West Africans in the UAA Series: Part 2, Traditions and Food

Food and tradition play an important role in any strong culture. Whether they were born abroad or in the U.S., West Africans in the University Athletic Association have remained true to cultural traditions and meals.

Celebrations and Ceremonies

“Nigerians celebrate everything and anything. It is a ‘go big or go home’ culture and I love to see how we come together and become one. From the garments we wear to the food we serve, we always give 100 percent,” declared Case Western Reserve University sophomore volleyball student-athlete Amanda Ngo. “The traditional garments or clothes worn are always something I look forward to at events. The experience is most intimate as everyone selects the style of their dresses, dashiki (men’s attire), and genes (head wrap), but all these outfits are from the same patterned cloth. It keeps us tied together, while remaining unique.”

CWRU senior Jennifer Ngo shares her sister’s joy around those traditions. “The vibrant Nigerian attire, resonating with colorful fabrics and symbolic motifs, are important to me and my family. We also cherish the art and music, spanning from traditional tribal rhythms to contemporary Afrobeat,” she added. “The guiding traditions in ceremonies like weddings and naming ceremonies hold profound significance, serving as occasions where communities unite in joyous celebration and ancestral reverence.”

Junior track & field student-athlete Jason Asare emphasizes the significance of similar ceremonies in Ghanian culture. “Some of my culture’s traditions that are important to my family and I are birth and marriage ceremonies where people generally sport the traditional kente cloths to celebrate the beginnings of a certain stage of life,” he expressed. “Birth ceremonies, known as ‘outdoorings,’ are when families gather for the naming of a newborn child. Marriage ceremonies are generally very festive and involve a lot of singing and dancing. Another tradition that is important to my family is naming children after the day of the week on which they were born. For instance, my Ghanian name is Kobe, which indicates that I was born on a Tuesday, while my younger sister’s name is Maafia, indicating that she was born on a Friday.”

University of Rochester head volleyball coach Ladi Iya described the importance of attire at weddings. “One tradition that comes from the Yoruba tribe of Southwest Nigeria that many tribes embrace is families wearing matching aso oke (a prestigious hand-woven fabric) at weddings. For women, it includes a blouse (buba), wrapped skirt (iro), head wrap (gele), and a shawl (ipele). It was always a big to-do going to a seamstress to get the outfit made for weddings,” she recalled.

Freshman UChicago wrestling student-athlete Titobililuwa Akenroye also enjoys the emphasis Nigerians put on celebrations. “My favorite cultural tradition is the emphasis placed on parties and times of celebration. One of my fondest memories from high school is my graduation party. My parents went above and beyond to make the party as traditional as possible with Nigerian catering, music, and games. I really enjoyed being able to share a part of my culture with my classmates.”

Senior track & field student-athlete Kenya Sei of Emory University enjoys the way his Sierra Leonian culture brings people together during the holidays at the end of the year. “Sierra Leone is equally Muslim and Christian. ‘Detty December’ is the best time to be there because everyone is enjoying the holidays,” he described. “Even though I am Muslim, Christmas/Boxing Day and New Years are still very big for my family.”

2022 Washington University graduate Melvin Aninagyei-Bonsu and Rochester junior Manny Eribo each enjoy celebrating their country’s independence and soccer teams competing on the international stage. On Mar. 6, 1957, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from a European colonial power. In addition to celebrating that occasion, Aninagyei-Bonsu enjoys cheering on Ghana in the World Cup, where the men’s and women’s teams have combined for seven appearances, most recently the men’s team in 2022. He also enjoys wearing kente cloth.

Nigeria proclaimed its independence from British rule on Oct. 1, 1960. “One big tradition my family has is honoring our Independence Day/October First, when we celebrate by eating Nigerian food and putting our country’s flag outside our house,” Eribo communicated. “My favorite tradition though is cheering on the Super Eagles (Nigeria’s national soccer team) during AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) and the World Cup.”

