Nigerian musician, Yemi Alade speaks about her background and challenges of growing up in a multicultural home.
The singer spoke about this while appearing as a guest on the recent episode of Tea with Tay Podcast show, she shared many unknown fact about her personal life and her experience growing up with an Igbo man and a Yoruba father.
She noted that to yher, home was simply home, and her parents were just “mum and dad.” Growing up in what she called a “shielded” environment, young Yemi Alade did not realise the cultural disparity between her parents. At the time, she said she was completely unaware of the stream of differences between both cultures outside her home.
“I didn’t know that there was a difference growing up. First of all, I just had my mum and my dad. We were one of those families that had uncles, aunties, and cousins living with us. My dad was that kind of person, so we had people around.”
The talented singer also shared some unpleasant memories where people tried to categorise her into either ethnic groups and not always in the nicest ways.
“I was not aware of the cultural differences until later, especially when people started arguing if I was Yoruba or Igbo. Some people would say ‘Omo Yoruba’ or ‘Omo Igbo,’ and it wasn’t said as a compliment. That’s when I noticed that there was a difference in cultures, and being born into a Yoruba and Igbo family isn’t so common. But one thing I got to enjoy about being in a multicultural family is the food. I get to eat both Igbo and Yoruba delicacies.”
