Last Sunday was the Golden Globes Awards. I'm sure you're thinking ehen? Lol, relax. At a point during the show, I saw Chiwetel Ejiofor on my TV and I jocularly shouted "hayyy, our brrrrodaa" with an accent that is typically associated with Eastern Nigeria; Ibo men. I'm not talking about these locally acquired assorted American/British accents we hear everywhere these days. I'm talking about raw, unadulterated Ibo accent. he he. Anyway, I did that just to associate with him or in the words of my friend's comment on Facebook, 'claim him'. Imagine my reaction when I saw this video...
Actually, I wasn't disappointed or surprised, I mean I chuckled but that was about it. What puzzled me though, was a comment on Bella Naija. The person said Chiwetel was lost and that how could he have said he's originally from London. PAUSE. Well first of all, I can say I am from wherever I like. That's nobody's business. Second, I believe that his name 'sold him out'. The only reason Ellen must have asked again where he was originally from was because, well the name sounded different as with many African names in these parts of the world. Let me not start on the warfare that is teaching people to pronounce your name.
The truth, however is that I don't blame Chiwetel for saying he's from London because he probably doesn't feel connected to Nigeria. I immediately related it to how I used to say "I'm from Lagos" back in Nigeria, when people asked where I was from. And just like how Ellen further asked where he originally came from, some of my old lecturers would insist I couldn't be from Lagos simply because my last name didn't sound like a Lagosian's. I would then reply, like Chiwetel;
"My Dad and my Grandfather are from xyz, but I'm from Lagos."
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