Welcome back to another year of the Int:HerView series. Yes, I am a lil late but this year, I am going to start the interview season with someone special. She is special because she is now a part of HuWoman and she brings in a different perspective and culture to the platform. We both are here to learn from each other, respect each other's background and go ahead in our social influence journeys with a common motive and a safe space to do good, create impact through our small initiatives. Let's hear it from my friend and teammate, Adesubomi, a true Nigerian at heart!
"Hi, Omi, nice to have you here. Tell us about you, girl!"
My name is Adesubomi, I'm a Yoruba girl and I'm a Muslim, I'm eighteen years old, and I'm currently in college/ university Year 1, I love writing, reading, and exploring, I also love challenging myself because I believe life is a game that's full of hurdles and challenges and if we don't challenge ourselves we won't get anywhere. I also love food but I'm a very picky eater, I love the colors pink and black, and I like talking a lot and being dramatic.
"Would you like to share something about Nigerian culture with us?"
Nigerian culture is very diverse and unique. Although there's more than one culture and ethnicity, there are three main ethnic groups: Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Each culture and tribe have different words, traditions, and practices.
"That's really interesting! However, I wish to ask about that one thing you wish you could improve in the society/community around you and one issue in Nigeria you would like to address?"
I wish to change my people's thinking and way of reasoning; I want them to stop judging things from the surface level and rather look deeper and also learn to be open-minded. An issue I would like to address will be the societal stigma.
Societal Stigma: Stigma is the negative attitude people attribute to a topic or situation. Women have been great contributors of the society and similarly they have been under moral surveillance by the society. At least, at one point in time, every woman must have gone through a stigma created by the society.
"What is that one strength you possess in yourself that could redefine people's thoughts in Nigeria?"
The strength I possess will be an oratory gift, people always told me that I had this gift of speech and I had a way of making people listen to me.
"That is true and thank you for being a voice for HuWoman, really appreciate! Now you had once mentioned in one of our initial calls that you are aware of Indian culture, how different is it than Nigerian culture?"
There's a difference in our clothing, food, and speech. Even in the kind of celebrations and ideologies. The difference in our ideologies comes from our different religious traditions and culture. In Nigeria, we have different cultural and religious festivals like Kanlakuwa, Oro, and New Yam, unlike in India where Diwali and Holi are celebrated. Both the countries celebrate Easter Christmas, Easter, and Eid-ul-fitr which connects us.
"So what is that one thing you like the best and don't like about India?"
I love Indian dresses, festivals, and some parts of their culture like the festivals and wedding ceremonies and the traditions performed there like the henna ceremony. When I watch Indian movies and series I tend to learn a lot from them. I dislike the way Indian women are treated in the movies because they show internalized misogyny and the patriarchal system.
"Any particular topic you hold a strong opinion about? Tell me more and what initiative are you willing to take towards it/ for it?"
I love the topic of gender roles and how I'm going about it by writing articles and also dropping content on it and telling people about it so they understand the topic fully. The topic of gender roles connects with me because I live in a family where there is equity in gender roles and each person is allowed to take up any job they can, without there being issues on how a boy should do this and a girl that, it's just unity! So it makes me believe that there should be equity in gender roles instead of being rigid and complex.
"So, it makes me ask you, how are women treated/viewed in your society and culture, like how will you describe people's general view on feminism in your area/country? You could share instances."
In my opinion, some women in my society are treated well and some are not. (I feel like this is general everywhere), women in my society are seen as daughters, and future mothers so there are ways we are expected to dress so as to leave the house and act (prim and proper). In my country the topic feminism has just started being known generally as a subject or topic of discussion, many people frown upon it while others don't, some people especially men take it as being disobedient and women wanting to lead everything, they think the idea of women not being submissive and going against every culture, sadly some women think this too, for them it is that they want to be pampered and the patriarchal system has got so deep in their veins they don't see the difference between reality and fantasy, but they're some people who believe that feminism is a good thing and should be a topic since the very beginning of time. To some feminism is an act of rebelling and to some is an act of escaping the patriarchal system. So the overall view from my society is that some see feminism as a good and some see it as a bad thing, the same thing to women some people treat women well like treating a normal person, and to some, a woman is delicate and beneath them.
"How do you plan to give back to society through HuWoman, any vision for it since you are a part of the team now?"
I plan to give back to society by empowering its people. Empowering its people through awareness about HuWoman, my page, my writing, and videos. As an individual I can contribute to HuWoman by bringing my views and ideologies to its audiences. This, I’ve already started doing with my videos and posts, you could follow @thehuwoman's Instagram to know more about the journey!
"How do you think HuWoman can help you grow as an individual?"
To be honest, HuWoman has helped me in ways I never imagined, before I joined HuWoman, I was just a normal Nigerian teenage girl who went to college/ university but HuWoman has made me learn how to become more confident, how to grow as a person, how to share my words and thoughts with people and then respond to them through comments. HuWoman (@thehuwoman) has helped me grow because every single topic I talk on, allows me to share my views and points and leave them ingrained in me. So, the platform has helped me grow and I'm still growing.
"Would you like to add any other comments, Omi?"
Nigeria is a place you want to come to: the culture, the food, the music, the religion, the sites, the people. It's an incredible place that one will fall in love with after going there.
And talking about India, I think India is also another place one will want to come to, also because of the food, culture, music, religion, and sites.
The two places are beautiful and worth seeing, and who knows maybe by going there the people may change your mindset or you influence theirs!
