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When I first watched a preview of Yvonne Orji’s Momma I made it, I cringed.
Here it was again. The tokenization of “Nigerianess” for laughs and commercial gain.
But upon reflection, my views have changed and I’ll walk you through the process.
Here it was again. The tokenization of “Nigerianess” for laughs and commercial gain.
But upon reflection, my views have changed and I’ll walk you through the process.
A few years ago, I moved to America for school and it was then I began to dislike Chimamanda’s book Americanah.
You see, in Nigeria I didn’t really care for the book but in America, once I mention I am Nigerian, the next thing was “nice! I read Americanah recently”.
You see, in Nigeria I didn’t really care for the book but in America, once I mention I am Nigerian, the next thing was “nice! I read Americanah recently”.
Then the speaker will go ahead to make some reference to the book and ask me if I was having trouble finding somewhere to braid my hair or some rubbish like that.
These questions irritated me so much, I swore off reading the book for a long time.
These questions irritated me so much, I swore off reading the book for a long time.
No I didn’t have any issues braiding. My school was just across from Harlem which was littered with hair braiders.
I had a Nigerian friend who would braid my hair at home for $100 or less whenever time permitted.
How did Chimamanda’s experience of America suddenly become mine?
I had a Nigerian friend who would braid my hair at home for $100 or less whenever time permitted.
How did Chimamanda’s experience of America suddenly become mine?
But that’s what we do isn’t it? We lazily pick the loudest voice in the room as representative of all the voices in the room.
You see, it is not the person who is speaking loudly that is at fault, it is the person who has refused to acknowledge that there are other voices.
You see, it is not the person who is speaking loudly that is at fault, it is the person who has refused to acknowledge that there are other voices.
Yvonne and other Nigeria-Americans experience & see Nigeria in a way that someone like me - born and seasoned in Nigeria will never.
If they recount that experience for an audience, it doesn’t negate my own experience of Nigeria.
It goes even further.
If they recount that experience for an audience, it doesn’t negate my own experience of Nigeria.
It goes even further.
There’s no homogeneous Nigerian experience. How could there be?
We have lots of shared experiences but even among Nigerians who live in Nigeria, there are so many different versions of Nigeria.
Some experiences are louder depending on who is recounting it.
We have lots of shared experiences but even among Nigerians who live in Nigeria, there are so many different versions of Nigeria.
Some experiences are louder depending on who is recounting it.
No one person can be our cultural messiah. Not CNA, not Yvonne. What needs to happen if for audiences to understand that one voice doesn’t equate all voices. We can’t police Yvonne’s experience of Nigeria.
The real danger is in the listening to a single story.
The real danger is in the listening to a single story.