Language and Naming

2022 Carnegie Mellon University graduate Obi Nnaeto takes great pride in understanding his name’s origins. “One of the most important cultural traditions is the importance placed on knowing the correct pronunciation and meaning of your native name. This tradition emphasizes that we are destined for something, and we are born for something that has long standing meaning,” he asserted. “My full Igbo (Nigerian tribe) name is Chukwumaobim, which means ‘God knows my heart’ and this reminds me to trust myself and to trust that God is helping me make the decisions that are best for me. Knowing what my name means stressed the importance of being connected to my Igbo culture and knowing that it is part of me no matter what and will continue to be part of my family for generations.”

Doyin Ogundiran, a 2019 Brandeis University graduate, also finds strength in her Nigerian name. “The culture and tradition behind naming is particularly important to me. From a young age, my parents have told me about the significance behind my name and what it means not only to me, but to the family as a whole,” she commented. “In Nigerian culture, your name is given to you based on the circumstances regarding your birth or as a decree you are expected to live up to. It has made me deeply value the attributes and components of a Nigerian name.”

Senior WashU student-athlete Charis Riebe, who uses the beginning of many of her names (Oluwa) on her social media, finds it important to stress that she is Nigerian. “As a multiracial person, my identity is often challenged or decided for me, and I have learned that my experiences and identity are only for me to determine, not others,” she communicated. “From my first and last name, you can’t tell that I am Nigerian, but my nine middle names say otherwise. Just because I don’t speak my mother tongue or because I am only half Nigerian does not mean I am not Nigerian and I shouldn’t, and won’t, relinquish that part of my identity.”

NYU junior track & field student-athlete Michelle Uvieghara has learned the importance of both language and clothing in the Nigerian culture. “Wearing the Asor (term meaning clothes/attire) is representative of our culture, of our people, so we all have a couple sets of attire – ubura (top) b (and) alekun (bottom wrapper), that me and my sisters along with our mom wear with the Igele (head wrap worn by women). While we mainly wear them for special events or occasions, to properly wear the attire you must know how to tie the clothes and tie the head wrapper, so that’s necessary” she explained. “Understanding the language is also important, there are so many sayings and ideas that only come across well in Itsekiri. My family is a part of the Itsekiri tribe, although my father is also part Urhobo, my parents both speak Itsekiri, so it’s something I have always heard growing up.”

For 2023 WashU graduate Abayomi Awoyomi, language is paramount. “The most important tradition to me is speaking the language with other Nigerians. Yoruba speakers always say, ‘Yoruba dun lenu,’ which literally translates to ‘Yoruba is sweet in the mouth.’ There is nothing sweeter than conversing in Yoruba with someone who speaks it,” he remarked.

Respect and Faith

Showing honor to God and elders is a part of West African culture that many current and former UAA student-athletes place great importance on. “Elders are highly honored in Nigerian (and other West African) cultures. When greeting an elder, women will kneel, and men will prostrate to show respect. Additionally, we refer to, and about, our elders using honorifics. This holds true for anyone who is older than you, even if it is just by a year,” described 2022 UChicago graduate Temilade Adekoya. “For example, my mother has three younger siblings, so they will always greet her with respect, regardless of their gender, and refer to her as ‘Anti Mi’ (my elder sister) instead of her name. Our elders are respected for their experiences and wisdom. A Yorbua proverb goes, ‘Nkan ti agba ri l’ori ijoko, ti omode ba gun igi iroko, ko le ri.’ This means, ‘What an elder sees while sitting, a younger person who climbs to the top of a Teakwood tree will not see.’ In other words, a younger person does not have the wisdom and experience of their elders, so you should make sure to show them respect.”

Charis Riebe sees traditional Nigerian ceremonies as expressions of faith in God. “Celebrations are important to my family and me, as well as our Christian faith. Therefore, many celebrations such as the child naming ceremony eight days after birth, traditional weddings, milestone birthdays, and idupes (Thanksgiving services) focus on celebrating our blessings and God’s faithfulness,” she stated.

