Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U Multicultural.
Nigeria is one of the crown jewels of multiculturalism worldwide. It’s the country containing around two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, and five hundred languages. It has a sprawling population, bustling cities, and a coastline where the waves of the Atlantic crash upon the Gulf of Guinea.
Victoria Nwabuisi is a recent graduate from the University of Manitoba – with a major in Asian Studies. She came to Canada from Nigeria to study. She remembers the cold weather at the beginning of Spring 2015 was much of a surprise and the experiences that came after.
Before coming to Canada, Victoria loved the communities she was a part of in Abuja, the capital city. She says, “As a teenager then, I was very involved with my street community, my church community. It was about getting to know all the people in my neighborhood. In High School, I attended a boarding school, which was very interesting. The boarding schools in Nigeria are like insular communities. They have everything you need, all right on campus.”
Victoria thrived during her time at the University of Manitoba. It became possible by studying hard. And, by becoming the International Students’ representative for the Students’ Union.
Victoria says that multiculturalism, to her, is like a beautiful woven carpet. A carpet with many different colors, styles, and shapes that it is forming. Like every different section of carpet is dependent on the others, next to it. She says, “If even one of the tiny pieces of fabric encompassing the whole gets lost, it would ruin the essence of the entire thing. That’s what multiculturalism is all about.“
She continues, “It’s the proclamation that you have your culture and I have my culture. It is amazing that the two can stand together side by side. If you were one day to ask me that I should make my culture like yours, then that is would be significant disfavor to the community. It would be a disfavor to society, by trying to make someone else less like themselves.” Victoria says it is clear. Multiculturalism exists at the core of both Canadian society and a globalized world.
Victoria stresses how important loyalty and fairness are to her. Something where she strives every day to get the whole picture in all her endeavors.
Victoria wishes, “I hope one day I could become an ambassador. But for now, after saving enough money, I want to pursue my master’s degree in International Securities. I hope one day I may use the background that I have, that I am accumulating, to make the world a better place. In the sense of helping people see the fuller picture of who we are as people! It is only when you begin to probe through the background and history of different people. And to reach the cultures – it is when you begin to see how interconnected we all are. I hope, I have enough influence in the future to help people see this day, more than anything. That’s what I wish to do with my life.”
Authored by David Teffaine
Edited by Kiran Ajaz
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