As we celebrate our indepence, I want to bring something We have all noticed it, some have maybe even laughed about it, but is it really funny or just plain stupid?. The way Nigerian OAPs(on air personalities) mimic foreign accents, the way they pronounce the words and desperately try to sound American, it is disgusting.
Turn on your Radio in Abuja and you’re sure to hear some man or woman speaking American…out of their nose. Is 140milliom people not enough incentive to make them try to communicate? Does any of these stations broadcast to America? Why are are these morons talking over the heads of the very people they are supposed to be talking to?.
Tv show hosts have followed suit, why are they in such high demand in a country that boasts of a 70% illiteracy rate?, I noticed one who’s now on EbonyLife TV (from 53xtra), she not only has successfully mixed accents, you are likely to hear this from her in ten minutes, “when I got back to Nigeria”, “when I came back”…why the heck did u come back?.
There are a few more like Lamide Akintobi who will not fail to use a foreign example even when discussing cassava and Zainab Balogun who I haven’t placed yet (no offence to them). Then the latest, the half Nigerian they brought to host Maltina Dance All, wetin be that? But what is there to gain from this “wannabeism”? Nothing.
A few years ago a pidgin radio station (WAZOBIA) came on stream and quickly became the most popular thing on radio, their sister station thats predominantly fake has become far less profitable in a space of three years, why? Because they connect with everyone of us (of course you’ll meet a few Nigerian Kardashians that call it razz).
We are Nigerian, we have an accent, and its not “razz”, we’ve heard Genevieve Nnaji use it, we’ve heard Kate Henshaw use it, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu uses it and we will remember them long after we’ve forgotten the wannabes. They are not American enough to be American and too American to be Nigerian, thats a sad sad spot to be in.
Piers Morgan is on CNN with his thick British accent, we love Olamide and Phyno and Ice Prince and Wizkid because they dont see the need to change (the reason Saucekid, Iceberg slim and Godwon will still suffer small in Nigeria).You cannot export American accent, only original products get onto the international stage, Ask Fela, Tu Face, Flavour, D’banj.
Long live Nijia, long live our mother tongue
No comments:
Post a Comment