S3, Ep 1: Diversity - What Nigeria can teach the world about inclusion

Thrivetablepodcast

Nigeria is a vast multicultural country with the largest population on the continent of Africa and more than 300 groups of people.Adeola schools us all on the importance of recognizing Nigerian cultural groups as kingdoms rather than tribes. We center this episode on the ways Nigerians are navigating their varied experiences and narratives without the erasure of others. We touch on specific examples of how our cultural identities as Nigerians are very different from each other, Adeola a majority identity Yoruba and Salem who is Efik, Annang & Ibibio - minority Nigeria tribes. We talk through the fact that there is no homogenous black identity, rather there are cultural similarities and niche experiences. We tackle the unique ability within Nigeria to have majority non-domination, and how we as a culture are successful at dismantling the idea of tolerance by creating spaces for people to co-exist within the structures of their own unique identities. We end this conversation with a recognition that Nigeria is still very imperfect, however the diversity present is one of the biggest things that make us great as a Nation and the rest of the world could learn from it.