Monday, February 8, 2010

Culture....

So im in inter-cultural class now and it got me thinking....wat is my true culture? My name is Deola which makes me Yoruba...but it doesn't give me a free pass to say i'm yoruba. I have never been to my native town in Ogun State. I understand my language but i sound horrible speaking it. So am i truly a yoruba girl. I don't dress like one (im wearing jeans with a top and my hair has a 'hippy' look to it). I don't act like one. So am i truly a yoruba girl? No. Like my boyfriend will say, my deep structure is not African, it's European. I think, act and behave like a European, but i look like an African. Does that make me European? That is, i should start claiming that i'm a white person instead of saying i'm black. Well, my answer is that i'm a hybrid. I'm a mixture of both European and African culture. I'm not proud of the fact that i don't know my own language but at least i understand it. I'm not proud that my wardrobe consists of mostly jeans, but i have several dresses made out of the local 'ankara' material. I don't follow all the norms of yoruba culture, but when i see an elder yoruba people, i know i have to greet. All this boils down to how you understand your culture and how you portray yourself.

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