6 Things We Love About Nigeria [Independence Day]

by Peace Anyasodo

Nkiti is a brand informed by our connection to our home as a group of Igbo people from Nigeria. Therefore, we could not let Nigerian Independence Day pass without some celebration!

We recognise Nigeria as our home and think fondly of it, even having spent a lot of time in the diaspora, and to commemorate its 60th birthday we want to share 6 of our favourite things about Nigeria!

1. Nigeria is home to cultural diversity

Diversity in Nigeria is like nothing else, we boast over 250 different ethnic groups as well as more than 500 languages!
Pidgin English is the lingua franca of Nigeria, it is widely spoken in social settings and fosters a sense of camaraderie. It is common to say "How bodi?" or "How you dey?" or "How far na?" to ask "How are you?"

2. Nigeria is home to Nollywood

Nollywood has moved from a DIY cinema experiment with amusing animations  into the second largest film industry in the world brand, with movies like Lionheart and New Money being featured on Netflix.

Source - Netflix Genevieve Nnaji

3. Nigeria is home to so much creative talent

Nigeria is overflowing with artistic creativity, there are so many talented Nigerians we could mention, but here are our personal favourites.

Wizkid is has earned the title of 'international superstar'. The singer songwriter has been breaking records as the first Nigerian musician to have over one million followers on Twitter. He was added to the Guinness World Records in 2018 for his collaboration with Drake on the song  “One Dance” which became the most streamed song on Spotify globally. 
Through the contributions of many artists Afrobeats have taken the world by storm. Its irresistible rhythm adding flavour to any event, whether it’s a wedding, club night or just vibing in your room alone.

Gerald Chukuma is a Nigerian contemporary artist we have been personally inspired by. He has been credited with “modernising the Igbo cultural aesthetic” and his art has featured in exhibitions across Nigeria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Using discarded drink cans, old phone cards, carved wood, paint and nails he crafts a variety of colourful and intricate wood-slate sculptures.

Source - True Africa

4. Nigeria is home to some banging food

Our jollof rice is undefeated, period!

No, we will not be discussing this, we said what we said.

Nigerians love spicy foods, seriously we add pepper to everything. If you can handle it make sure to try some of our delicacies.
Suya is our absolute favourite! It is a common street food, where flavour comes from the pepper coating the meat, the charcoal grill, the accompanying red onions and the newspaper in which it is served

5. Nigeria is home to those abroad

Nigerians are everywhere. The Nigerian’s diaspora population has been estimated at somewhere between 2 and 15 million! The largest Nigerian Diaspora community is in the US with around 400,000 followed by the UK with more than 200,000.
Though far from home we are never alone, and can always find community.

6. Nigeria is home to us

The Nkiti team currently consists of 4 Nigerians, who despite living the majority of our lives overseas and – to the dismay of our grandparents – do not fully speak our mother tongues, still call Nigeria home. This connection is what inspires Nkiti and motivates us to create and share our clothing with the world. 

As a young country, Nigeria is constantly evolving and still has a lot of growing to do, it is a complex place full of people who have many differences and has a large number of its population living overseas, but all are united as proud Nigerians.

So here is to Nigeria and its people, both home and abroad, we love you all.