Abuja: The enduring influence of colonialism in Nigeria is being felt through the personal experiences of individuals who find themselves estranged from their cultural roots. Despite knowing the exact village where their father was born, many, like the author of the narrative, feel disconnected from their heritage, unable to speak local languages or fully embrace traditional customs.
According to Global Voices, this disconnection is deeply rooted in the historical and educational choices made by previous generations. The author’s father, born in 1960, the year Nigeria gained independence, embodies the colonial legacy, having adopted Western values and education systems. This trend continues today as Nigerian families prioritize foreign education, leading to a significant rise in the number of Nigerian students seeking education abroad. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of Nigerian students obtaining study visas for the UK surged by 769 percent.
The impact of this educational shift is evident in the diminishing fluency of Indigenous languages among young Nigerians. Research highlights a stark contrast between the linguistic abilities of younger and older generations, with only 27-30 percent of youth aged 5-18 proficient in their mother tongue, compared to nearly 90 percent of older Nigerians.
The narrative also reveals a personal epiphany experienced during the Global Voices Summit in Nepal, where the author struggled to translate a poem into their mother tongue, underscoring the extent of their linguistic and cultural disconnection. This experience is reflective of a broader trend among Africans raised on the continent, who find themselves detached from their heritage due to the lingering effects of colonial influence.
While colonial powers have officially departed, their impact remains entrenched in various aspects of Nigerian life. The British colonial administration employed both indirect and direct rule, leading to significant cultural disruptions in certain regions. Today, European languages dominate formal settings in many African countries, contributing to the marginalization of Indigenous languages and cultures.
In response, individuals are increasingly seeking to decolonize their identities by consciously dismantling the residual effects of colonial ideologies, values, and systems. Through self-awareness and active efforts to unlearn the internalized belief in the superiority of foreign norms, they are striving to reclaim their cultural heritage.