Watered down tongues

Africa is blessed with cultural diversity. Most Africans are fluent in at least two or three languages. Unfortunately, a lot of us take this for granted. You rarely find Africans including their mother tongues or national languages in their CV’s and highlighting their bilingual abilities. We are proud of our culture but shy away when it is most important.

Western culture has inevitably infiltrated into Africa, and although it has its advantages, it also has its down side. Today, we are quick to promote western music and art, and sideline our traditions for fear of appearing primitive. Being African is no longer exotic. We want to walk, talk and act like the Americans and the British at the expense of our values and traditions. One being Nigeria’s 500-year-old dye tradition which is currently under threat.

After interacting with various Africans in Cardiff, I begun to realise the extend to which our ancestor’s traditions and tongues are becoming obsolete. The younger generation is not in touch with their cultural roots – and majority do not seem to care.

Bringing up African children in Wales must be a daunting task. Parents strive to find a balance between the Welsh and African culture so that their kids can relate with their peers, as well as get to know their roots and not forget where they have come from.

Having read Bill Bryson’s Mother tongue and the story of the English language, it became clear how language can evolve from its original form and completely change with time. How safe is African culture, its languages and tradition in this day and age? If the younger Afro-British generation does not care much about their roots, who will drive these cultural values into future generations?

To emphasise my point, I spoke to 15 different Africans around Cardiff from various age groups. They were originally from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Congo and had lived in Cardiff for over 10 years. To get an idea of how much they were still in touch with their roots, I asked a very simple question: ‘Can you sing all the verses of your national anthem at the top of your head?’ Astonishingly, only 3/15 were confident and knew their national anthems by heart! In as much as these results do not speak for majority of Africans in Cardiff, they are an indicator of what is turning into a potentially dangerous trend.

If we forsake our language, how will our children relate with their grand parents and relatives who are not well versed in English? ‘What’s occurring‘ is definitely not an option. And considering the history behind our national anthems and the struggles our founding fathers went through just so we could recite those words, why are they beginning to lose  value in our lives? We are slowly loosing touch with our mother land and should act now before it’s too late.

Bassey Ikpi, a renowned American poet talks about her divided cultures and the struggles she undergoes as an African woman living in America. My hope is that her words challenge you as they did me.

Time to fight for diaspora voting rights

On the 1^st and 2^nd of October, Cardiff joined Nigerians in celebrating their country’s 50^th Independence day. They were both well organised events with plenty of glamour and music.

Sadly, at the same time, some woman in Nigeria was weeping at the thought of never seeing her husband again. Tragedy struck in the capital on what was meant to be a festive day.

Two car bombs exploded in Abuja during the celebrations leaving 12 people dead and 17 injured. According to a number of sources, the former senior leader of the militant group known as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) was linked to the attacks and has since been arrested.

MEND claims that the government disregards the Niger delta and does nothing to stop the unending poverty in the region – taking into account that it generates majority of the country’s wealth through the oil extracted there. However, its inhabitants were filled with hope when the man who replaced the late President Yar’adua was chosen from this region. President Goodluck Jonathan took office with a lot of zeal and promised his people that the plights of the Niger delta would be of utmost priority in his agenda. However, just like many African seating presidents, he got so caught up in his personal ambitions and self-importance that he forgot his own back yard.

The anger demonstrated by MEND can never be justified. However, the frustration felt by men in the Niger delta can no longer be pushed to the side. The cries of the Niger delta were heard loud and clear on that fateful day.

The question now is how can a people so broken by their own government be reunited? And what about that mother in Abuja who lost her son unlawfully just so a point could be made; how does she learn to forgive?

Courtesy of Daily Mail Online

The only way forward for Nigerians is to use the power afforded to them by the ballot. It is up to the Nigerian people to march out in their masses come election period and select individuals who will work towards healing this strong nation and re-unite its people. Blood was spilled 50 years ago so that the people of Nigeria could have their own voice.

A lot of the Nigerians in Cardiff were angry with the turn of events. Unfortunately, there is nothing they could have done. As an African in the diaspora, I know too well the anger and frustration one feels when negative news about your country is plastered on news channels. In 2008, I watched Kenya burning on the BBC and CNN after a controversial election result led friends and neighbours to turn on each other. It was one of the most difficult things I ever had to endure – going to my safe flat in Cathays not certain whether my family was safe or whether the neighbours (from a different ethnic tribe) would turn on them!

What strikes me most however is that only a dozen African couuntries allow its citizens in the diaspora to vote. When you consider a country like Nigeria and the vast number of its citizens living abroad, it becomes clear why a system like this is important. Although an ambitious task – considering the fact that majority of African countries can barely run smooth elections on their home grounds – it is certainly not impossible and should not be totally discounted.

Our votes can make a difference. But when will our governments start considering their citizens in the diaspora? Africans abroad should start fighting for their rights to vote. South Africa, Burkina Faso and a dozen other nations have managed to do this. The remaining African countries should follow their footsteps. Our voting rights should not be taken away on account of where we are in the world. Events such at this one are a constant reminder of that.