ebecca Jones is a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham. As part of her research on Yoruba travel literature, she spent a couple of weeks in Nigeria’s South-West region (Ibadan-Oyo State and Ile Ife-Osun State mainly) and shares memories of her time in Africa’s most populous nation in this interview reproduced courtesy of wakaabout.net.
Mapo Hall, famous Oyo landmark
When did you first come to Nigeria and what did you come for?
I first came to Nigeria in July 2009, and I stayed for a month. I had been studying Yoruba for a year in London as part of a Master’s degree, and was keen to come to Nigeria to see if I could improve my Yoruba. Also, if I’m honest, I was just really curious to see what Nigeria was like. My Yoruba lecturer kindly put me in touch with some academics at Obafemi Awolowo University, so I spent a month in Ile-Ife working on my Yoruba and getting to know Nigeria a bit.
Did you have any prior (read negative) impressions of Nigeria before your first visit? If yes, what were they and how did you deal with them?
Well, as you know, we hear a lot of negative information about Nigeria. I remember a friend some years ago saying he wanted to visit Nigeria and someone else, trying to put him off, said he would see dead bodies in the streets! People tell a lot of terrible stories about Lagos in particular, and people ask if you’re worried about being kidnapped. Also, even among other West Africans in London, Nigerians don’t exactly have the best reputation and they tend to be known only for 419 or for the Nigerian churches that are booming in parts of London at the moment. It may not be fair, but it’s mainly what we hear about Nigeria back home.
But after studying Yoruba and meeting Nigerians in London, I realised it probably wasn’t going to be anything like that. I was more worried about what I’d heard about armed robbers and about road travel being dangerous. But my Yoruba lecturer seemed keen for me to go and I think it was his enthusiasm, and the impression he gave that Nigeria was a normal place just like any other, that reassured me. Another of my Yoruba teachers talked about how much she loved Lagos and desperately wanted to go back there. That made me realise there must be a whole other side to Lagos that people didn’t talk about so much. The other thing that helped was definitely being in touch with my prospective hosts in Nigeria. Knowing I was going to be very well looked after made a big difference.
Scene at Osun-Osogbo Festival, SW Nigeria
Altogether, how many states did you visit while you were in the country and what were your experiences like?
I’ve been to Nigeria three times now but I’m sorry to say I’ve only ventured as far as Lagos State, Ogun State, Oyo State and Osun state. My research is mainly on Yoruba literature so it makes sense for me to stay in the Yoruba-speaking region. I would love to travel further north and see places like Kano and Abuja. I’d also like to spend some time in smaller towns and rural areas, not just in the bigger towns and cities.
As for my experiences, my time wasn’t necessarily completely typical. The first few times I went, I was staying on university campuses and in people’s homes, and they were often very protective of me and didn’t let me out and about too much at first! But I really enjoyed spending time at OAU and UI, staying in student accommodation and experiencing student life there. I’ve also done a bit of the tourist thing and enjoyed seeing Oranmiyan’s staff in Ife, Mapo Hill in Ibadan, Osun Grove in Osogbo, and the beach in Lagos.
One place still on my list to go to is Abeokuta, as I’ve heard a lot about it and its famous Adire. In Ibadan, I enjoyed spending weekends exploring the city, going to the bookshops in Beere and the market at Dugbe. Of course there were some difficult times – apart from sometimes being a bit homesick or a bit hot and exhausted. Once, I got caught in a huge traffic jam on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and sat for several hours in a hot, cramped danfo on the outskirts of Ibadan, wondering if we’d ever make it home! I’m aware I had quite a sheltered experience, so didn’t really run into too many difficulties.
Which memories stand out for you as a visitor to Nigeria?
Firstly, the people I stayed with each time I visited Nigeria, who took me into their homes and looked after me. There are two families I’ve stayed with; one in Ibadan and one in Ife, whose kindness and generosity towards me has really stayed with me. I also loved living on UI campus, getting to know the students there, learning Yoruba, eating together with people I’d met, just normal things. In fact, I think many of the memories that stand out most are everyday things –starting to be able to communicate in Yoruba, travelling and meeting people on the way, riding my first okada, going to the market, dancing and listening to music, and so on.
And finally, the view of Ibadan and its famous brown rusted roofs as you arrive on the outskirts of the city always sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. In fact, I think Ibadan is definitely my favourite place in Nigeria so far; something about being in a big city with all its variety, plenty to see and do, but without all the immense hustle and bustle of Lagos. My love for akara and boli was wellserviced in Ibadan as well.
Yoruba drummers (Iragbiji, SW Nigeria)
You had to learn Yoruba language and the culture. How did you manage that and how much did you learn?
I started out studying Yoruba for my Master’s degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. After a year, I came to Nigeria for a month and had some wonderful teaching at OAU, and then went back to London and started my PhD. I’ve also enjoyed learning from Yoruba- speakers in London and I happen to live in a part of London with a very high number of Yoruba-speakers so it’s quite easy to practise listening to Yoruba; I’ve overheard all sorts of things! My three months in Nigeria in 2011 improved my Yoruba a lot. I’m still a child in terms of my Yoruba competence; I can read it well now and understand maybe 50% of what people are saying, but the rest is still to come! I’d love to spend some more time in Nigeria to really improve.
In terms of culture, it has actually been maybe more of a challenge than language. I was always worried I was offending someone somehow. Our culture in the UK is generally more reserved and different things are appropriate, so I had to think about how I was behaving. But I found that things like knowing how to greet people, kneeling to greet elders, showing respect, and dressing appropriately made some difference. I started to realise that people are the same the world over, and generally, I think, people seemed to forgive my blunders as long as I showed I was trying.
