I just came back from Nigeria and it was an eye-opener!
As someone who works in the media and who launched a media venture to challenge stereotypes and counter dominant narratives, I didn’t think I would be affected by all the negative talk that preceded my trip. But, sadly, I did.
The moment my friends and family learnt I was travelling to Abuja, I was bombarded by advice to “be careful”, “don’t walk on your own”, “avoid strangers”, etc. These phrases would have been ok, had they been the same ones I would hear when announcing I would travel to London, Paris or any other European capital.
But they weren’t. When I tell my friends and family, I am traveling to Europe, I am swamped with requests for shopping and other expressions of excitement. This time it was all signs of worry and genuine concern.
When my flight landed in Abuja, I found myself growing a bit anxious. But the moment I stepped outside of the plane, I realised how silly I was and was actually upset I let stereotypes get to me.
I was greeted with “welcome ma” as I walked through the tunnel. At immigration, I was greeted by a very warm female officer who commended my hair :)) – that made my day! As I waited for my luggage, someone approached me asking if I needed help.
And as I walked outside looking for the driver who was supposed to pick me up, someone asked if I had his number so he could call him up for me. I’ve been travelling for most of my life, I lived in 5 different countries across 3 continents, and never in my life have I experienced such warmth and kindness in any other foreign country.
I spent lovely three days in Nigeria, two of them were fully occupied with the first African Solutions Journalism Summit (I will write another post about that) and the third day I spent exploring the city and buying lovely artifacts and enjoying Plantain Chips – we need to import these in Egypt!
Hosting more international events in Africa must be a priority. We – Africans – should travel more inside the continent and tell each other our truth. I am so sorry i let stereotypes affect me even for a second.
Thank you Nigeria for being so warm, kind and hospitable. I will definitely be coming back.
Dina Aboughazala
Founder & CEO,
EGAB