This is my entry for the #teamsouthafrica's contest of what it means to be an African.
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Have we ever wondered what made the Colonialist to intrusively heralded themselves into Africa during the years of yores? Hmmm... Whatever it is. What that portends is that there is something irresistible about Africa as a whole. For that singular reason, I am proud to be an African. I am firstly an African and by birth, a Nigerian.
Nigeria is a beautiful country of multiethnic and multicultural composition. That means that we play host to different religions and language usage. Just in Nigeria, we have more than 400 languages spoken in the wide orbit of the country. We are simply unique, right? Of major concern to me is the temperance in the accommodation of other people's worldviews and religion's chauvinism. We live in harmony and that has birthed a virile nation. Now, What are those things that make me proudly Nigerian:
1. Culture
Culture, they say, is a way of life. That means if you want to have an inlet into the composition of people and what holds them together, you have to dig deep to the root of their culture. Our culture is sacrosanct and as such, nobody must run afoul of it. There is an unwritten, tacit rules and regulations which must be adhered to by every member of the society. Trampling upon the ethos will definitely attract some punitive measures.
1.1. WEDDING
Unlike what we are accustomed to seeing on satellite whereby wedding can take place within the shortest possible time in other Western countries, African countries value their customs and must be observed at all cost. Marriage is an institution which every society holds in high regards. Marriage is not left to the whims and caprices of the prospective bride and groom but to the members of the families which must burrow some research in order to know which family they are getting married to from either sides. That makes the marriage to stand the test of time. A feat that is wholly African in texture and appearance. Africa also encourages interethnic marriage in order to entrench the spirit of nationhood.
1.2. FOOD
This is the part I love the most because I am more or less a foodie. Different foods of different culinary finesse abound in Nigeria. Thankfully, my fiancée is not from my tribe but the different foods which are nutritious and nutritional in nature I have eaten testify to that. Thanks to her though! (She knows how to cook). Though, I haven't been to other countries but I am acutely aware of the different types of foods which each country has.
2. SYSTEM OF GOVERNANCE
On a lighter mood now, our system of government in Africa and to boot, Nigeria is sharply different. It is in Africa we see a politician fleecing the patrimony of the country without making effort to better the lot of the citizenry. It is in Nigeria, nay, Imo State that the Governor erected and mounted different billboards of him shaking hands with former USA President, Barack Obama. Though, not all countries have these kinds of stooges as governors but we have them aplenty here in Nigeria.
I would have loved to write more on this topicality save the burden the judges might be faced in adjudging the winner.
I am African. I am Nigerian.
I love Africa. I am a Nigerian.
Thank you for stopping by.
