From creating one of Britain’s best-known British Nigerian sitcoms to helping the African diaspora reconnect with their heritage through language, British Nigerian entrepreneur and producer Andrew Osayemi has built a career around culture, identity and belonging. As the co-creator and Executive Producer of Meet the Adebanjos, the hit British-African sitcom that followed a Nigerian family living in London, he helped bring authentic British Nigerian experiences to screens around the world, with 50 episodes produced and the series sold in more than 20 countries, including a run on Netflix. Today, through YapTime, his African language learning company, he is helping people in the diaspora learn Yoruba, Igbo and Twi through accessible 10-minute live lessons with native-speaking tutors. In this interview, he reflects on growing up Nigerian in Peckham, the meaning of being British Nigerian, the importance of preserving African languages and culture, and why staying connected to where we come from matters for the next generation.

Who are you?

I’m a British Nigerian entrepreneur, producer and founder.

I’m best known as the co-creator and Executive Producer of Meet the Adebanjos, the British-African sitcom which told the story of a Nigerian family living in London. We produced 50 episodes, sold the show to more than 20 countries and it was also available on Netflix.  More recently, I founded YapTime, an African language learning company helping people born/or raised in the diaspora learn to speak Yoruba, Igbo and Twi through short, 10-minute live lessons with native-speaking tutors. This was driven by the fact that for many years I struggled learning to speak Yoruba and I decided to design a method of just daily 10- minute lessons instead of long lessons which worked for me to now being able to speak Yoruba with my parents. A lot of my work has ultimately been about the same thing: helping people in the diaspora feel more connected to African culture and identity.

What does “Home From Home” mean to you?

For me, “Home From Home” is about being able to create a sense of belonging in Britain while still maintaining a strong connection to Nigeria. I grew up in Peckham, South London in the 80’s and 90’s which for many years was described as ” mini Lagos” due to the concentration of Nigeriains who came and settled there in the 80’s and 90’s. So I saw firsthand how Nigerian culture mixed with British culture was special and unique and I was always proud of my roots.  Of course growing up British Nigerian, you are often navigating two cultures at the same time however over the years I have come to see that as a strength rather than a conflict. Britain is home, but Nigeria, its culture, humour, family traditions and music are also an important part of who I am. It is something my wife and I try to instill in our kids.   

How do you celebrate your Nigerian heritage? 

Today, me and others learning my language is a way I want to celebrate our Nigerian heritage. I find many people like myself who was born in the UK were not taught to speak their Nigerian tribal language by their parents so I think it’s importance we right that wrong before it’s too late or all we will have is the “vibes” of the Nigerian heritage but not the language.   

What does being “British Nigerian” mean to you? 

With YapTime, we are trying to do something similar with language, taking something very traditional and finding a way of making it work for the lives of busy people in the diaspora today.

What do you imagine the future of the British Nigerian Community to look like in the next few years based on your industry?

I think the British Nigerian community will become even more influential across business, entertainment, media and culture. The challenge will be making sure that increased success and integration doesn’t come at the expense of cultural connection. We are already seeing second- and third-generation British Nigerians who are extremely proud of their heritage but may not necessarily speak their parents’ or grandparents’ language.

I think there will therefore be a growing focus on rediscovering and preserving culture, particularly through language, food, music, film and storytelling.That is one of the reasons I started YapTime and in particular the focus on short lessons as people just don’t have time. We need to make it easier for people in the diaspora to maintain that connection rather than feeling that learning an African language has to be a huge undertaking.

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