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 PR and Communications Consultant Ronke Lawal.
Ariatu PR Founder, Ronke Lawal is an award-winning entrepreneur, public speaker and Public Relations specialist. Born in Hackney, East London she graduated with honours from Lancaster University and the University of Richmond Virginia (USA) with a degree in International Business (Economics), she started her own PR and Communications business in 2004. In 2021 Ronke became a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce). In 2022 she was appointed as an honorary professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at The Lancaster University Management School. In 2024 Ronke was appointed Chair of the Black Women in Comms group for the UK Black Comms Network. She is currently an Everywoman associate, facilitating training seminars for corporate professionals in major companies around the world. She is a passionate advocate for enterprise, equality and equity through diverse and inclusive leadership. She is regularly invited onto a variety of media platforms to share her insights on pop culture, current affairs, business and more.
What does “Home From Home” mean to you? They say home is where the heart is and I say home is in my heart. My heart can be found in Hackney, in Yoruba culture, in the land that was named Nigeria by the current country I was born in. Home is also where I find peace and safety in a world that is not always safe for someone like me – it’s where I can watch my Nollywood movies back to back whilst eating efo riro and poundo.
How do you celebrate your Nigerian heritage? Growing up I used to be able to actively celebrate it when my parents took us to hall parties – we did not realise it then but that was how we maintained community. These are becoming rarer in certain parts of London and perhaps because of what happens when you move on and your communities scatter as we all chase our goals and end up in different parts of the city. I would love to still have the active social calendar that my parents had when I was growing up so that I can celebrate heritage more vibrantly. In place of this however I celebrate it through enjoying Nigerian content creators, Nollywood, Food, music, art and literature (not as much in Yoruba as I would like but I do read my daughter children’s books in the language so that is good). I also celebrate it through learning about it – there are so many unique histories, customs and lessons to be learnt from our heritage. There is so much that I do not know but I want to know and I take my time to learn through the content I consume or the people I share space with.
What does being “British Nigerian” mean to you?
It is a complex identity marker but it means embracing both sides of who I am and who I cannot deny. I often prefer to call myself “Hackney-Yoruba” as I was born in Hackney and spent my formative years there, it shaped me and I have an issue with historical construction of Nigeria by the British Empire but of course being born here makes that even more complicated. But there is power in speaking in truths and realities. Just because I was born here does not mean that I will ever deny the harms and impact of colonialism – it also does not mean that I will deny myself the right to be here since my ancestors blood was spilt to build this land I am more than entitled to call it home. There’s also an element of sadness at not always being fully embraced by some people in my community – more due to their own lack of understanding and insensitivity. Being questioned about my identity because I don’t speak Yoruba fluently or being surprised that I eat our food have always been peculiar to me but this is why I say that home is in my heart because I know who I am and why I was planted here so I must focus on the positive and recognise that overall my people can be wonderful. My people are wonderful, diverse and frustrating in equal measure.
How do you stay connected to your identity?
As mentioned earlier; food, music, Nollywood. I want to say community and yes it is there but it is sometimes fractured. One tries to make the effort to maintain links but it can be challenging as many of us focus on building and accumulating wealth now which I understand but it stripes us of our community – I miss Hall parties – perhaps I’m not getting invited to many! LOL! I love my food – efo riro, beans and plantain, yam and egg, eba, amala…all the swallows and soups and stews. Food brings me joy and allows me to stay connected. It would be remiss of me to overlook language – it often feels like my tongue has been cut because whilst I speak English, the language of the country of my birth I have not been blessed with the gift of fluency of Yoruba. I ache for the confidence to be able to speak it – it is in me – I know that I have receptive bilingualism which means that I can understand but not speak (if I were ever forced into a situation where I had to speak I would) but I would love to be more fluent. I think a lot of my hesitation comes from the lack of psychological safety that comes with trying to speak the language but being laughed at and mocked growing up really took its toll on me. I know at my big age I really should get over it but the damage has been done because at my big age I cannot allow myself to be in a position where anyone mocks me for trying something. So yes I would love to tap into my mother tongue more and speak the language and I would also love to know more about our history in a formal way. I have some resources that I can use to learn and I will find time to immerse myself so that I can really get to know the history of Yoruba and my people. This urge has been exacerbated by having my first born daughter who I am very keen to ensure at least has a basic understanding of Yoruba and our shared history. I have work to do therefore to make sure I gift her with the knowledge of our beautiful heritage.
What does culture mean to you?
Culture is the heartbeat of expression; it brings our identity to life and keeps us alive as a community. Culture is everything that makes us special and everything that awakens our imaginations.
What do you imagine the future of the British Nigerian Community to look like in the next few years based on your industry?
I have a hope that there will be more creative expression and freedom to seek new paths in my industry. The PR industry in this country can be quite restrictive if one follows the expectations of the old guard however there are so many creative minds coming from the British Nigerian community who are disrupting the industry in a major way. The future is exciting and very promising. I look at how PR practitioners are operating in Nigeria itself and love communities like Nigerian Women in PR which have embraced me and amplify the important work of Nigerian women in the diaspora and in Nigeria in the sector.
Links to website/Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronke.lawal/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronkelawal/
