INI ERE
Meaning “my name” in ijaw (nembe) language
Of all the things they took from you, the name was the most delicate
A name you were identified by in your fatherland
How many times did they take what you had
First your paradise, then your pride
They did not call you Chigozie but they called you Chi, the ‘i’ pronounced as a ‘y’
They couldn’t pronounce Ayibanengiyefa so they called you Ay
You answered because it sounded nice but didn’t know why
It wasn’t your fault, with their tiny nostrils how are they to pronounce a name so strong that your father sang with pride the day you strode your first mile
Now you’ve colored your skin white
Chemicals and bases straighten the curls from your fro, your halo light With every passing time you are new
Depending on how where they place you Do you remember the name they called you?The familiar name mama used to yell from the backyard
The very same name you write in initials at job applications
Yes that name
So the next time the oyinbo immigration officer fails to pronounce your “hard name” correctly, take a breath, teach him with each of his alphabet that it is Ebiegberi because no white man will bear a child and name him Dayo instead of John.
