Nigeria's culture

Hello, I am Debra, one of the Management Assistants. I am going to tell you more about the culture in Nigeria.

When we arrived in Nigeria, most of the people spoke English. English is the official language of the country, because of the British colonization, that ended in 1960. Most ethnic groups however, prefer to communicate in their own languages.
English as the official language is widely used for education, business transactions and for official purposes.

In Nigeria, there are a variety of religions. Nigeria is divided equally between Islam and Christianity between north and south. A report of 2003 showed us that 50.4 % of Nigeria’s population are Muslims, 48.2 % are Christians and 1.4 % are people of other religions.

We have read that the Nigerian cuisine is known for its richness and variety. We went to the weekly market of Nigeria and we tasted a lot of new products that we did not know.
The Nigerian people use many different spices, herbs and flavourings to create deeply flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot with chili peppers.  the Nigerian people are used to eat spicy food.

The feasts of the Nigerian population are colourful and generous. Unfortunately, we have not been able to enjoy one.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with numerous tribes and ethnic groups. We noticed that some people are still wearing traditional clothing. In the south, however men and women prefer to wear western clothing.  The traditional clothing for women are wraps, some of which are designed for day to day activities and others for formal occasions such as festivals or weddings. The formal wraps are made of more expensive cloth.  The men usually  wear cotton wrappers, shirts and sandals for day to day wear. 

On this picture you see a couple who are wearing traditional clothing. There are both wearing a wrap on their head.

 

The Nigeria National Day is celebrated on 1 October, known as Independence Day.  Everyone is wearing traditional clothing on this national holiday. The people are celebrating the independence of Nigeria that began officially on 1 October 1960 after being under British control since 1900.

Nigeria’s national sport is football. The country has its own Premier League of football. The name of its team is the Super Eagles.

 

 

This was the Nigerian culture in a nutshell. My colleague will inform you about the economy. 

Debra

Sources

http://images.google.be/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
http://interesting-africa-facts.com/African-Garb/Nigerian-Traditional-Clothing.html http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Nigeria+National+Day

3 relevant real-life examples:

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-holds-cultural-week-in-brazil/98138/ http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/customs.html
http://www.bellanaija.com/2013/02/10/its-gold-for-nigeria-super-eagles-win-the-afcon-2013-defeat-burkina-faso-1-0-at-the-finals/