roshini and i traveled to lagos, nigeria and accra, ghana in late december - early january. it was our first time to both countries, but we were welcomed like we had lived there all our lives.
this trip was long overdue and held great importance for roshini, so i asked her to share her feelings about our experience:
Naija, Naija, Naija! What a life-changing trip! As the number 17 holds great meaning for me, I took it upon myself to visit the motherland in December 2017. As I was getting older, my parents, who are Nigerian-born & raised, often shared their experiences of growing up in the Western African country. The stories they told of their upbringing lead me to be curious about the vibrant country they spoke of. However, at the age of twenty, my mother and father left their families and home country to seek a more promising life. And since then, my parents have had no desire to go back to Nigeria. I know that I needed to fully embrace this cultural experience on my own & insert myself within the land that my ancestors cultivated life, tradition, culture. So I packed my shiiii and went to Naija w/ Jo!
I truly did not know what to expect when I got there…. Our dearest friend Solum had us out here in the skreetz of Lagos on the first day. The interactions with all of the people that we met on the trip were warm, welcoming, & kind. Everyone spoke highly about what the country has to offer, while also being transparent about the work that needs to be done in order for Nigeria to reach its full potential.
As I was recently watching Black Panther, I was kind of thrown off by the movie. It made me rethink about my experience in Nigeria. The movie portrayed how the Africans of Wakanda wanted to be shut off from the world & not accept foreigners, but I truly believe that I had the opposite experience. If anything, the people were happy, proud, and excited that we came to visit the country to share in the experience of Nigeria at Christmastime. I was specifically impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit that was ignited within the youth & the many creative events that we attended. It's time for our generation, Black-Americans, African-Americans, Nigerian-Americans // whatever you like to identify with to start going back to Africa and connecting with our roots. I promise, the people are there to welcome you with open arms & want you to TASTE, FEEL, EMBRACE the beauty of the culture! I believe that our generation has a lot to offer & we can and will transform the beautiful continent of Africa.
