Migration Story III – From the West to the North

The typical Nigerian migration story is always in a fashion of leaving the West to the North, East to West(Lagos) or North to the South. This move is always trans-cultural because there are three major tribes/culture in Nigeria, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, dwelling in the North, East and West respectively. The Southern part of Nigeria is primarily inhabited by the Niger-Deltans or South-South indegenes as they are fondly called.

This story is idealistic for understanding intra-country but cross-cultural movement in Nigeria. Stemmed from several stories I have heard from my family, relatives, friends and older people in general.

Between Two Worlds: A Yoruba Family’s Journey North

The stories begin the same way each time – with my grandmother’s eyes lighting up as she settles into her favorite chair, adjusting her gele with practiced grace. “Nigba Ti a wa si ariwa…” she would start, meaning “When we came north…” These tales of our family’s migration from our ancestral Yoruba lands to the northern plains have become as much a part of our identity as the intricate patterns in our adire fabric aka Tye and Dye

The Journey That Shaped Us

It was the early 1960s when my grandparents, then newlyweds, made the bold decision to leave their hometown in Ekiti State. My grandfather, an ambitious young artisan, had heard stories of opportunity in the north – of sprawling markets and untapped business potential. But more than that, it was the promise of building something new, something entirely their own, that drew them northward.

“Your grandfather,” my grandmother would tell me, her voice mixing pride with nostalgia, “he didn’t just see trade routes – he saw bridges between peoples.” She would often pause here, running her fingers over the edge of her wrapper, lost in memories of those early days.

Learning to Speak in New Tongues

The first challenge was the language. My grandmother loves to tell the story of her first attempt to buy ingredients in the local market. Armed with only a few memorized Hausa phrases, she found herself in an animated conversation of gestures with a spice vendor. “Ban da Yoruba, ban da Hausa, amma mun fahimci juna,” she would laugh – “Neither Yoruba nor Hausa, but we understood each other.”

What started as awkward gestures and broken phrases slowly transformed into fluency. My father, born in those northern lands, grew up switching effortlessly between Yoruba and Hausa, his identity enriched by both worlds. Today, our family gatherings are a linguistic dance – Yoruba proverbs flowing seamlessly into Hausa wisdom, each language carrying its own weight of history and belonging.

A Tale of Two Kitchens

But perhaps nowhere is our cultural fusion more evident than in our kitchen. My grandmother’s culinary repertoire expanded far beyond the familiar terrain of amala and ewedu. She learned to make tuwo shinkafa with the expertise of a northern matriarch, her hands knowing exactly how to achieve that perfect consistency. The smell of suya spices would mingle with the aroma of gbegiri soup, creating something entirely new – much like our family itself.

“Food,” my grandmother would say, “speaks the language of welcome.” She tells me of how learning to cook northern dishes wasn’t just about sustenance – it was about building bridges. The first time she successfully made tuwo masara, her northern neighbors celebrated with her, and in that moment, she felt truly at home.

The Legacy of Adaptation

Growing up, I’ve often wondered about the courage it took – to leave everything familiar behind, to learn new ways of being, to build bridges while keeping your roots intact. Our family’s story is not unique in Nigeria’s tapestry of internal migration, but it is uniquely ours.

Today, when I visit our family home in the north, I see the evidence of this beautiful fusion everywhere. The walls are adorned with both northern and Yoruba artistic motifs. During Sallah celebrations, our compound fills with neighbors sharing in our jollof rice while we eagerly partake in their nunu and fura. My younger siblings bargain in the market in flawless Hausa, then switch to rapid-fire Yoruba when arguing among themselves.

Preserving Our Story

These days, I find myself collecting these stories with increasing urgency. Each time I sit with my grandmother, I learn something new about our journey – not just the physical movement from south to north, but the emotional journey of becoming something new while holding onto who we are.

“Ti o ba gbagbe ibi ti o ti wa,” my grandmother often reminds me, “o ko le mo ibi ti o nlo.” If you forget where you come from, you cannot know where you are going. But she always adds, with a knowing smile, that remembering where you come from doesn’t mean you can’t embrace where you are.

Our family’s migration story is more than just a tale of movement across geographical space – it’s a testament to the adaptability of the human spirit, the strength found in embracing new cultures while honoring old ones, and the endless capacity of the heart to make a home wherever it lands.

As I watch my nieces and nephews grow up, equally comfortable with northern and southern traditions, I realize that what my grandparents started wasn’t just a journey north – it was the beginning of a new way of being Nigerian, one that celebrates the beauty of our diversity through the intimate lens of family life.

Synopsis: The New face of Migration

This story is relatable for every Nigerian, especially in the post-independence era. Many families have migrated with the country. Currently, migration stories are taking on a new face as many people consider inter-country or intercontinental migration. This has led to various variations and mergers in native recipes and languages.

Read other Migration stories below

Footnote

I had intended Migration Part 3 to be about the next chapter of what I discovered when I moved from Singapore to India as detailed in Migration Part 1 and Migration Part 2. What I ended up doing was understanding the story is much larger than just my account.

The journey of moving away from a difficult and dark period with different coping mechanisms is something which echoed universal truths.

In these last few years many had no luxury of stopping and ruminating over the past as there were bills to be paid, children were adjusting to new situations, young adults were leaving homes, people were getting married, divorced or coping with some health issues. Old relations were changing, or new ones were being forged at a much faster pace driven by emotions which sometimes needed to be managed.

This Migration Story III comes from a different perspective of a young man who is old enough to be perhaps my son. He is a colleague and (sometimes I do tend to forget) an adult with his own unique perspective in life. 🙂

I love this story because there is so much to learn, and the themes of migration resonate with collective experiences of new discoveries. I’m also excited to find out more about the various dishes and ingredients! This is my simple way of adding, that it is always a pleasure to explore, learn and grow till the day you die.

Opening up the mind to possibilities of other’s viewpoints is difficult. I try because I know the fruits of such sharing are immense for those who give and also the ones who are able to receive.

-Melting Lemon Drop 1.12. 24