Jidenna has come under fire for a recent interview on Vlad TV where he commented on being light-skinned in Nigeria. He stated, “The fact that you have African blood in you is gonna make it hard. When you’re light-skinned, you’re a heavier target for being kidnapped because you’re seen as more valuable. We were robbed–our family’s been assaulted. We’ve had a lot of issues.”
In his own defense against his detractors who took his comments as painting Nigeria in a negative light, he penned an open letter on his website reaffirming his doubters.
He writes, “I am, always have been, and always will be proud of my Nigerian heritage. I understand the pain and anger caused by some of the comments I made in a recent interview, and I wanted to address you directly. Contrary to popular belief, this interview was not the first in which I mentioned Nigeria. In fact, I’m frequently bragging about how Nigerians attend the world’s most prestigious institutions, and how we are known to produce world class doctors, entrepreneurs, innovators, lawyers, engineers, professors, athletes and artists.”
He added, “Unfortunately, people tend to leave these moments out, and, in this case, highlight stereotypes. I would never do or say anything to intentionally disgrace the legacy of my father nor my fatherland. But to not relay my own story, both the good times and the bad, would be a disservice.”
Click here for the full letter.
Jidenna is a Nigerian-American and also belong to the Igbo tribe. jidenna belongs to a tribe that is away from the city. In a interview with DJ Vlad, Jidenna was reflecting on life and revealed his cultural roots. Including talking about some racial issues in society, Jidenna spoke about being a “light-skinned” person in the Igbo-Land of Nigeria.
The Wondaland artist implied that lighter skinned people living in the Igboland might have certain trials and tribulations. Jidenna said that lighter skinned people might get robbed or kidnapped easily and he even had to bring guns to his dads funeral.
This did not settle well with the Nigerian-American people. Most people thought that Jidenna was basically trying to play Nigeria out and give Nigeria a bad look!
Jidenna responded to the statements he made in the VladTV interview. Jidenna wrote a public letter to all his fans and Nigerian fam on his website. Jidenna stated that he always talks about the greatness of Nigeria in interviews and people always love to pinpoint negativity. Jidenna added that he understands the anger and frustration coming from all his natives. He concluded that he was not trying to disgrace the legacy of Nigeria and reaffirmed that he was speaking on personal experiences.
What do you think?
To all my Nigerian brothers and sisters
July 15, 2015
To all my Nigerian brothers and sisters…
I am, always have been, and always will be proud of my Nigerian heritage. I understand the pain and anger caused by some of the comments I made in a recent interview, and I wanted to address you directly. Contrary to popular belief, this interview was not the first in which I mentioned Nigeria. In fact, I’m frequently bragging about how Nigerians attend the world’s most prestigious institutions, and how we are known to produce world class doctors, entrepreneurs, innovators, lawyers, engineers, professors, athletes and artists. Unfortunately, people tend to leave these moments out, and, in this case, highlight stereotypes. I would never do or say anything to intentionally disgrace the legacy of my father nor my fatherland. But to not relay my own story, both the good times and the bad, would be a disservice.
My name is Jidenna, which means “to hold or embrace the father” in Igbo. It was my father who gave me this name and who taught me countless parables, proverbs, and principles that made me the man I am today. These same principles helped me to write the record “Classic Man.” When I brought home a 98 percent on a test, my father would say, “ah ah, where are the other two points? Go and get them, then bring them back.” My father and Nigerian culture has always stood for excellence. While the majority of my childhood memories are beautiful, I also have experienced the challenges that Nigeria has faced since Independence.
When I was 5 years old, my family was robbed at gunpoint, my mother was beaten, family members were kidnapped, and I was shot in my foot. As is the case with all kidnapping, targeting those who are perceived to be wealthy is the objective. In this instance, my father was the target because of his prominence in the community. This was a traumatic experience for my family that would shape our entire lives and our experiences in both Nigeria and America. As a little boy, I swore that I would never let that happen to my family again. As my father often said, “Once you’re bitten by a snake, you‘ll be ready to shoot a lizard!” At the time of my father’s burial 5 years ago, my family in the village was concerned about increased targeting for kidnapping since the rate of abductions had increased dramatically in the area we are from. We were traveling from America, which along with our biracial appearance, had the potential to attract attention and pose a threat to our security. In light of what happened in the past and the tense climate at the time, my family took precautions to ensure our safety. This was not an uncommon protocol at the time. I recognize incidents such as these are not unique to Nigeria or the African continent, and there have been significant improvements in the region since this period.
In the recent interview to which I’ve been referring, I shared my family’s experience traveling from the States back home for the burial. In this interview, I used the term “light-skinned.” When using this term, I was actually referring to my immediate family’s mixed or biracial appearance. See, no matter what language I use to describe my heritage, I’m certain that someone will feel some kind of way. This is a larger discussion not meant for this statement, but certainly derives from our colonial past and postcolonial present, and in the States, from the days of slavery to the present times. My comments about skin tone were related to the notion of perceived wealth and value, not my personal beliefs. My point was never to imply that biracial or “light-skinned” people are the only ones or the most targeted group of people kidnapped, or that I myself was wealthy at the time. Rather than focus on my perceived value, let us continue to focus on the value of Nigeria.
There is no question that Africa is playing a pivotal role in the future of our planet and that Nigeria, with it’s booming economy and burgeoning middle class, is a driving force. I will continue to play my role in the Renaissance taking place in Nigeria and Africa at large. We may not agree on everything, but know my heart is your heart, and my experience is part of our collective experience.
SOURCE:VladTV
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