Dear Chimamanda,
I was scrolling through twitter to see what was trending especially with regard to Lagos elections, and stumbled upon your write-up on the Oba of Lagos's disrespectful remarks to the Igbos and their right to exercise their civic rights. Of course being an ardent admirer of your work and also a fellow Igbo girl, I clicked on the link and hungrily lapped up each word you poured out, eager to hear your opinion and ready to carry emotional placards with you by clicking "share" on my Facebook page. But the more I read, the more my excitement waned. Because just as I could feel you word for word, I also disagreed with you, and at a point I had to put down myopic glasses that beheld Lagos through your admirable eyes and wear one that showed me our stark reality.
You see, I AGREE that the Igbo community was unjustifiably grieved. However, as I wave my solidarity flag with my fellow Igbos, I can’t help but also bite my tongue when I remember unpleasant comments many Igbos regularly make toward other tribesmen. For example, the disrespectful way some Igbos address Hausas as "abokis”, dumbheads, and "nama" meaning cow! As you may know, "aboki" means friend but watch an Hausa man when an Igbo calls him that in a disrespectful tone. He stiffens and looks annoyed because he knows the tone he is called with is one of disrespect and insult. (some Yorubas call northerners "mulla"; I dunno what that means but that's for another day *sigh*)
Chimamanda, every tribe is guilty of tribalism; it's by default. It's not right. It should be fiercely fought against but shamefully this is the current reality. HOWEVER not every tribe is guilty of "PEACEMAKER-ISM", and I would love the Igbos to be known more for the guilt of MAKING PEACE.
So we go on and on about the Oba’s comment and what happens? Fights, fracas, and some fathers and sons on both sides lose their lives and people lose property and investments.
As you may have noticed from my name Ijeoma Omotade, I am Igbo married to Yoruba and happily married too. I went into the Yoruba culture and CONSCIOUSLY took time to learn about it. It was when I decided to marry that I knew how deep tribalism has eaten even into our so called Igbo and Yoruba elite. *Sigh* Having also schooled in the north during my secondary school days, and as much as I greatly admire the peaceful and simple nature of the average northerner, sadly they are not left out of the "tribalism" card-carrying.
As an Igbo woman, I may not agree with all the Yoruba do but I live in their culture and I'm in their land, so I respect them and in turn they sense my aura of respect and willingness to understand them and they treat me well. And when I get an opportunity to talk about MY CULTURE and correct some misconceptions they have about Igbos, I do so with GREAT PRIDE because there are so many great things about us they don’t know! And BECAUSE I respect them, THEY LISTEN and LEARN, even through jokes and laughter.
Even the few who were antagonistic toward me, embrace me now, or are at least civil toward me. It didn't make me any less dignified to understand better another man's culture; it made me wiser, and stronger and more appreciative of the richness of our country. The flagrant disregard for other's culture exhibited by many Nigerians is really bad! How do you expect to reason with someone unless you understand their worldview?
Truly, we wouldn't tolerate half the things we expect from Lagos in Aba or Onitsha or Enugu. Igbos want to be part of the House of Assembly and be among the decision makers for Lagos state. That in itself is not bad because a state stakeholder HAS A RIGHT to be among those making decisions for the state. But historically and by default, people kick against non-tribesman being at the decision-making level and our flippant comments about "taking over the land" is not helping matters either! Why do we want to "take over" another man's land? It wasn't bare land before people came and developed it. It's people's ancestral homes, and even in a democracy where many are working tirelessly to water the progressive idea of ONE NIGERIA, it is still important we recognize and help preserve each other’s heritage. For only then can we truly build the foundation for lasting synergy and proudly BECOME ONE, for the greater good of OUR LAND.
