Biafran
Nkasi Ifeadike
ENGL 1102 PPP
April 5, 2013
“Biafrans”
“A chapter a day keeps ignorance away” my father invoked this saying onto my siblings and i. In his home office surrounding by books is where my father finds ease. A religious member to the Igbo union, my parents instilled our Naija (an abbreviation for Nigeria) culture in my siblings and me from a young age, which I wasn’t ashamed of. Taking pride in my culture was important to our family. Knowing historical information to other bordering cultures in Nigeria was a must with them. My father has always been whom I turn to when my heritage was questioned. The main objective of this interview is to learn from an inside perspective of Nigeria’s subliminal tension between bordering cultures, and not Nigeria itself. Being native to the country and his unbounded knowledge of Nigeria’s history, my father was the perfect informant. While attending an ASA meeting at Georgia southern university, where friendly debates were encouraged and opinions were discussed. Hearing a friendly argument between an Igbo and Yoruba turn personal wasn’t as baffling to me as to others. Before the interview, I had a few preconceptions towards the tension between the cultures. The fact that both cultures continue to be biased towards one another, in this generation is frivolous. I assume that oral stories are being passed down from one generation to another. Listening to thy mother and father as told anyone’s perspective could be changed. This allows me to assume that Yoruba and Igbos will always be in competition against another for more generations to come. Growing up with both the Yoruba and Igbo culture has molded the views I have for the cultures and the tension in general. The interview took place during a visit to my uncle tonys house. I considered his house my second home. As soon as you walk through the door a potent smell of stockfish greets you. An abundance amount of jellof rice and pepper soup, our native food, is
ENGL 1102 PPP
April 5, 2013
“Biafrans”
“A chapter a day keeps ignorance away” my father invoked this saying onto my siblings and i. In his home office surrounding by books is where my father finds ease. A religious member to the Igbo union, my parents instilled our Naija (an abbreviation for Nigeria) culture in my siblings and me from a young age, which I wasn’t ashamed of. Taking pride in my culture was important to our family. Knowing historical information to other bordering cultures in Nigeria was a must with them. My father has always been whom I turn to when my heritage was questioned. The main objective of this interview is to learn from an inside perspective of Nigeria’s subliminal tension between bordering cultures, and not Nigeria itself. Being native to the country and his unbounded knowledge of Nigeria’s history, my father was the perfect informant. While attending an ASA meeting at Georgia southern university, where friendly debates were encouraged and opinions were discussed. Hearing a friendly argument between an Igbo and Yoruba turn personal wasn’t as baffling to me as to others. Before the interview, I had a few preconceptions towards the tension between the cultures. The fact that both cultures continue to be biased towards one another, in this generation is frivolous. I assume that oral stories are being passed down from one generation to another. Listening to thy mother and father as told anyone’s perspective could be changed. This allows me to assume that Yoruba and Igbos will always be in competition against another for more generations to come. Growing up with both the Yoruba and Igbo culture has molded the views I have for the cultures and the tension in general. The interview took place during a visit to my uncle tonys house. I considered his house my second home. As soon as you walk through the door a potent smell of stockfish greets you. An abundance amount of jellof rice and pepper soup, our native food, is