Enslaved By
Our Ethnocentrism
Prima facie people down of the Niger will strike you as more
learned than people up of the Niger River due to earliest western education
taking root first at these regions before it slowly trickled into the
hinterlands. However, it pains me that apparently, the great intellect of
southern forefathers haven’t well seeped into today’s generation.
I was opportune to go to NYSC camp in the south western part
of Nigeria. Mixed in the crowd of 2500 Corp members were many youths drawn from
all around Nigeria. A large number being of South-south origin. I made friends
with most of them and they turned out to be quite an interesting survey
especially a particular young man in my platoon. He was loquacious, a good
orator and was considered well learned as he enjoyed spewing bogus jaw breaking
words. And surprisingly, he turned out to be the most unique part of my study.
He seemed to know so much of Nigeria politics and had a way of dishing out criticisms
on how poorly led and represented the polity is. So I was amazed to find out
that this fellow was as ill-informed as a regular Joe on the street.
At first when I introduced myself as Jemima Jatau from Kaduna
state, he exclaimed “oh Aboki”. I laughed because I thought he was only trying
to be witty. Then the following day, gathered at a platoon function, I led the
Christian prayer and I noticed his mouth was agape. After the prayer he
requested a moment with me to inquire as to where I learnt to pray the
Christian way. I was much in a hurry so I just informed him I am a Christian
and it seemed his jaw dropped even more. Apparently, my dear southern new
friend had no idea there are Christians in Kaduna State of northern Nigeria. In
so far as you are north of the Niger, you are irrevocably Hausa and a Muslim.
He was flabbergasted that I had no Hausa accent (the type
they see portrayed in home videos). When I tried to explain to him that I have
a language separate from Hausa, you could see the confusion written all over
his face. I realized he wasn’t as vastly read as he liked to portray. I tried
to inquire from him that how come I, a northerner who had never been to the South
prior to NYSC knew there is an array of languages and tribes in the South? I
knew well enough not to refer to an Ikwere man as Igbo, so also did I know that
an Ibibio man doesn’t want to be mistaken for an Efik person. In the same vein
I knew that an Egba man will prefer not to be referred to as Ijebu. Also, knowing
better than to call a Kalabari person, Annang.
This ethnocentrism wasn’t unique only amongst
Southerners, but also, among the
entourage of northerners that I traveled with there were a few stoics too.
Eavesdropping on their muted conversations you could hear the unmistakable woe
in their tones. Many were apprehensive about the kind of reception they will
receive in the south. On camp they will cluster themselves in homogenous
groups, refusing to strike friendships with southerners. Sometimes, they referred
to me as “Bayerbiya” which in Hausa means “Yoruba”. That was because I went out
of my way talk to people and to understand their cultures. In fact I picked up
the love for my favorite meal “Amala ati Abula” then. I joined the Calabar
dance group, learnt the dance and even the songs and performed for my Platoon.
Many people wagered that I was Efik and when I told them I am a Northerner, you
can see the shock in their faces.
I cannot understand why it is so difficult for young people of
this generation to learn a bit of history about other Nigerian tribes. A large
number of us know States and Cities of USA and Europe but still mistake Jebba
Local Government of Niger State with Jaba local Government of Kaduna State. It’s
so sad because I am sure our parents made better efforts in their prime to mix
with other tribes, as most of what I know of the peoples of Nigeria, I learnt
from my house when I was still a child.
Ultimately though, I was happy that when I educated this
fellow on the diversity of the peoples of the north he seemed interested in
learning more. So I felt my tirade wasn’t in vain.
I also had a falling out with a close Yoruba friend of mine a
while back. He was the boisterous sort, his arguments can be heard from wall to
wall every time. But when it came to simple pronunciations of indigenous
Nigerian names he was the definition of ignorance. In so far as the name isn’t
Yoruba I can bet you he would pronounce it as if it were a strange term from
outer space. One day we were having a political conversation and he pronounced
a name as “Tockor” and I was lost. I wondered what he was talking about? It
took me a minute in deep thought to realize he meant “Tukur”.
Honestly, this isn’t
rocket Science. All we have to do is pick a book and read, ask questions and keep an open mind willing to learn. From a very early age I had learnt that the Yoruba name “Sade”
isn’t pronounced as Sade but as /sha’de/. I knew how to pronounce names like
“Gbolahan” and “Ogunbowale” in a way that will rival a typical Yoruba man’s
pronunciation. So why couldn’t people extend the same intellectual courtesy and
learn about other cultures?
We let ourselves to be ruled by our egocentrism, tribalism
and ethnocentrism that we lose sight of what is really important. That in being
“We” as a nation, and not “I” as a particular tribe or geographical setting we
will achieve so much more. We are quick to put down our leaders today, but we
youths will be the leaders of this great country tomorrow. If we cannot learn
such simple things about our nation now, do we honestly think we can achieve it
in future?
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