Personally I'm deeply hurt hearing some Yoruba leaders telling my people that we should be "grateful" living in Lagos; that is utterly unfair, point blank. Any Yoruba person saying that is very shallow minded. We Igbos work HARD for our living, and add IMMENSELY to the growth and development of the city. Try shutting down major trade markets dominated by Igbos for just one week and watch Lagos economy go haywire! But so does the Hausa community in the east that bring in food and supply our markets; they work hard too! Let them stop the lorries from bringing in food to the south and watch what happens. So I plead with EVERYONE, my IGBO KINSMEN inclusive. And this is my plea, that we PLEASE speak as we would like to be spoken to; "do as you would be done by", RESPECT AND LOVE your fellow man...ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL BY GOD!
I also share a bit of the Lagos indigene sentiment. I wouldn't want my hometown to be "cosmopoliticized" and my ancestral homes snatched away and turned into highways and hotels, and be told my home town is "no man's land". That's highly disrespectful. History has deep roots in this land.
I don't support the Oba, he is not my relative, nor did he "settle" my family. In his heart he is just like many other Igbos, Hausas and Yorubas; TRIBALISTIC! The only difference is that he is an influential public figure and so we can all tweet and Facebook his bad communication skills; a public figure who didn't think about the implications of his words before he spoke. However, that statement would have been made by even an angry IGBO king or Hausa Emir because I don't see anyone of them doing any better!
In a quest for peace, there are two parties; the one making amends and the one accepting the apology. Let us the grieved accept, and move on. Let us all learn to APPRECIATE and LOVE one another. The other alternative is not better. No one wants tribal clashes; people will die, women will be widowed, children will be orphaned, on both sides...and Chimamanda, you will probably write a book about it, far away from all the madness, on your creative desk; the one that IS NOT IN LAGOS!
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Thanks for this thoughtful piece! But let me say that until other people, like the yourubas will be able to excercise freedom like the ibos do in lagos, then we are going nowhere in Nigeria. For instance, there are places in Nigeria today (south-east and south-south where non indigenes do not and CANNOT get a C of O on their properties!
ReplyDeleteLovely piece, well said, I admire you. Would love to see a yoruba man running for an office in the east...
ReplyDeleteYes, castigating one tribe or the other will never help us as Nigerians. We must learn to prioritize love and truth amongst ourselves. Always address an issue base on facts not on tribe. If my brother is wrong, I should be able to say so, not supporting him because he's my brother. That will be contrary to the principle of one Nigeria. God bless Nigeria, God bless Nigerians!
ReplyDeleteNice writeup! I love this ijeoma lady....we all shud learn to mk amends in our lives and stop being tribalistic
ReplyDeleteI wonder, between chimmamanda and Ijeoma who is the real prize winner for litreature and peace? without mincing words it should be Ijeoma. its very important for chimamanda to understand the socio-cultural complexity of the issue she writes about; armchair research write ups usually does not reflect the true meaning of a given social reality rather it only emit the biased and subjective meanings which the writer deliberately shove into the mind of readers, this is could be provocative and a recipe for conflict. Chimamanda, i have also seen how you try to use your pro-western orientation to denigrate our cultural values because we collectively said no to Homosexuality, you can not continue to disrespect the cultural institution that baked you because you allowed yourself to be entangled by pro-western cultural imperialism. stop making vague and misconceived assumption about our socio-cultural fabrics; come home and learn, it is too complex for you to learn in far away America.
