Twice As Rooted

Growing up, I had two cultures. One by blood and the other was shaped by my experiences. My parents are from the eastern part of Nigeria. My dad is a proud Igbo man who is deeply rooted in culture and traditions. On the other hand, my mom was born and brought up in Lagos. But I was raised in the west, amidst Yoruba people. I grew up eating Yoruba food, listening to music and wearing native attire. It was not as if I was forced to do these things, but I was born and raised there and it was only right that I lived like them. I liked every bit of it. One interesting thing about my cultural life is that although I have two cultures, they never seem to clash. It is like both cultures exist independently, yet together. Over time, I have come to fall in love with some certain aspects of both cultures.

For example, language. Language is an important part of culture. One of the easiest ways to know where a person is from is by the language they speak. Since my parents are from the east it is expected that I know how to speak their language, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's not the case for me. My mom speaks another language that is not Igbo, but my dad speaks Igbo. Sadly, he wasn't really around when I was growing up. So, I learnt my mom’s language. When I was younger, I could understand the language but I was unable to speak. But you see Yoruba? I speak Yoruba fluently. Of course, I grew up in their midst and it is only natural that the language gets stuck with me. My school friends, church friends and street friends were all Yorubas. I love the way the Yoruba language rolls off my tongue.

Many times, so many people have come to me to tell me how bad it is that I can't speak Igbo, my father’s language. I am not proud of that fact and at the same time, I am not ashamed. It is what it is and whether people like it or not, nothing will change. Maybe in the next few years, I'll invest time into learning the language.

Another thing I love about the Yoruba culture is how respectful they are. Yoruba people see their parents as mini gods. I don’t know how it works in other parts of the country, but in where I grew up, you must obey them or face repercussions and trust me, the former is always the safer option. Parents teach their children to be respectful, not only to them, but to other older people and that is one thing I cherish about them.

Now, to the Igbo culture. The first thing I love about the Igbo culture is their music. My dad likes Igbo music. He always plays it every morning before he leaves for work and every evening when he gets back. I remember how my siblings and I used to dance to the songs when we were younger. I thought my dad would have stopped the tradition of playing his songs every now and then, but I was surprised to see that it is still a part of him. Igbo songs are catchy and beautiful. They make you start moving your body even without you realizing it. A few days ago, I was not in a very good mood. My dad got back from work and the first thing he did was turn on his music player. I was so livid because I wasn't in the mood to listen to songs. But before I knew it, I started shaking my body to the rhythm of the music.

In conclusion, I consider myself lucky to have both the Igbo and Yoruba cultures. I have learnt a lot from both and they have shaped me in many ways.

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