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Our volunteers > Aminat Abdul-Wahab - Global Xchange

As a British-Nigerian growing up in London, 23-year-old Aminat Abdul-Wahab had always struggled with her sense of identity. She didn’t feel accepted as British, but neither did she feel Nigerian. Taking part in VSO’s Global Xchange programme changed that. Here Aminat reflects on the challenges faced by African children growing up in the UK and how volunteering in her country of heritage helped her overcome them.

Before going to Nigeria I’d have regarded my sense of identity as lost because I wasn’t fully accepted in either cultures. When I use to tell people that I was British most white British people would ask “yeah but where are you originally from?” This to me reinforced the notion that I could never truly be British. Yet I never felt Nigerian as I didn’t eat most of the food, could barely speak Yoruba and lacked knowledge of the country in general.

Now if anyone were to ask me how I viewed my identity/ nationality, I’d classify myself as a British–Nigerian. Even through I still have a long way to go regarding understanding the Nigerian culture, the knowledge I’ve gained from this trip has made me more comfortable with classing myself as a Nigerian. I feel like I have developed an extra layer to my identity.

My trip to Nigeria I’d say has made me pro-African. I enjoy sharing my experiences with my peers back at home and I’ve even introduced them to Nigerian music. Some of my friends tell me to shut up and go back as all I ever seem to say is “back in Nigeria…” I guess it’s only natural as I’ve just returned, but I also want to share my experiences with my friends and encourage them to be pro active when it comes to going back to their country and learning more about it. I feel being in this country it’s easy to disconnect or forget about your roots.

I think there are three main types of Nigerians in this country. There are those who have some insight of Nigeria and therefore are proud to claim that they are from Nigeria. Another type is those who have no desire to learn about Nigeria and regard themselves as being British. The last type is those who want to know more about Nigeria but they’ve never had the opportunity or were scared to. It’s hard to be a Nigerian or someone who has Nigerian origins living in the UK, as you want to fit in with your peers therefore you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise this. I think the latter two Nigerians are the consequences of such fears.

When I was younger, being African was seen as a negative thing, so if you embraced it your peers - especially the Caribbeans - used to mock you. This meant that many African children were reluctant to speak their language amongst each other. This negative response has meant many Nigerians children try to distant themselves from their origins for fear of being bullied or picked on.

Luckily for me I was taught to be proud of where I came from and had no problems expressing this to my peers. At school I regularly and proudly spoke the few words of Yoruba I did know - it was a way empowering myself and not submitting to peer pressure. I feel peer pressure plays a big part in how British Nigerians view themselves in this society. There needs to be more positive British Nigerian role models so that youth don’t fall into peer pressure and feel ashamed to be Nigerian.

I guess the biggest lesson I’ve learnt regarding identity is that it’s important to embrace your culture. Whether you like it or not, it makes up a big part of who you are. If you know who you are and where you came from, you can present yourself better.

I think sending British Nigerians to Nigeria is a good idea because it could help a lot of them who are struggling with identity issues living in the UK. It will also allow them to leave their comfort zone and experience what Nigeria is really like, what problems it faces, how it differs to the UK, how it’s similar and how they can stay connected once they’ve gone back to the UK.

To find out more about VSO’s Global Xchange programme, go to http://www.vso.org.uk/globalxchange/