Dance, traditional clothing, and food were scheduled for the Nigeria day event. (Facebook/Melfort Culture Day)

By Rachel May

Nigerian Culture

Sharing the culture of Nigeria in Melfort

Oct 7, 2021 | 1:00 PM

Melfort Culture Days may have been cancelled, but Nigerians in the City of Melfort are still celebrating and sharing their culture.

Co-organizer of Nigeria Day in Melfort, Monica Olukosi, discusses the uniqueness of Nigerian culture as well as her struggles to promote it.

Nigeria has a diverse culture and is made up of different tribes and ethnic groups.

“We have about 250 tribes/ethnic groups in Nigeria. We have the major ones that were going to show at culture days which are Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa,” Olukosi said. “Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the most populous Black Nation on earth.”

Jollof rice, Nigeria’s staple food dish, has common ingredients, but for other dishes, ingredients are more difficult to find. Despite the difficulty, Olukosi says she enjoys trying Canadian cuisine.

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“Our food isn’t easy to find. We try Canadian food. I used to work as a food service worker in long term care. Anytime I served a dish, I would ask for the recipe for my family to try,” Olukosi told northeastNOW.

Olukosi said Nigerians love to dance and sing during their free time. She also noted how happy Nigerians are.

While Nigerians in Melfort love their culture, they face judgement because of their differences.

“About my accent I have heard people say, I can’t hear anything you are saying. We try to understand you and speak like you, this is not me. We try to tweak our accents for you. We all have accents,” Olukosi said.

In Melfort and throughout Canada, residents of the Nigerian community wish Canadians would start asking questions to better understand the Nigerian culture.

“Respect the culture, try to understand my accent, try and be patient. Ask proper questions and you will get the proper answers,” Olukosi said.

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Rachel.May@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RachelMayFM