Dilemma of Nigerian Kids in the Diaspora

Dilemma of Nigerian Kids in the Diaspora

A few weeks ago, I was privy to a conversation where a Nigerian father attempted to address his six years old American born son who falls within a group of a new generation of Nigerian hybrid that I called Nigerian Diaspora kids. The father began his communication with his son in English, then gradually switched to pigeon English and finally Igbo (which I called EPIG). This act of blending multiple languages simultaneously adds to the dilemma and confusion faced by Nigerian kids born in the Diaspora who are still in the process of language identity, formation and comprehension. Generally speaking, it is assumed that the parents should play a major role in guiding their kids graciously through the tenuous language navigation path.

THE TEACHER AND PREJUDICE

My interest in the state of kids born in the Diaspora stems from the fact that this parent (the father addressing his six years old) has chosen to teach and address his son in EPIG especially in English despite his limited understanding and expression of the language, yet, he made a choice of adding to his son’s linguistic confusion. The parents’ predicament reminded me of an article that I read not too long ago about African stereotypes toward the African Americans. The article contended that Africans regarded the African Americans as inferior, poor, uneducated, lethargic, crime prone, poor English, and the list goes on. In fact, the last stigma resonates with the thesis of this article. I have also been in a number of discussions with our resident brothers and sisters in the United States of America who perceived the Africans as arrogant, selfish, pompous, crass, and the most troubling, looking down on them with scorn.

I have often tried to reconcile the prejudice held by these two communities. In one instance, I reasoned with an acquaintance that these stereotypes were a result of lack of understanding and knowledge of each other. I have argued that the elite western media takes to heart and adore its role in preventing African Americans from knowing their heritage by continuously planting the seed of discord among the two communities. The elite western media were able to do the damage through selective content reporting on Africa. I have argued that the western media is not friendly to Africans or African oriented issues. For instance, it is a common knowledge that about 90 percent of the western media reports on Africa were negative, five percent were on safari (animal watching) and the remaining five- percent can be apportioned to other issues.

It is no secret that the bulk of the information that the African Americans read or see were presented through the eyes of others; in this case the western European dominated media. As mentioned previously, remember that at least 90 percent of the reporting on Africa are negative. An example of such reporting are ethnic warfare and killings (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi), famine (Ethiopia), corruption (Nigeria), and Aids (Kenya, South African president’s position on the issue) and the list goes on. So it is easy for one to see how negative opinions can be easily formed about Africans.

Alternatively, if one wants to know the truth, one has to travel to Africa. Unfortunately, to do so is very expensive and not too many African Americans can afford the cost of such trip. To compound the worse situation, the African leaders have not made any serious effort to encourage such trips especially through real tourism. Those African Americans who have been to the African continent have a different perception about Africa and its people. They tend to be more susceptible to a rational opinion in discussion of African affairs. Moreover, I have equally held that Africans in the Diaspora have not done enough to bridge the gap. What they did was to incorporate the existing stereotypes held against the African Americans into one word – Akata.

What is Akata? In Yoruba language of southwest Nigeria where it originated, it meant black Americans of African descent. Fair enough. However, the Africans in the Diaspora have turned the term to mean something more negative or derogative. They have used it derogatorily to imply all the symptoms embodied in negativity such as lethargic, penury, unmotivated, kleptomania, drug head, welfare queen, drunkard, uneducated, killers, broken homes, illiterates and rapists. However, what they have missed in the process is that they, the Africans in the Diaspora have contributed to the growing population of the Akatas, a phenomenon that occurred through childbirth. Most of the new generations of Diaspora kids are more confused than the African American that have been subjected to unfounded scorn and derogatory remarks.

FAILURE TO CONNECT

The Africans in the Diaspora, especially, Nigerians who migrated to the west since the late 1980s may be the most culpable. A professor at University of Nigeria, Nsukka lamented during one of his visits to the United States of America on the pain and disgraceful act of new Nigerian immigrants to the USA who abandoned education. Instead of attaining the Golden Fleece, he contended that they have resorted to cab driving, drug peddling and working menial jobs in the factories. He questioned the kind of life and contribution that these fellows with little education would contribute to the fledging Nigerian economy and democracy.

Furthermore, I was opportune to attend a lot of Nigerian functions both at Washington DC and in Chicago. Most of the Nigerian functions usually occur in the late evening, which understandably was to accommodate some of those that abide by "African time" an unwritten code and the self-employed. During casual conversations among Nigerians in the Diaspora at some of these events, one has observed the shameless and distasteful use of street language, profanities by our people as though it is all right to use them recklessly in any given situation.

