Introduction
The purpose of this article is to survey challenges of maintaining identity for diaspora and their offspring. While the scope of the issue in the title can be generalised, the focus is rather restricted to Africans and Ndigbo specifically in the diaspora. One cannot but observe different dimensions identity crisis express itself in diaspora populations as a result of various structural forces among others. Fact is diaspora is a minority. In the grand scheme of things, a minority is a legal, religious and cultural after-thought of the host country. Of course there is no reason to suggest a puritanical agenda which is not only impossible but is humanly counterproductive. Sparta and Apartheid South Africa are perfect examples of puritanical extremism based on myopic view of heritage.
Journey of Life
One of the most ubiquitous artefacts of diaspora (not induced by conflict) is the sense of unpreparedness for the length of time spent on the road. For a great minority, it was anticipated and for the majority it comes as a shock. This is irrespective of whether the first trip was made with eyes open or not. Men are in majority of this experience. Memories of home is sustained by various ingenious ways including but not limited to family meetings or networks clusters especially in police states of Europe.
These men and women struggle a great deal and their inspiration is mostly drawn from events from home. In few cases did the pain of settlement compel them to marry indigenes of their host countries, in most cases they marry by importation. By importation I mean arranging/travelling to the home country if possible to find a wife/husband from within the community. This is one way of sustaining one’s identity. No doubt one remains the son or daughter of their father including those who married outside the community.
Second Base
Given the social/legal structures of host countries, diaspora quickly realises that the underlying forces where not tailored to his/her interest, history and ontology. The struggle to survive, regularise stay, get a decent job, improve one’s prospect add to the stress that weighs down historical dimensions of existence. In the first instance the host language diminishes one’s existence regardless of one’s fluency because it can only render truly its own history. It is very clear that history of a people is best transmitted in their own tongue and (top) women in this case are the undisputed inter-generational teachers.
The stress of life challenges and in some cases diminishes sustenance of identity stability in the guise of extended periods of time between home visits, poor connection/communication with umunne/umunnadi, removal from social, economic and political changes in the home country; and where children are involved, poor linkage between children and aunties, uncles, cousins and the physical identify of the community.
Third Base
Addition of children into the equation adds a new dimension to the complexity of identity. Level of cultural pride indicates the direction of travel. It is anticipated that in host country’s cultural space where indigenous culture is dominant and unshakable especially in language and religion, diaspora identity could be sustained by exposing the children to their parents’ first language. Fluency in speaking, reading and writing should be the ideal. Indians, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Chinese and lately the Poles have shown the way in United Kingdom. Many of their children are not only multilingual but perform excellently in schools including post-secondary formal developments.
Cultural immaturity of parents only prevents such development in African/Igbo diaspora. Many parents who discourage their children from speaking their first language fall into this category and for them the colonial languages are the viable tongues. This is equally a carry-over from various home countries where interactions between nationalities were reduced to bidirectional exchange across imposed colonial linguistic relic. In addition for this lot, their first language is deemed inferior, an intellectual handicap and an inconsequential colloquial necessity.
Reviewing many school curricula in Europe, obviously diaspora/minority has no place. The on-going changes in the UK education system are further testament that future history will be contested in terms of minority contribution. For any diaspora/minority parent to expect his/her children to learn the history of their (African) peoples in a European classroom borders on the lunatic fringe. It is the responsibility of parents to provide their children with histories, cultures and metaphysics of their peoples through home readings, encouraged historical readings, walking through both sides of genealogies. By so doing these children of tomorrow should be able to see themselves as personages of multiples heritages and multiple cultural experiences with none less or greater. Parents should network to share information on resources, publication and new developments.
Cold Reality
The biggest battle that has confounded man/woman is the battle of the mind. The mind remains the last frontier, a contested geography where each parent must prepare their children and consolidate their identity, cultural maturity and cultural pride. Such values allow children to navigate seamlessly between cultures without supressing and disrespecting themselves or even go as far as condemning themselves in ignorance.
Many parents will surely work assiduously to provide material things, intellectual development and security to their children. In the absence of clear understanding of cultural identity, their ability to have a balanced understanding of their inclusive heritages; only disaster waits in the corner of time. Even the investments and assets purchases in the home country for the children’s future management remain doubtful. According to Ndigbo, those who are ignorant of a particular burial (process) start exhumation from the feet. Surely not a good sign!
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