ReplyDeleteDear Ijeoma, a lot of what you say makes sense particularly about the average Nigerian having tribal sentiments and wanting to defend their heritage and customs. I however disagree with some of your points as they relate to Lagos. How many Nigerian's from other tribes have tried to learn the culture of the original inhabitants of Abuja known as the Gbagi's? Were people not inhabiting that land before it became the Federal Capital and became cosmopolitan with people from all over Nigeria settling there and making it home? The truth is that Lagos State has come to be cosmopolitan without removing the place of the traditional institutions in it. However it is a melting pot just like Abuja or even London where people of different tribes have come to settle and make home with even Asian born British people asking me at the immigration point what I am coming to do in London. The fact is (tough as it may sound) that once you are a "Federal Capital" and developed with national resources you have become a melting pot to all Nigerians and national in outlook -no longer tribal. That's why the Federal institutions and national heritages built in Lagos are called National Stadium, Nationa Artsl Theatre, National Museum and Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Institute For International Affairs, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation There are too many infrastructural developments done by the Federal Government that have given it its cosmopolitan outlook and made it a home to all Nigerians. The Eko Bridge, Carter Bridge and Third mainland bridge. Festac. NEPA, NIPOST, CBN, NETBUILDING, Race Course all in central Lagos. All the embassies that were set up in Lagos because it was the capital. Old Ikoyi that housed the colonial masters, Dodan Barracks and the previous state house that housed Shagari. The former Supreme Court Complex and Court Of Appeal Complex. The Federal High Court, 1004 residential complex that housed the Federal Legislators in the 2nd Republic. Bar Beach Towers and the like. So Lagos has a special status and common heritage that runs too deep for a single tribe to lay sole claim to it just as the Gbagi's of Abuja can not lay sole claim to Abuja. The ancestral homes of the true indigenous Lagosians epitomised by the palace and central Lagos can never be taken away from them except they decide to sell it. The yorubas traverse the entire western region from from parts of Kwara to the border of Edo and we can see that none of the major towns or States within this region including Ibadan which was actually the capital of the Western Region commands a special status like Lagos or has other indigenes laying claim to them. This is because they have never been the Federal capital. Respect must be given to the traditional institutions in Lagos just like everywhere but while you may take time to learn about the Yoruba culture because you married into it, it would be a bit far - fetched for you to require other people who are non - yoruba to learn it because they live in "Lagos". Otherwise the Gbagi people should be holding the entire nation to account for disrespecting their culture.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, but i want you to realize that Lagos was not the first capital of Nigeria. The capital was moved from Calabar to Lagos. Can any tribe go to Calabar and try any of those shits that Ibos/south-south/south-east indigines are doing in Lagos? A question for you to answer. Most houses/properties in Lagos in the south-west rented out to Ibos are usually misused. Can the ibos tolerate this in their home land. Enugu and Rivers both have Federal presence like Lagos or Abuja, Can these be tolerated there? So, when people are talking they know what they are talking about. What we should do is to all change and accommodate one another to stop tribalism and also respect our culture. Remember that it is a total way of living in a community.
DeleteYou seem to have a problem with Lagos development. For this lengthy write up you should at least be bold enough to put your name so we know where you are coming from. Ijeoma was very objective and sensitive don't make it look like she's defending Lagos.
DeleteIt is people like you who make stupid and insensitive statement about other people's heritage. Is Lagos holding anybody hostage. Imagine you talking about selling the central Lagos. E jo e ko.
How can you make a living in a place without making efforts to learn about the place/state/country.
Anonymous 2.14 PM if you read the write up you were referring to you would have noted that there was no abusive word used such as "stupid and insensitive" as used by you in your write-up. We have to learn to be tolerant of other views and to communicate without being abusive. Secondly, the author said " The ancestral homes of the true indigenous Lagosians epitomised by the palace and central Lagos can never be taken away from them except they decide to sell it" . I believe the key words there are "can never be taken away from them"...... Let's not misunderstand people and then get unduly worked up and emotional. And boldness has nothing to do with the length of a write-up. People with shorter write-ups than yours also put up their names. It is a personal decision.
DeleteI look forward to the day that Yoruba or House man can be elected into the Imo, Rivers or Asia House of assembly and an Igbo or Yoruba wins an election into the Kano, Sokoto or Katsina House of assembly. While I do not agree with the Oba of Lagos, other regions need to emulate the positive things happening in Lagos.
ReplyDeleteWe all need to change and be more accommodating but also respect each others culture.
Olumuyiwa.
