r/IgboKwenu

F/44 born and raised in the UK. No children. Never married.

Today, for the first time, I feel ashamed of being Nigerian. Of being Igbo.

I wasn't technically raised "in the culture". My parents have done their best over the years and I understand the language (don't ask me to speak it though).

After I graduated and started working, my uncles encouraged my siblings and I to travel home for an extended time, so I did. Whilst I'm glad I did, I was shocked at the treatment I received from strangers.

As a single woman, I had no say or bargaining power. In my naivety, I thought I could establish a business there and relocate permanently. Nope.

Even simply shopping in the market...they ignored me (the paying customer) and addressed whoever I was with, talk less of trying to negotiate business premises/deals.

I gave up on the idea when I returned home but have tried my best to remain connected to "home".

Fast forward to today, I saw a post on Facebook (several in fact) where women talked about finding and keeping true love. I understand that dating/courting is difficult across the globe, but the comments, FROM IGBO MEN, floored me.

They spoke as if we're commodities, with little in the way of human rights. And the age factor...apparently women over 40 are used and damaged goods...we should go and find single dad's to marry.

It has always been my dream to marry an Igbo man but the more I'm exposed to their generalised characters and traditions, I'm disappointed.

I guess, with this post, I'd like to establish whether my experiences and observations are the exception or the norm?

Why don't we represent ourselves well in public spaces?

Why do we lack compassion and respect for others?

Let’s stop screaming Biafra and start building our own backyard.

I know this might ruffle some feathers, but I need to say it to my fellow Igbo people.

We have to stop making Biafra the only thing we talk about.

I get the passion, I really do. But have we actually sat down to think about the hard economics?

The borders, the trade deals, the infrastructure, and how we would even survive without being connected to the rest of Nigeria and neighboring countries? It is not as simple as waving a flag.

The real world is messy, and slogans will not pay for roads or hospitals.

Even if we are just talking about the five Southeast states, the long-term consequences would be brutal.

We would be cutting ourselves off from huge markets.

That means less business, fewer customers, and a lot of hungry families.

Instead of yelling about independence, what if we took that same fire and used it to develop our own land?

Here is the good news. We do not need the federal government to save us.

The Southeast is packed with some of the richest private capital and most hardworking entrepreneurs in all of Africa. The money is there.

The talent is there. Our biggest problem is that we are too individualistic.

Everyone wants to build their own mansion and buy the flashiest car, but nobody wants to pool money together for a railway or a factory.

No country ever grew by people showing off alone. You need collective investment.

Imagine if we set up a regional trust fund to build our own roads, power, hospitals, and schools.

Imagine modern industrial parks where our young people can actually find jobs.

If we fix the Southeast, investors and tourists will naturally flock here, not just from Lagos or Abuja, but from Cameroon and all over West Africa. We could become a trading powerhouse.

That is where our energy belongs. Build the Southeast.

Create real prosperity. Money and development speak louder than constant political fights.

Let us focus on making our region so successful that nobody can ignore us.

Hey y'all,
back in 2019 I made this song about the civil war but I only just got around to putting it out yesterday after many years of procrastination. Unfortunately, I think there is still not enough art made regarding the war and of course, we know it is not even been taught properly in the schools -- so I needed to start from myself and put this out there. Please check it out if you're able and let me know what you think.
Plenty thanks for your time :-)))