This video by Prince Ea spoke to my mind, heart and soul, because he said what I have always thought deeply, and what my dad especially ingrained in me from the tender age. In that sense I relate a lot with Chimamanda Adichie when she says : "“I became black in America and I really hadn’t thought of myself as black in Nigeria. I think that identity in Nigeria was ethnic, religious… but race just wasn’t present.” That's the same feeling I had, I grew up as "Olivia," not as "the black girl Olivia," and even the ethnic identity never really sunk into me, I didn't grow up as "the Bamileke child." For the longest time, I didn't even know the ethnic group of my friends in primary school, it's barely 2 years ago that I learned that one of my bestie was "Bakossi." It never was relevant to us, to our friendship or relationship. To the truth of our bond and the test of our 'reliability' or loyalty. In addition to racial identity, my dad did not raise me as "a girl" or "a woman," maybe that's why I never felt restricted to imagine, think, or aspire to do and be whoever I wanted to be. My dad raised me and addressed me as "a human being." It's in my post-uni adult life that I learned to understand those who see the world through those prisms. Everyone comes to the table of world discussion with their baggage and history. We should also understand. Yet at the end of the day, we must realize that We are humans first, before being anything else. We are human beings first. And that to me makes each one of us valuable, worthy to be loved, to be respected and treated with dignity - no matter our ethnic group, race, sex, gender, religion, geographical location, country, disability, or more.
Who are we really? Who are we deeply? Why do we label each other, without knowing each other? Why do we box each other, without speaking to each other? How can we conclude generalized judgement about an individual without ever speaking to them?
We must be fairer to each other. More loving, more caring, more curious, more interested, more human.
Who are we really? Who are we deeply? Why do we label each other, without knowing each other? Why do we box each other, without speaking to each other? How can we conclude generalized judgement about an individual without ever speaking to them?
We must be fairer to each other. More loving, more caring, more curious, more interested, more human.
I totally love and agree with this post. We are all unique and human ans as such should be appreciated for who we are rather than what we look like. Man or woman, black or Asian, religious or not and so on. let us just stop labeling and pre-judging others and start looking into and appreciate the person inside the car!
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