zhí mín zhě

殖民者

de

的

yǐng xiǎng

影响

hái

还

zài

在

ní rì lì yà

尼日利亚

I was born in Nigeria, but I don't feel a sense of belonging to my father's hometown.

I don't speak the local language and I don't like traditional food.

Every time I go back, I feel like an outsider.

My father was born the year Nigeria gained independence; he received a Western education, changed his name, and believed Western knowledge was better.

He wanted me to get the best international education too, so I went to an international school from a young age and learned a lot of foreign knowledge and languages.

At home, we watch foreign TV programs instead of learning the local language.

Now, many young Nigerians also don't speak their mother tongue well; most prefer to study in the UK or the US.

Although I am grateful for my education, I find myself drifting further away from my own culture.

Once, I was asked to translate a poem into my mother tongue, but I found I couldn't do it because I am more comfortable in English.

Now, I am starting to make an effort to understand my culture and learn the local language and customs.

I hope to find my cultural identity and no longer feel that foreign things are always better.