The ‘Home from Home’ project aims to explore the legacies of pioneering British Nigerians in the UK and their impact on society. The project highlights and celebrates British Nigerian contributions to the cultural, political, educational, artistic, spiritual, and sporting life of Britain and London, in particular. In this interview we feature community worker and Black-Feminist advocate, Kafayat Okanlawon.
Who is Kafayat Okanlawon?
I’m a Black-Feminist advocate and community worker, and have worked in safeguarding for over 10 years. Much of my work has been focused on ending violence against women and girls, through advocacy, campaigning and movement building.
Also, I founded House of Lavender, a community organisation that supports the healing and growth of Black women and girls, through arts, activism and health.
Finally, I’m the curator and editor of ‘This Is Us: Black British women and girls’, an anthology that retells their stories of challenges and hardships, triumphs and strengths.
What does “Home From Home” mean to you?
When I think about the term “Home From Home”, Nigeria is the first thing that comes to mind. Nigeria will also be a home for me regardless of where I live but I am very aware (even hyper aware) of the layers being a part of the diaspora.
Through travelling, the arts and relationships my understanding of home has changed over time. The things that make up ‘home’ for me are now less about a specific building I lived in and more about a feeling (or feeling connected to those places). I think about being born and raised in Hackney and the feeling of ‘home’ I get when I’m in the borough, I don’t necessarily need to be in my old house to get that feeling of home.
What does culture mean to you?
It is the intersection of all the different strands of one’s identity, from me being Black, Nigerian-British, Muslim, a Londoner, clothes and fashion, language, art, norms, customs and more are all a part of my culture and shape how I experience life.
Many of these things have been passed down from my family and community, and the joy of having adopted things that I’ll add to the pot and pass it down too.
How does your culture show up in your work?
Ideas about ‘community’ have been a big part of how I do my work and activism, especially ideas about collectivism. How we can support, give and receive from one another to survive as I believe there is more than enough if we share resources.
Additionally, Islam and being Muslim has a profound impact on how I hold women, the emphasis on sisterhood (and brotherhood) in Islam is something that has always stayed with me.
How do you celebrate your Nigerian heritage?
Firstly, I do this by celebrating my parents as they are my closest link to Nigeria. Being at an age where I appreciate what they have held onto. I now enjoy hearing my parents stories of boarding school, learning how to make traditional dishes, looking through albums, watching old party videos and asking the questions. Accepting my parents for who they are and how they were raised is me not only celebrating but honouring my heritage.
There are also the more obvious things such as food, clothes, music and language. The way Africans, Nigerians have taken over popular culture means there’s a difference in how I’m able to celebrate and connect with Nigeria in ways I wasn’t before.
It is still important for me to experience Nigeria, in Nigeria as opposed to just the music, clothes etc. as I know there is more to the story of Nigeria.
What does being “British Nigerian” mean to you?
It is such a unique experience, and one that is nuanced. What it means to be British-Nigerian Muslim and British-Nigerian Christian will have similarities but slightly differ or if you lived in South or East London or outside London and it can be fun speaking to British-Nigerians about the things that connect us or things that are different.
For me, it’s this beautiful experience being my parents’ child but also being a child of London. To be honest I don’t connect to being ‘British’ or ‘English’ in the way I do to being a Londoner, maybe I’m ‘London -Nigerian’. Being a London-Nigerian (to me) may look like having Jollof rice with Jerk chicken, doing the gun-finger dance to Afro beats and adding ‘innit’ to the end of a sentence when speaking Yoruba.
How do you stay connected to your identity?
By doing the things I love.
What do you imagine the future of the British Nigerian Community to look like in the next few years based on your industry?
British Nigerians are taking over across the board and my hope that Black people collectively experience more joy, healing and thrive.
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