Riebe’s classmate and teammate Ebunoluwa Opata comes from a strong faith tradition. “Most people in the Nigerian culture are fairly religious and most tend to be one of two religions. My family is Christian, and our faith is very important to us,” she noted. “We all moved from London to the U.S. in 2013 for my dad to pastor an RCCG (Redeemer Christian Church of God) church, which is a well-known church branch that originated in Nigeria. Since I am a pastor’s child, this tradition of faith has always been very prominent in my life as well as the lives of my family.”

Rochester men’s basketball teammates Tomiwa Adetosoye and Bernard Dushie, Jr. each have great respect for West African traditions. “The Nigerian music and dance culture have always been important and fascinating to me and my mom because we did not grow up in Nigeria. The uniqueness of these traditions is very new and different to us,” said Adetosoye, whose father came to the U.S. from Nigeria in 1995. “Serving and worshipping God is very important to me and my family,” Dushie contributed. “We believe in letting love lead our actions.”

CWRU freshman Bidinga Kapapi wraps up his view on his West African culture with three values: “Our culture is really tied to community, faith, and God,” he summarized before giving examples of how the community relates to one another. “We don’t call before going to someone’s house, we just visit. Every time we have someone over, we give them an abundance of food as it is disrespectful to enter our home without eating. When someone is traveling, we never hesitate to offer up our home, so they don’t have to pay for a hotel,” he pointed out.

Favorite West African Dishes

The one food mentioned most consistently as favorite by UAA West Africans was jollof rice. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents listed it among their top foods.

Jollof rice was also chosen by most of the Ghanians in the series, who particularly also mentioned fufu and banku. Jason Asare summed up two of them: “Jollof rice and banku are two of the most popular dishes in the region,” he shared. “Jollof rice typically consists of long-grain rice cooked in a tomato-based sauce with a variety of vegetables and spices. Banku is a traditional Ghanian dish made from fermented corn dough that is typically served alongside stew, soup, or sauce.” Fufu is a staple that is typically made from cassava root and green plantains.

Temilade Adekoya left no doubt as to where jollof rice ranks. “When asked, ‘What meal could you eat every day if you were stuck on an island?’ my answer is always jollof rice with a side of fried plantain (or dodo to Nigerians, pronounced doh-doh) specifically fried by my father. He’s got a special talent for being the only person who knows exactly how chewy I like my fried plantain!” she remarked. “As for my family, I will always hold my mother’s cooking close to my heart. My favorites she prepares include numerous ‘swallow foods’ such as iyan (ee-yuhn, pounded yam), amala (ah-mah-la, made using yam flour), and eba (eh-bah, prepared by pounding cassava that has been mixed with hot water). Additionally, she prepares the stews that you can dip them in: apon (ah-kpon), egusi (eh-goo-see), efo riro (eh-foh rih-roh), and ewedu (ee-weh-doo).”

In addition to jollof rice, multiple Nigerians joined Adekoya in mentioning pounded yam, fried plantains, and multiple soups and stews, particularly egusi soup. “We eat a lot of pounded yam withy different sorts of soups and my favorite soup to eat it with is egusi soup, which is a melon seed-based stew with lots of greens and vegetables,” Ladi Iya described. “I love Nigerian food and make it quite regularly. Most Nigerians enjoy suya (or tsire), which is a kebob made with kuli kuli (made from crushed peanuts) and a blend of spices called yaji, which is my favorite, and goes well with fried plantains. One of my favorites is kosai, a fried black-eyed bean cake, but it is quite a process to make, so I rarely make it.”

CWRU graduate student Pekky Nzegbuna favors a special food that no one else in the series mentioned. “Moi-moi is one of my all-time favorites. It is blended beans with spices, eggs, and meat packed in a leaf or pouch, and baked in hot water,” he explained.

Other foods mentioned were palm/banga soup, yam and spinach stew, kilishi (Nigerian beef jerky), okra soup, meat pie, puff-puff (deep fried dough), ogbono soup, chapati (flatbread), ndole (stewed nuts, bitter leaves, and fish or beef), eru soup, pondu and acheke (each made with cassava leaves), attiéke (made with grated cassava), mandazi (African donut), groundnut soup, fish roll/fish pie, waakye (rice and beans), fried and cooked goat, pepper soup, peanut soup, fried turkey wings, and rice and stew.