Cultural Resilience: What Yorubas can learn from Asian immigrant communities

My DAYONE Journal prompted by asking: What is a tradition I admire in another culture?

Well, I think I'm interested in aspects of Asian culture. They work to preserve their cultural heritage, for example by speaking their native languages, even when they're in foreign countries. People often admire how Asians, including Indians and Pakistanis I've met, maintain their local languages while living abroad.

The idea seems to be that when they step outside their homes, they may use English, but once back inside, they switch back to their native languages. This ability to move between languages allows them to preserve their cultures, even as they internationalise themselves their culture become more globalized. So they don't become fully acculturated to the dominant culture.

In this regard, I think African cultures, including my Yorùbá culture, have a lot to learn from how some Asian communities preserve their heritage. Most importantly, the Yorùbá culture needs to start emulating the efforts of Asians to better preserve our rich cultural traditions and reduce the dominance of other cultures.

The Yorùbá culture is incredibly valuable and we need to do more to keep it vibrant and alive. Just as Asian immigrants and their descendants have found ways to maintain their languages and customs even while living abroad, the Yorùbá people should strive to follow a similar model of cultural resilience.

Resisting the encroachment of dominant cultures is crucial. We should take inspiration from the ways that Asian communities have managed to balance adaptation and assimilation with the steadfast preservation of their heritage. Applying those lessons to the Yorùbá culture is an important step we must take to ensure our rich traditions endure.

Overall, the Yorùbá people have much to gain by studying and emulating the effective cultural preservation strategies observed in some Asian diaspora communities. Strengthening our own efforts in this regard is a vital priority.