One thing I found a bit difficult to adjust to is how much people use mobile phones. In the UK, people generally use their phones a bit less, and so it took me a while to adjust in Nigeria to answering calls at all times and to people calling me just to say hello. Also, dancing in daylight with people watching was a novelty for me. Back home we’re a little more reserved and tend not to get on the dance floor till it’s dark…But there are a lot of things I really enjoyed about the culture: Greetings, clothes, food, music and Yoruba language. In fact, I love to dance and seriously appreciated being taught how to dance better by people I’ve met in Nigeria!
Did you treat yourself to any local delicacy? Which one(s) did you enjoy the most?
Though I’m vegetarian, there were so many Nigerian foods that I fell in love with: jollof rice and plantain, boli and epa (roasted plantain and groundnuts), beans, boiled yam and stew, pounded yam and egusi stew, akara (fried beans paste). Luckily, I happen to live next door to a Nigerian restaurant at home in London so it’s not too hard to get my fix of these! If I had to pick one, I’d be torn between boli and epa or akara with that sweet Agege bread.
Beyond the university environment, what were your encounters with the locals like?
I found some people’s curiosity about me a bit strange at first; I’m not really used to people looking at me or coming up to talk to me in the street. As I said, our culture is more reserved and obviously I don’t really stand out in the same way back home anyway. I never really enjoyed people shouting ‘oyinbo’ at me on the street. But when I got to know people beyond that surface level, I had some very interesting interactions with people on public transport and in markets, talking about Nigeria and Yoruba culture. On many occasions, people went out of their way to help me; if I was lost or needed to know how to do something and I really appreciated that. A couple of women I got to know in a market spent hours with me helping me improve my Yoruba; another friend took me to his family’s house on a hillside in Ibadan and we spent an evening chatting and watching the city together. I really enjoyed that friendliness and hospitality.
I really enjoyed visiting friends at home or staying with their families and finding out more about what everyday life is like. It was quite an experience staying in a house in Ibadan and falling asleep and waking up to the sounds of a Christian night vigil with the music turned up to maximum volume on one side of the house and the Muslim call to prayer on the other side! The friends I stayed with spent a huge amount of time looking after me, driving me around, introducing me to family and friends; I won’t forget that. Sometimes I felt a little over-protected; when we were staying in a hotel in Lagos, the hotel receptionist refused to let us walk a few metres down the street to buy something on our own and sent one of the hotel staff with us because she thought it wasn’t safe for us. I appreciated her hospitality though.
Did you experience the local markets? How do the goings on differ from markets back home?
Yes, I did, especially in Ibadan where I went to the famous Dugbe market a few times, and various other markets all over the city, and also in the market in Ife where I bought my first Ankara cloth. That was one of the highlights of my trip, I think, spending an hour going from shop to shop trying to choose just the right fabric and then trying to bargain for it as best I could (though I’m sure the shop-owner still got a good deal out of me). We have a market on the street where I live in London, and in many ways it’s not that different from that – we even bargain for things, though maybe not quite as ferociously as some people do in Nigeria! The main difference for me was that at home, I have a good idea of what prices I should be paying for things, whereas in Nigeria I wasn’t always sure, so didn’t necessarily know if I was getting a good deal (in fact, I know now I definitely paid way too much, because when I got home to London I found I could buy Nigerian fabric cheaper in my local market). The other difference is that the markets I visited in Ife and Ibadan were much bigger, more crowded and much easier to get lost in. I definitely found the markets a bit overwhelming at first, but then as I relaxed I realised I’d always eventually find my way out somehow and also that they were very good places to practise speaking Yoruba.
What did you find most remarkable about Nigeria and Nigerians?
People’s willingness to talk, to relax and to spend time with others. It’s not that we don’t have those things at home too, but it was more so in Nigeria.
Otherwise -the sense of space, the greenness of the countryside, the beauty of the landscape. As a Yoruba scholar, when I heard Yoruba poetry or oral performances I found them really beautiful. I remember hearing someone performing oriki at a wedding and was captivated by the rhythm of it, the complexity of the poetry. We don’t often have complex oral arts like that performed at home.
Also, the way people dressed, women especially -people looked so well-presented and it made me ashamed of how little effort I often make in the way I dress. In fact, to me it was quite remarkable to be able to get clothes made to measure to fit me, in whatever style I liked -although there are tailors at home, nearly everything is ready made except for special occasions like weddings; it would just be way too expensive. And finally, the Nigerian party spirit – I definitely enjoyed that!
For a tourist planning a trip to Nigeria, what would you advice?
Firstly, to do a bit of planning beforehand. I think to be a tourist in Nigeria at the moment, it’s best to know someone there. I’m sure you can just turn up and travel around. But for me, everything was made so much easier by having people I knew who could help me out. In my opinion, it’s not an easy place to turn up in if you don’t know anything about the country, and have to negotiate your way to various motor parks and try and work out how much you should be paying for everything. If possible, it’s much better to have someone who can help you find your way around until you know what you’re doing.
Secondly, not to be put off by the idea that Nigeria is dangerous, but also to be realistic about the dangers you can control. For instance, not to avoid travelling altogether; to realise it might be better to avoid travelling after dark where possible and to travel in a decent vehicle with someone you trust driving. Not to spend time worrying about unrealistic dangers like armed robbers and kidnapping – not that these things don’t happen, but that they don’t happen anywhere near as much as you might think from some of the stories you hear.
Finally, to relax and enjoy it! I was so worried before I came for the first time and 99 percent of my fears were unfounded. I had so many good times in Nigeria. I’m not saying it’s easy for everyone in Nigeria, and I know I was in a privileged position, but I also had a lot of fun and learnt a lot from my visits.
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