"Who Say I Don't Rep, I am Naija All Day"

Naija (adj) slang: of or from Nigeria, a person from Nigeria.

For a while now I have felt an inexplicable connection to Nigeria. I've been drawn to Nigeria by means of food, music, general culture, and, especially people. Some of my best friends are of Nigerian heritage (check out Fabulous Brown Girl and The Manifesto) and one of my best friends in Senegal, Gerald, is from Nigeria.

A few weeks ago Gerald made me an honorary Nigerian for all the reasons stated above but more recently an event took place that caused him to erase the honorary qualifier.

We were having lunch at a Nigerian restaurant here in Dakar, as we often do because I love Naija food, when another patron entered. He greeted everyone then asked me a question in Nigerian Pidgin. When I understood his query and responded Gerald and another friend, Harrison, were both shocked. Although I answered in English and not in Pidgin, they were surprised that I was able to comprehend and participate in the conversation.

In response to this Gerald said that I must have Nigerian ancestry. He stated that Nigeria lives in me, although I don't have a direct bloodline that can be traced. That really meant a lot.

Don't take this wrong. I'm not claiming to be Nigerian but, as an African American with a lost history and heritage, I hold that validation in high esteem and am truly appreciative of it.

"Who say I don't rep, I am Naija all day" - Wale

Shades

Colorism is still alive in well in today's society. I'm just not referring to the remnants of America's "brown paper bag test" tradition but its damaging effects across the African Diaspora. Perhaps the most depressing aspect of this outlet of self-hatred is something that I have witnessed firsthand while here in Senegal–skin bleaching.

Now, I had heard of it before. thanks to a few scattered alternative news pieces here and a youtube documentary or two there. Yet, never had I seen the tragic practice with my own eyes until I arrived here. The people here have been so sold on a Eurocentric image of beauty that they opt to put themselves through chemical bleaching just to obtain a paler complexion. I've heard stories of women taken ill from the treatments and I have even seen the welts, bruises, and burns on women's skin from the bleaching process. In the homestay of one of the other SABS fellows a domestic was terminated because she continued to bleach her skin against the wishes of the homeowner.

Of course, I understand from where this complexion complex comes but it's still disheartening to see it live and in color – or lack thereof. Recent photos of All-Star baseball player, Sammy Sosa, have brought this issue into the open once more.

Sosa claims that he suffers from vitiligo and that the disease is the sole cause for his rapid melanin decrease. ::: Strong side-eye ::: I'm no dermatologist but I know plenty of people who have vitiligo and I have never seen it act so quickly and so evenly. A very close friend of mine, who also has vitiligo, had this to say "Sammy Sosa ... as a person with vitiligo I know that it doesn't move that fast! FAIL!" I choose not to speak ill of the dead but I'm sure we all know of someone else who was afflicted with this and couldn't "Beat It."


It's truly sad to see how this issue of skin color is still deeply affecting people. Truly disparaging.


Check out what a few of my colleagues have had to say about this issue. Fabulous Brown Girl talks about colorism and Sammy Sosa and Jada F. Smith talks about it on The Root and on NPR.


Despite all this negativity regarding the topic I have to commend D.C. rapper, Wale, for addressing it on a song entitled "Shades." This track is off of his new debut album Attention Deficit and you need to go pick it up now if you haven't already!