ONYINYE'S MIRROR ON LIFE

Onyinye OyedeleMonday, May 19, 2008
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Ontario, Canada

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LIFE IN A NEW LAND----RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE

t was mid-day on the 27th of September, 2005. The 27th Governor General of Canada… Madam Michaelle Jean was giving her inaugural speech. This was a great historical moment for Canada and I was seeing it happen. An immigrant from Haiti was being exalted to the prestigious office of Governor General of Canada! Confirming and reaffirming the great Canadian message that it is “a country built on diversity.” A country where your race is respected, your diversity welcomed, your ethnicity is recognized, and your culture is celebrated. Somehow, I felt I “knew” Madam Jean… As an immigrant, I wonder what the journey has been for her. It gives a lot of people hope to know that an ethnic minority can achieve her dreams in a new land. She is the new face of Canada that represents what we want to be: A place where all ethnicities are free to become…


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Ethnicity is who you are, your roots, and your heritage. Culture is what you have… it is your way of life. And race is what you are given by divine hands. No one can take these away from you. It is in your hands to give it away or fail to acknowledge it. Ethnicity, culture, and race are intertwined and they are components of every individual. They make up your personality. It defines who you are, but also distinguishes you when you are in a crowd. As long as your culture values humanity, it should be treasured and passed on to generations to come. It is important to understand that people can choose to leave their home country for reasons best known to them but their culture and values of their nation which they have had for many years does not leave them. There is a need for continuity partially or in full as their new environment accommodates. Students especially face a culture shock whenever they travel to a new country.

People of all ethnicities are brought together today for education, work, business, and other professional pursuits. We interact and exchange ideas with different people daily. We will learn how to pronounce different kinds of names. Take a closer look at the food you eat… you may have a Canadian, British or French breakfast, Chinese or Thai rice, Indian , Italian or Caribbean dish for lunch, and round up the night with a Mexican meal or Japanese/Vietnamese or African meal. There is so much diversity when it comes to cuisine. Our stomachs have also tasted the rich diversity that we have today!

The world is now a global village. Barriers between countries are being broken through technology; the Internet. Globalization has opened up the borders of western nations. Economic, educational, and political reasons amongst many others are some of the factors for migration. Canada is a nation built by immigrants many years ago and it is still welcoming more people today proving that it is a nation that aims to encourage “equality of opportunities.” Diversity is the strength of a nation. It enriches a country by the wealth of global ideas, diverse views, effective, and productive contributions to many aspects of our lives. Different skills and personalities, talents, professionalism, and work ethics are also some of the features of diversity.

We are living in the 21st century, a time when we should look beyond “colour”, “accents”, and “ethnicity”… But should embrace character and Integrity. We can no longer treat any race as being lesser because we are equal, we need each other. We all have potentials and opportunities, it depends on how we choose to explore these, look beyond every limitation, and aim above our horizons. We should no longer be narrow-minded but look at the future having an understanding of the scale of diversity that we have today. We have to look beyond our differences and the hurts of the past so that we can all come together and build a healthy society. Welcome to a new work field where you will interact with people from different backgrounds. Let your education and professional exposure change your mind set, transform your thinking, and enlighten you on the uniqueness of every ethnic group, culture and race.

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