my sister...
Hey. I have to admit to being one of the tribalists. I am a very proud Yoruba and I think I identify more with that than being Nigerian. Not that I wouldn't date someone from a different tribe or marry them but I was forever making fun of Igbo people.
I always thought of my comments as light teasing and a joke but one of my friends had to point out how hurtful some of my comments could be and I had to apologise especially as a lot of my friends are igbo including several past boyfriends, and they could have been taking offence to things I said and just been silent. Let's just say I'm learning that even though i may not actually discriminate, my words or thoughts can be just as harmful.
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