Racism in America Vs Tribalism in Nigeria

Source: WisdomToInspire.com

First words first

I was born here in Nigeria and it is where I have lived all my life. I have never had the privilege of travelling outside the country. (I hope that would soon change!). So consider the views expressed in this article as one from an interested distant observer…

If there is any destination I would love to visit first outside my country, it would definitely be the US – yes, the United States of America. And that’s understandable for so many reasons – some of which are outside the scope of this piece.

As the Land of Promise, America remains a beckoning place to many of us from the so-called Third World countries. The people from our backyards who have visited the US or who live there have shared with us stories that are good enough to act as veritable attractions to that country.

I love the level of development in that country. The right infrastructures exist in the right places. The schools. The technology…Hope you get my drift?

Now let’s delve into the heart of the post…

Racism in the freeworld

As someone that views America from far across many seas and oceans, there is something I often ‘see’ or hear about America and Americans that I would say I can’t so much relate to. It is the disheartening issue of racism in that country.

But that I can’t properly relate to it now does not mean I want to underestimate its reality. More than many people are willing to admit, racism (that “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior”) is still an in issue being grappled with in 21^st Century America!

While I was making the draft of this post, I came across the following confession by a blogger, an American citizen, who was wondering if racism also plays out in other parts of the world as it does in America. Hear her:

As an American I often wonder does the racism here play out the same in different parts of the world? What does racism look like other places? I also often wonder of the races within each country, The world is so big there has to infinite potential of races and mixed races living in different countries. Are they accepted in there own country or are there still barriers and such around? — TruthsOfaLostKid

Well, I’m glad to offer a little  insight as it pans out here in my native country Nigeria. But first, let us put the question in a more direct way:

Does racism exist in many other places around the world?

Yes, it does exist – even in the so-called free-world countries!

Unfortunately, not everyone agrees that it is wrong, neither is everyone actively engaged in fighting against it.

Recommended: Racial discrimination in Southern Africa

Is racism right?

No, it is not! And it cannot be. As Linda Lee remarked in the post What Colour Am I?, “What is wrong with people, that anyone would think racism is right? We are all human beings, we have all been created by the same Almighty God, and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US was made in His image.”

I would agree that, black or white and everything in between, we were all created in the image of God. Unfortunately, not everyone would agree with that position.

While some people may deny that racism exists in the US, even at institutional levels, many people agree that it does exist.

From the way I have read about it in prints, watched it on the news and seen in movies, I can conclude that the issue of racism in America (especially as it affects black Americans) is real. If this were not so, why do we have such outspoken movements as “Black Lives Matter,” and not “All Lives Matter”?

The black people in the US claim they are the victims of most racial prejudices in that country. But there are some reports which claim that white people suffer some discriminations too.

Like I pointed out earlier, I speak as a far-flong observer from another side of the world. So feel free to enlighten me more on the issue if you have firsthand experiences on racial issues. I may not know so much where the shoe pinches, because I am not wearing it.

You already know I am not living in America. So I do not have any firsthand experience of racism in that country. But that does not mean that I am looking forward to being discriminated upon or being subjected to an unwholesome treatment on the basis of my race like several people have reported to have experienced (or still experiencing).

I am simply saying that due to my limited exposure, I am unable to comprehend the full  breadth and depth of the issue of racism as it affects non-white Americans – the black Americans in particular – in America.

Read: I Can’t breathe hasn’t always been a negative expression

The Toga of Racism in Nigeria 

Does that mean we do not face the challenge of racism here in Nigeria, my country of birth and residence? Probably not!

But I do not want to pretend and say all is well with the way we the citizens relate with one another and with non-citizens around here. In fact, what you refer to as racism in America, takes a different hegemonic form here in Nigeria.

It is called tribalism, which, just like corruption, manifests itself in all aspects of our collective existence. But unlike racism, tribalism has nothing to do with the colour of one’s skin.

So you can imagine how odd it felt to be referred to as “people of colour” when you know that everyone else around you has the same skin colour as you.

People of Colour? No way!

I was taken aback a few years ago when a popular Hollywood celebrity actress who visited Nigeria during a movie award event referred to her audience (predominantly Nigerians) as “people of colour.”

Watching her on primetime television, I was like “hello, hold it…this is Nigeria, not America; we do not see ourselves as “people of colour” around here.

My point is that racial discrimination and prejudices wear attires in Nigeria different from the ones they wear in America.

In the words of Chimamanda Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, “In Nigeria race is not a conscious and present means of self-identification. Ethnicity is. Religion is. But not race.”

This response she gave in a Goodreads interview as far back as 2013 aptly captures the differences between race issues in America when compared with same in Nigeria.

Unlike the experiences often reported amongst blacks in the US, no one in Nigeria is identified or should I say discriminated upon on the basis of the colour of his or her skin.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

– Nelson Mandela.

The dominant affiliations in Nigeria

All of us are black! Instead of race, we talk of our ethic origins, religious affiliations and regional bases.

• Ethnicity – the question around here is often, are you Yoruba, Ibo or Hausa? (Those are the three major tribes that constitute the vast population of the country);
• Religion – Christian or Moslem? (These are the two hegemonic religious groupings but there are some insignificant others in between);
• Region – Northerner or Southerner (broadly speaking) or (in terms of the six geographical regions), South West, South East, South South, North West, North East, North Central).

To our undoing, political decisions most often than not, are made on sentiments contrived along those three lines of ethic origin, religious affiliation and regional heritage. Unfortunately, the story is not so different in some other institutions such such as schools, labour market, and even in some churches!

While racism is the issue in America, tribalism it is in Nigeria. While racism exists as a result of differences in colour of the skin, tribalism hinges on differences in birth-roots. Both are common societal evils that must be dealt a decisive blow in order for us to have a better world.

What do you think? Let the conversation continue in the comment section.

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©Copyright 2018 | Victor Uyanwanne