I came across Blessing, aka Ibukun, after watching her impressive YouTube Yoruba lesson. I found it remarkable that the younger generations in the diaspora are taking pride in our language and our culture. I could not resist but invited her to the Pansa Pansa podcast to be a guest. I was grateful when she accepted my invitation. Ibukun was born in Nigeria, but she spent most of her formative years and adult life in Britain with her Nigerian parents. I wanted to know if growing up abroad influenced her passion and appreciation for the Yoruba language and how her parents influenced such love and supported her career choice even though she possessed a law degree. It was such a joy meeting Ibukun. Her kind-heartedness and her passion for the Yoruba language and culture reflect in the growth of her business. It has led her to become a full-time instructor in the field. From watching her YouTube video lessons on Yoruba and my conversation with Ibukun, she has the potential to inspire her students to learn the language and learn other aspects of the culture.
Before we get into the conversation about the Yoruba lesson and the fantastic work she is doing teaching our rich Yoruba culture and language to the world, we explore her review on identity as an African living in the diaspora. For African immigrants in the US, black identity and African immigrant struggle and how we navigate through a racialized world with our immigrant experience could be challenging. I have always been interested in conversing with Africans in Europe about their struggles in navigating through the European system as Africans. I wanted to know what it is like for people of African descent in England to navigate through such worlds. We talked about her social college life and how she adjusted to fit into the predominant culture on her college campus, especially coming from an African immigrant home.
Regarding Yoruba lessons, Ibukun and I discussed how the courses or the teaching are designed starting from beginner class, intermediary, and advanced class. We talked about the diversity of the student body. Some students come from parents of Yoruba origin, and others from different backgrounds, mainly from America. The Yoruba language cannot be separated from Yoruba culture. We also dive into teaching cultural traditions such as naming ceremonies, traditional greetings, wedding ceremonies, etc. Ibukun is also hosting a travel group to Nigeria where the participants would have the opportunity to visit historic sites and museums, dine and wine Nigerian food and experience the culture.
Blessing Kayode is a Yoruba teacher, creating dynamic Yoruba content to make the Yoruba language and culture easily accessible to those in the diaspora or those who have not had a chance to connect with their mother tongue or wish to learn Yoruba as a second language. She creates weekly detailed Yoruba videos on Youtube and short informational content on Instagram. She also generates resources/materials to support language learning. Listers can always connect with Ibukun through these links.Youtube: Blessing Kayode
Instagram: yoruba_lessons
Website: Www.yorubalessons.com
