I’m sure you are wondering what really Naija gave the world. Well, before I dive into that let us quickly yarn about some of the stereotypes the world has about Nigerians. It ranges from us being too loud(Which some of us are if we are being very honest), arrogant(But if we do not carry our shoulder up, who will help us to carry it eh) and poverty-stricken(This one is true if you look at our GDP growth rate).
Even with all of these, we have a rich cultural history and our contributions made to music, fashion, arts, food and much more cannot be ignored. We also have inventors, techpreneurs, researchers, artists and activists who are doing amazing things in Nigeria and outside our shores.
Without blowing our horn, trumpet, saxophone and any other instruments that you have to blow, here are a couple of things Naija has given the world.
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Afrobeat: We, of course, have to start this list with Fela and Afrobeat. In the 1970s, Fela Anikulapo Kuti made Afrobeat which is a combination of Highlife from Ghana, Fuji from Yoruba and Jazz, which focused on chanted vocals and heavy percussion. This genre of music has not only produced several other genres, but there are several bands in the world that play Afrobeat.
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Body Art: Body art has been practised all over the country for centuries. From tribal marks, which were particularly worn during wars to distinguish and identify people from a particular compound, to arts drawn with camwood, Nzu or Laali. In recent times, these ancient patterns have been exported to other countries worldwide.
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Hairstyles (Conrows): Centuries ago, Nigerians started sculpting their thick, woolly hair into beautiful, complex designs. The southeast of Nigeria had both men and women, especially the followers of Sango would mat or weave their hair backwards in what is today referred to as cornrows.
- Palm trees and Coconut Groves: Colonials in the past took seeds of the coconut palm from Nigeria and crossed them with pond apples from California swamps which resulted in the coconut groves in many American beaches, particularly Florida.
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The scarf dress: If you think the scarf dress came from Oyinbo people, then you know nothing. This style of clothing has been worn in Nigeria by the Igbo and Yoruba young boys and girls from pre-colonial times, usually in their late teens. A large piece of cloth or Ankara is wrapped around the body and knotted around the wearer’s neck.
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Afropop: Naija loves music and we make it, invent new dance steps, and have been exporting it to the world for decades. In recent times, artistes have been propagating a new sound: Afropop, a mixture of hip-hop and Fuji music. Other genres that have been exported to the world is Juju music, Apala and Fuji.
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Body Ornamentation: Nigerians are very big on beauty, they are Go big or Go home kind. Of course, the standards vary from one culture to another but one thing all cultures have in common, however, is body ornamentation from precious stones, leather, gold, silver, brass, beads, fabrics and ornaments are used to decorate the body.
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