At least hausa brings foods,and Igbos are working tirelessly developing the nation without have access to their natural resources.So what yorubas have to show up to nigerians? Gossips,greedy and betrayer,? They very good in causing troubles between the Igbos and hausas.?I like hausa main indigene,but I hate fulani that was among them to the core.I could remember one of my customers then,ahmed and aliyu when they came for business and it's was very late for them to look for a hotel,so they decided to follow us to our house so that by tomorrow they will around up their business and go back. As we are driving home they start worrying,maybe their life was not longer safe,but finally when we got home we gave ahmed and his brother visitors room treated and took care of them like brother.On tomorrow morning I wake up and went to woke them up to get prepare so that we can drive to market.Immediately I wake them up,they get up and hug me,called my names two times shouted "kayie"and shake head,I asked him what happened,he said I couldn't believe this, we thought we would have been dead by now because of what they told us about you igbos.So Ijeoma Ozichi Omotade with this Omotade attached on your name I'm beginning to doubt your real identity. But I want to correct some of your points here.We igbos don't call hausas aboki and malam before,we adopted the slogans words from them.Because the words aboki and malam has no sacrament with Igbo language.We called them "ndi ugwu" which means people that lived in a mountains.And it has no insults. Before we start calling them aboki, alhaji and malam we asked them the meaning,because we igbos are civilized people and those words are hausas languages and it has no insults in our own language translation.Aboki means= friend. Malam means= Oga, sir, big brother,Alhaji means = titled man, some one that went to melka and got a title,according to them.So yoruba should stop causing commotion between the igbos and hausas.We know that the killings of biafrans before,are the hand work of yorubas and Fulani's.But I swear with name of God who made heaven and earth if yorubas cause another trouble between igbos and hausas they ripe their fruits in full this time and join their ancestors in togo where they immigrated from.Because igbos can no longer accept intimidation from any pigs cowdice both dead and life.
ReplyDeleteYou, anonymous 10.29am, better remain in your land-locked enclave. You're not fit to live amongst civilised people. The two tribes you hate so much will be your president/vice for the next 8 years , so you either deal with that fact or commit suicide. I'm sure you know which of the options I prefer for people like you. Animal!!!
DeleteIts a pity, that people like you are the course to the underdevelopment of your people. You keep talking about your natural resources, what are the resources? Secondly the yorubas are not in your level of thinking's we have gone beyond you in everything. We have evolved but you people always try to decimate in every thing you do, thinking you are the best but sorry to say you are the most foolish of all. What you try to do in another man place can any tribe thought of it in your town talk more of doing it. Better start thinking, lazy thinker
DeleteIjeoma, you are prolific in your writing and you've made some interesting points, but personally I think u just ended up contradicting yourself. Contrary to what you might want to agree to, you are biased ( not a bad thing, commendable if you ask me), to give proper consideration and verdict to such matters as tribalism. You have strayed so far from the point of discourse and have talked about something different instead...
ReplyDeleteThis Lady is a fool! If you are trying to correct someone don't join Yoruba race/tribe to this, I leave in the north do you know how Hausa treat us? Face and correct your fellow Igbo lady !
ReplyDeleteYou lack manners. Must u be so derogatory???. Criticise constructively.
DeleteYou are the fool. If you are treated badly and you don't like it go back to where you came from. SIMPLE? You are very disrespectful calling her a fool. Or you are jealous she writes so well.
DeleteAnonymous 8.40. By comparing Lagos and its original dwellers to Abuja and the Gbagis, you have made an infallible arguement different from the eyes of Ijeoma and the Chimamanda. We need a panoramic view of the whole situation to enable everyone of us understand and come to terms with the reality on ground. As much as I love the angle pictured from Ijeoma's view, I equally love the angular view taken from Chimamanda's. But Anonymous 8.40 A.M has equally braced a strong point that is sublime to the arguement of both parties. You raised a point too good to remain anonymous pls.
