Believe My When I Say This

Believe me when I say this…

Nigeria,

Your soil is in my blood

Your culture flows in my brain

Your thoughts are mine,

My thoughts are yours.

We are one

Yet,

Two.

I am a part of you,

the same way you are a party of me.

I grew up with you,

But I grew up away from you.

You accept me,

Yet you reject me.

I breathe your air,

But you cut off my supply.

To you,

My accent is too “oyinbo”(1),

My dances aren’t cultural enough,

My attempt at speaking our language isn’t enough,

I don’t greet when I’m supposed to.

I don’t dobalé(2) perfectly

I don’t share in your struggles

I’m too American.

Only if…

Only if I could speak your language,

Only if I was born on your soil,

Only if I was Nigerian enough,

But Nigeria,

We share the same blood,

But you’re working to cut off the circulation.

Why won’t you accept that we are one?

America,

The red, white and blue are engraved in my skin.

I walk on your dirt triumphantly,

But you walk over my chest in disgust.

You tear down my people,

And leave us to fend for ourselves.

You insult my non-American culture,

And question my intelligence.

To you,

My skin is a hindrance.

It’s a logo

A label.

Of someone who could succeed,

Someone who could go places,

Someone who could be somebody.

Only if…

Only if my skin wasn’t so dark,

Only if my facial structure wasn’t so mean,

Only if I looked like you,

Only if I was just like you.

But America,

We breathe through the same nose,

We eat through the same mouth,

Why won’t you believe that we are one?

Nigeria,

America,

Believe me when I say this…

I am you,

And you are me.

We are us,

Us are we.

Believe me when I say this,

We are three.

Sharing one body,

We walk in unity.

We move to our own beat,

We sing out own tune.

We are one,

Why won’t you believe this is true?

Together,

We make afro-beat and hip-hop

The song of presidents.

We make broken-English

The dialect of kings

Together,

We make pounded yam(3) and fast food

A delicacy

We make the green and white,

And the red and blue

The world’s native colors

Can’t you see it?

We are one!

Why don’t you believe me?

Believe me when I say this…

We move together in perfect harmony

Never missing a beat

Never stepping the wrong step

Your words?

My words

Your believes?

My beliefs

We share one body.

We are Nigerian-American

And we move with too much

Rhythm

And too much

Azonto(4)

And too much

Sauce

And too much

Shoki(5)

And too much

Fire.

We whine(6) to the beat of our own genre

So please,

Believe me when I say this…

I am you,

And you are me.

We are us,

Us are we.

Believe me when I say this,

We are three.

Sharing one body,

We walk in unity.

Why won’t you believe me?

——————

(1) white, white-washed

(2) Nigerian greeting/dance

(3) Nigerian food made of starch

(4) African dance

(5) Nigerian dance

(6) African/Caribbean dance