Negative Stereotyping, a clog in the wheel of our unity

"Which state are you from?" Is the usual question I get from people who come from the South anytime I string a good sentence in English. "Sokoto" I always reply and then watch the astonished  expression on their faces while they try to reconcile what they are seeing with what they have stored in their minds. Some of the more polite ones smile and warm up to me while some will continue to probe. "Are you from the Dasuki family?" One asked. "No, I replied I did not come from any of the so called elites' families that you know. I was actually raised by a widow who did not attend any western school" I will add with a smile watching as the confusion deepens.

This is a typical example of stereotyping by Nigerians against fellow Nigerians. Because it is widely believed that people from the North do not attend western school, the people questioning me cannot understand why an ordinary Fulani girl from Sokoto should speak good English. Apart from this, we also have our own beliefs up North about people of Southern Nigeria which to a large extent are not true. For example, it is widely believed that Yoruba people are not trustworthy and as such any Yoruba person is a potential traitor, while Igbos can do anything for money and should not be trusted in matters that involve money.  As a person who attended a unity secondary school, I have met amazing people from these two tribes who hardly fit into the description above.

Stereotype can be defined as  a fixed, commonly held notion or image of a person or group, based on an oversimplification of some observed or imagined trait of behavior or appearance, a  popular belief about specific types of individuals or certain way of doing things. Stereotypes can be either positive or negative but most stereotypes tend to make us feel superior in some way to the person or group being stereotyped.  Stereotypes ignore the uniqueness of individuals by painting all members of a group with the same brush. Another name for stereotyping is bias. Sometimes stereotyping can turn into discrimination if we misinterpret a bias and act upon it in a negative manner.

Even though stereotyping is a global phenomenon, we tend to use it negatively (with the intention to hate) in Nigeria, particularly among the three major tribes that we have. We most often willingly refuse to acknowledge that most of these perceptions are not true, or that they are not what generally define a particular people. As much as we know that Hausa people are trustworthy, Yorubas go to school and Igbos are enterprising, this is not always the case as we also have Hausas that are not trustworthy, uneducated Yorubas and non enterprising Igbos.

What is most disturbing is the fact that the youth who should be able to think for themselves are actively engaged in negative stereotyping. There is  therefore an urgent need for orientation especially among our  young people. We need to move away from what we have been told while growing up and begin to find out things by ourselves in order to achieve the much desired unity.

Finally, I believe that with effort, we can change ourselves and in so doing, change our society. It is very important to see the diversity that surrounds us as a good thing, something wonderful about our country, which is definately better than living in our own cultural bubbles.