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What does it mean to be Nigerian?
In a country of 210 million people with over 500 native languages and hundreds of ethnicities that was colonized by the Portuguese and the British, identity can be a daunting question.
But using the power of social media, two activists decided to deal with it through a forum called The New Nigerian.
Hosted on the Clubhouse platform, the group’s 45,000 members can join discussion forums on languages and culture, politics and citizenship, pop culture, technology and wellness.
Its creators say the goal is to help subscribers “relearn how to be Nigerian.”
“As in many ‘black countries’, many people do not know their history and culture,” explains Lola Adele-Oso, who co-founded the forum with Eniola Mafe.
A former activist in the movement for the liberation of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, Adele-Oso runs a lifestyle brand that promotes everything from clothing to small-group travel.
“Who are we? Who are our heroes?” she says. “As citizens, we cannot become a better version of ourselves if we don’t know where we came from.”
“Indifference is not an option”
The inspiration for The New Nigerian came during last October’s #EndSARS protest movement against the country’s SARS brutality – or Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The protests that followed broadened to a larger call for reform and were the largest in modern Nigerian history before security forces cracked down on protesters.
But the group’s discussion forums host classes on Nigeria’s history, different languages, local philosophers, and debates on myths from Yoruba culture. By Kola Sulaimon (AFP) A former activist, Mafe’s work in technology and sustainability requires her to travel between Geneva and Lagos.
“I was in Geneva at the time, my eyes on Twitter, my ears on Clubhouse”, says Mafe, “Within the diaspora, we were trying to find out what was going on, to demystify the fake news, to organize donations.”
“It quickly became clear that we could use this platform as a tool. We decided to keep the momentum going.
The “Lekki murder” of October 20, 2020, when the army opened fire on demonstrators, marked the brutal end of popular #EndSARS protests in the streets and also on the Internet.
But for Mafe and Adele-Oso, it’s also the time to start raising awareness through civic and political engagement.
“Being politically indifferent is no longer an option,” says Mafe.
Within days of its inception, The New Nigerian gathered thousands of followers, becoming one of the fastest growing communities on Clubhouse.
A live audio content platform that brings in some 10 million active users per week, Clubhouse allows people to create, participate or just listen to discussions on all kinds of topics.
New Nigerian subscribers tune in to discuss the news and life in Africa’s most populous country.
But the group’s chat rooms also host classes on Nigerian history, different languages, local philosophers, and debates on myths from Yoruba culture.
While many attendees are from southern Nigeria, the founders say the platform fosters a sense of unity in a country where ethnic and separatist tensions still boil to the surface.
Some hardliners in the southern states have called for more independence or even a split for their regions.
Mafe describes a “new Nigerian” capable of embodying various points of view.
“They are very progressive in terms of gender or sexual orientation,” says Mafe.
“We want to include everyone and we will never be tribalists. Never.”
“Hungry for knowledge”
Basil Abia is a 26-year-old political researcher and new Nigerian member who organizes four weekly discussion forums on current topics and Nigerian history.
With fellow researchers or invited specialists, they discuss the slave trade and decolonization, but also the heritage of the great kingdoms of Edo or the sultans of Sokoto.
The conferences attract 200 listeners from Nigeria and around the world.
“Nigerians are hungry for this knowledge. Sometimes we start at 11pm until 7am! But I have to say… I love to talk!” he says.
Abia says he was beaten by police during protests last October. Like Mafe and Adele-Oso, he also identifies the #EndSARS movement as a turning point that he says has caused people to take an interest in politics.
“You have to understand the political establishment, the social contract, the principle of justice and human rights, to know who you want as a leader,” he said.
Since the protests, and with the country’s economy hit hard by the pandemic and rampant inflation, Abia says some middle and upper class Nigerians have moved to Dubai, Ghana, Britain, the United States. or in Canada.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent ban on Twitter has dealt a serious blow to freedom of expression and access to information, further discouraging hyper-connected young Nigerians.
But Abia has decided to stay and help build the new Nigeria he dreams of and discusses daily.
“I have dedicated my life, my skills, my education to this country,” he says. “I will stay here until I die.
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