Dine with Us Lunch series continues with presentation on Nigeria

Akwanamnye showed the location of Nigeria and explained it includes 36 states and a federal capitol. She said it is bordered on the north by Niger, to the east by Chad and Cameroon, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by Benin.

She gave insights into the history of Nigeria before its colonization by the British, and what led to its independence. Akwanamnye also talked about some of Nigeria’s coup d’états and the civil war that almost ripped the country into two.

“The 1967 Biafra civil war was a brutal war that led to the death of 8,000 to 30,000 Igbo people. The Igbos will always remember that dark time,” Akwanamnye said.

The Nigerian flag and coat of arms was displayed and Akwanamnye explained the significance of each symbol and color.

Oladimeji talked about how Nigerian dishes are deeply rooted in the variety of ethnic groups. She explained that a lot of Nigerian dishes are often soups and stews, and contain a lot of vegetable ingredients. She talked about jollof rice, which was one of the dishes available, and how it’s made. She talked about other cultural dishes like Tuwo Shinkafa, Fufu, and Suya which are native to northern Nigeria. Akwanamnye talked about the cultural dish of the Igbos, Abacha.

“Jollof rice is Nigeria’s national dish and I’ve never met a Nigerian who couldn’t make this meal,” Oladimeji said.

Akwanamnye explained that her country’s economy is among the largest economies in Africa, and it thrives on trade, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing.

“Nigeria has valuable resources that it relies on for trade like crude oil, coal, natural gas, tin, rubber and cocoa beans,” Akwanamnye said.

She mentioned that Nigeria has more than 250 different ethnic tribes and 450 dialects. As a result of the high number of dialects, many Nigerians are multilingual. She also mentioned that English is Nigeria’s official language. She talked about the main tribes which are the Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa tribes.

Akwanamnye shared the background of some of Nigeria’s holidays like the Eyo festival of Lagos, the Ine festival of Onicha-Ugbo, ImoAwka, and the Muslim holidays Eid al Maulud and Eid al Fitri. She also talked about some famous writers and musicians.

Oladimeji explained that Nigeria’s tourism industry is growing thanks to ocean beaches, unique wildlife, unspoiled nature, and rapidly growing cities. She shared some examples of attractions such as the Victoria Island beaches, Cross River National Park, Yankari National Park, and Zuma Rock.

The next Dine with Us program will be Nov. 28 about Guatemala by Dr. Gabriella Pruitt Santos and Julio Santos. The series will continue during the spring 2024 semester.