The most frequently employed words are f- -k, sh-t, and they flow from their mouth like water coming down a stream. Nigerians use this corrupted language indiscriminately and some are even loud when they are employed during communication. One wonders whether this miscommunication or lack of proper English usage was a result of prolonged exposure to pigeon English, or just a show-off attempt to mimic the American use of slang. What most people have failed to comprehend is that slang like broken English, may be spoken in an informal conversation, but inappropriate to a child who is still developing linguistic acme.

This poor role model applies to a majority of Nigerians or Africans who chose to communicate to their children in English despite the limitation of their English knowledge. A look at how other recent immigrant to the west whose native language is not English paints a different picture. These migrants from South America, Middle East and Asian nations have done a better job at teaching their children their culture and language than Nigerians in the Diaspora have. This other immigrants have made it a point of teaching their offspring their language while allowing the schools to teach the kids English and its proper usage. They acknowledged their English proficiency limitations, whereas Nigerian faux pas with the same limitation would rather force it because they have this tendency to assume that they know it all.

UNRULY KIDS

When one attends Nigerian ceremonies in the Diaspora, it is a different ball game. Majority of the time, these functions are turned into a playing ground for kids that accompanied their parents. It is understandable that hiring a babysitter to take care of the kids while the parents attend functions would cost a bunch. It is equally acknowledged that Nigerians are not millionaires who can afford to hire such babysitter for hours of work each time the parents attend such functions. Nigerians’ impropriety and knee-jerk non-restraint attitude towards their kids at Nigerian functions is troubling. Why? The fact that these parents are invited does not mean that they should not restrain their kids when they are brought to an adult function. It saddens one to see kids running around at the dance hall, often between adults’ legs when they are dancing, in the process disrupting the occasion. Meanwhile, their parents sit somewhere gossiping or galloping bottles of beer ignoring their children’s rowdiness with invalidism.

Poor parenting, guidance, supervisions have become the price that Nigerians pay for being in the Diaspora. Not too long ago, we read in the media about Nigerian serial rapists. We have grown accustomed to reading about Nigerian 419s and insurance frauds. But, rapists! May God help us. We are now turning our kids born in the Diaspora into a society misfits, undesirables and filth. Breeding rapists and rowdy kids is contrary to Nigerian culture, which we adore so much.

I must confess that my two kids were born in the United States and from day one, I have made it a point to speak Igbo to them at least eighty percent of the time. Because of this commitment, they understand Igbo language, but cannot speak it. But, whenever they try to speak Igbo, they would choke and "butcher" the language. I sympathize and empathize with the Nigerian kids born in the Diaspora.

Still, I regard my stance a failure given that some of my friends’ kids speak Igbo and Yoruba languages fluently despite the fact that they were born, like my kids in the USA. Frankly speaking, the Yorubas are good example of Nigerians who have a complete language and are not afraid to use it or teach their kids to use it back in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

CONSIDERATIONS

Some of the anomalies of the Nigerian kids born in the Diaspora can be fixed. For instance, it may be beneficial for ceremonial organizers to hire babysitters to handle the kids. In hindsight, this is cost effective given that the organizers would save themselves money that would otherwise be used to hire an attorney and the hassle of going to court to defend themselves in the event that any of the kids is injured while running around the hall. Of course, the rental insurance should kick in, but how about the inconvenience? Supposing that the celebrant did not purchase insurance, then the onus would be on the organizer of such event. It should be pointed out that the more Nigerians in the Diaspora adopt the culture and norms of their environment, the probability of lawsuit emerging from celebration increases.

On the other hand, the celebrant should ask those with children to pay as little as twenty dollars which would be channeled towards hiring a professional and licensed babysitter to look after the kids while the adults enjoy themselves. Most parents would be more than happy to pay the money given that hiring a babysitter on individual basis would cost more.

Furthermore, the celebrants may choose a restrictive option where invitations are limited to adults only. They would incur the rap of Nigerians for choosing such path, but any reasonable person should understand where they are coming from.

Finally, Nigerians need to spend enough time with their kids, especially the male Diaspora kids who are becoming endangered species. They are the ones that are committing atrocities like rape, armed robbery and other social vices. Nigerians need to emphasize the virtue of good family, good male role model, insistence on those African tradition and norms that our parents instilled in us. Nigerians need to re-emphasize the value of education and good citizenship. Failure to work the extra mile would make the Diaspora kids the worst akatas, even worse than those some Nigerians have been putting down would.