ReplyDeleteGood!
DeleteThe so call anonymous 10:39am, is nothing but senseless lgbo guy DAT ordinarily shouldn't be reply but due to some of his abusive words toward d dead and living Yoruba sons and daughters, l will but referred him to d old living legents of lgbo extraction who were part of d civil war and will never pray for such to happen again now and in future. Pls a word for u idiot don't start what u amd otjers of like mind may wish it never happen dat is if u are alive to tell d story. Ijeoma u are my heroine for ur foresight and to Chimamanda am a bit disappointed in ur write up. Pls let live together as brothers and sisters and put aside our tribal sentiment and at d same time respect our individual culture and heritage. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote this piece, I thought to myself "there will be backlash, and support"; yet I went ahead, thanks to the encouragement of some of my friends (you know yourselves). I'm glad I did.
ReplyDeleteOur tribal differences are like a wound.
A wound heals when it is exposed; then it can be diagnosed properly, and prescribed the right medicine and the extent of its administration.
Our nation needs healing...healing from the past...healing from unspoken words...healing from tribalistic lash-outs. (I say again without repentance that ALL tribes are guilty of tribalism).
But let's study a wound very briefly; what do you do when you discover a wound?
1. Hmm...do you poke at it? No!...it will cause more damage.
2. Do you deny it? No it will only get gangrene and a valuable part of your body will be lost.
3. Do you tend it? Yes. How? By first cleaning it, soothing it and then adding the necessary drugs...
Healing is a step by step process; sometimes slow, sometimes painful. Yet it cannot begin until we agree that there is a wound.
Only then can we ask questions like WHY IS THERE A WOUND? WHAT CAUSED IT? HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN?
Nigeria, that's what we need!
Not denial, of course not! BUT not insult upon injury either!
Peeps, I'm just a voice speaking up on one of the most sensitive areas to address in order for all our clamour for change and effort to move Nigeria forward not to be in vain.
I don't boast of knowing all the details of the past; tribal unrests, the civil war, even unrest among smaller sub-groups AMONG THE SAME TRIBE! I only know many touching stories my parents shared with us and stuff I studied over the internet about Nigerian history; stories of horror, hunger, hopelessness and numerous death among the Igbos and other tribes. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like. AND THAT IS WHY THOSE STORIES INSPIRED ME TO ALWAYS SPEAK FOR PEACE because war has no friends.
Let me speak respectfully to ALL influential people, people who have been privileged to be in positions where when you cough, a tribe or the whole nation brings out a handky for you; use your influence wisely. Take a cue from Luther and Mandela.
Martin Luther spoke for peace; no segregation of ANY colour;and he was black.
Mandela the most recent spoke for peace; no more fighting; working together and letting go of the past for a greater South africa. How could he say that after 27years!!!; when had earned the right to be unforgiving; and what did he do with his rightly earned card? He traded it for PEACE. Was it easy? I doubt it, but it was worth it.
As much as I love Instagram and Facebook and Twitter, I don't want it to get to a time when we are tweeting #ethnicunrest or posting #bloodyclashpics
I want to say thank you to those who contributed respectfully, gave their honest opinion with respect for each others own. Keep it up; that's what we need for lasting change. I personally didn't write to be RIGHT; I wrote to HE'S.
For those who vehemently insulted and hurled threats at me and other contributors...well I choose to pick out your own opinion amidst the hate words and just throw away the rest; I have chosen to blame it on the hot weather...Honestly it is really hot these days! *no seriously*
On a much lighter note I'm just so happy today that the Orekoya kids have been found that I'm almost walking on air!!yaay...and in my prayers today I prayed for the Chibok girls too...I'm still very hopeful.
All that being said, I'm off to prepare for evening service; where in the presence of God you temporarily forget you are Hausa or Igbo or Yoruba; where He just reminds you that you are Nigerian, and You are loved!