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Oliver@Expressionsofsoul.com New York, USA

THE PREDICAMENT OF THE NIGERIAN:
A CONFLICT OF CULTURES

t has been observed that the typical Nigerian individual living in any western nation makes an effort to balance his culture with what the foreign society or environment demands. It is a continuous battle trying to adapt to the foreign culture and society while at the same time striving to hold on to the traditional Nigerian within the individual.

While in the western society, if the typical Nigerian insists on being a Nigerian to the core, the western public will misconceive him, but if he wholly imbibes the foreign culture, he would likely loose the core elements that make him a traditional Nigerian. And if in that condition, he goes/comes home to Africa, he would be seen by the typical traditional Nigerians at home (and there are millions of them) as a disgrace to the motherland and culture he was supposed to represent. He would be regarded as a sell-out. He would be viewed as one without consideration or respect for his roots. He would be treated as one who chose to snub his culture out of egotism and pomposity.

To avoid being continuously tongue-lashed and insulted, the returning Nigerian would try to hide the influence of the foreign accent in his speech. Usually he fails at it because sooner or later, the foreign accent slips through. In the end, he only subjects himself to ridicule and scorn. He becomes the worst of two worlds - neither being able to properly speak and exhibit his original language and traditional culture, nor successfully imbibing the western accent and culture. A sort of dilemma hardly understood by those who have never been faced by the reality of this dual situation on a first hand experience.

This predicament is further compounded by the fact that the individual thus becomes a master of neither his original Nigerian traditional culture, nor the previously strange western culture. It is worse when he now has a family, perhaps an interracial one. How complex it is, probably becomes manifested in the characteristics of the children raised with such background.

Yet, many of us will neither relent nor crucify ourselves. Rather than waste in self-pity, and self condemnation, some of us have found some solace in simply balancing the two cultures and giving the situation the best shot we can give to each of these conflicting worlds, ONE AT A TIME.

THE INSPIRATION:

In the hustle and bustle of it all, the individual has an opportunity to learn and to develop himself. Every other thing would be vain. Ironically, the knowledge that there is an objective to improve one's self, would supply the individual with the strength to continue striving in the face of all these challenges. This is only my understanding, and I am still learning.

Oliver Mbamara, Esq. © 2002

Oliver Mbamara, Esq., is an Administrative Law Judge with the State of New York.