District Mine

Dis article is an eye opener. I saw District 9 and was gravely offended by dat alien eatin’ bullshit about Nigerians. Even my husband who is a non-Nigerian (Puerto Rican) was extremely offended. I am a proud Nigerian and will always be irrespective of where I am. It is gud 2 kno dat these stars we all know 2day are in some way associated 2 Nigeria. I kno we have a lot of things we need 2 work on as a nation, startin 4rm our government, Nollywood, etc but all d same, we have come a long way compared 2 d 60’s and 70’s.

If a Nigerian home video producer made a movie and named the gangster-in-chief Botha or Bush there would be hell to pay. This is how slavery started, they start with your enemies and once their confidence increases they start raiding your village too. The people who made that movie have no choice but to come in contact with Nigerian Doctors and Professors in SA, but the only “reality” they remembered to throw in their movie were dealers and prossies, bollocks!

First two words: NEGRO PLEASE!

I Cant even be bothered with Nigerians…same shit different day. stop posting all this past glory rubbish here. i loved district 9 and thatz how Nigerians are.

Great piece! We need to gain some inspiration and pride from our past and from those who have been blessed by Nigeria. We need to be proud of who we are and what we can accomplish. We have a long way to go, but we can do it. Thanks, boorish male.

i really enjoyed reading this article, i’ve heard so much about district nine and like so many other things done and said about nigeria i pretty much feel helpless. This is goin to sound pretty much like a confessional but i’m honest enough to pretty much say it because its how i feel. As a nigerian living abroad my family did feel the need to move cuz the future wasnt bright staying back, havent done so bad for it either, the frustration i feel is that i cant go back as easily as i want to because like the average nigerian i don’t know the right people in the right places i cant go online apply like i would here and hope to get a phone call or even an email acknowledging my application. It frustrates me because i think how can i give back to a country i call mine that pretty much wont take me back. i have to agree with a whole bunch of people on here who have said the truth cuz when it comes down to the basics- its greed, the rich loving the rich the disadvantaged & poor getting worse of daily the gap keeps getting wider. The mentality hasnt changed n if it is changing it’s so slow its not obvious i know rome wasnt built in a day.

Its like a Family where the parents beat their children everyday,
starve them, keep them in a dark room for days.

Then they now come out to complain and petition against a neighbour
who says, ‘that Nnowbi family, they are a bunch of weirdos and they eat human flesh’
while their children are still in that dark room, sick and hungry.

I love the research, but this has nothing to do with the fact that Nigerians are being portrayed as criminals in movies, and this picture has become a rather true image of us in the minds of the westerners. No doubt, our people are blessed and if you really look at this article, you will find out that everyone who was musically inclined in this article had something to do with Fela. Fela is the only true Nigerian to be regarded as an international start in both the US and Europe, what about our other artiste… District 9 is just a movie and it’s fiction, but yes if the portrayal isn’t true, then why are we so disturbed about it? Let’s face facts, most Nigerians are corrupt, i’m a Nigerian and i love my country, but it pains me sometimes when i see and hear of things Nigerians do abroad. You can’t blame these foreigners because when they see and hear stuff like this about Nigerians and sometimes the ones they come in contact with, they can’t help but believe this whole thing is true. Nigerians have committed lots of crimes abroad and are still committing such crimes, but that doesn’t take away the fact that Nigerians are the most intelligent set of people on this planet. Go do your research and you’ll find out that Nigerians are running so many sectors in the US and Europe but they aren’t celebrated like they should be. Here in Nigeria, we have lots of talents that are wasting just because our leaders have chosen to be mediocres. These foreigners look at our leaders and then judge us as well, so if our information minister wants to rebrand this nation, she should first start with our people, by reorienting them and helping them change their mindset, getting the government to put things in order, from the basic amenities to setting up a proper economics system, then we can go out and tell the world what good we have in our country, but no, our house is not in order but we want to world to believe it is… who are we kidding??? Nigerians are blessed people, but the few who have access to power and industry are just the wrong sets of people… so the good and the majority suffer for that… evil thrives when good keeps quiet…

The movies District 9 is a box office hit and isn’t it a shame that the south Africans have a box office hit and we don’t, and still we call ourselves the giant of Africa… It’s a shame to think of the fact that the movies and music we made in the 70s, 80s and 90s are way better than what we see and make in these recent years… It only shows we are not improving but rather dropping in standards… our people need to wake up and start a change of ourselves before we go out to change the picture the world have of us….

This article was a very good read. I personally don’t care about the faux-patriotism that is sparked in Nigerians anytime someone says something or does something that depicts the image of the country that has been widespread across the world. However, I will stick to Boorish Male’s question of what to do to positively influence the negative perception of the country. And I think that an article of this nature is a good start. I really enjoyed it.

Sorry guys to deviate from Boorish’s article but I need to address this girl once and for all.

Dear Llily I left one sentence to your first response, I was even laughing while I wrote it, but obviously me and you don’t share the same sense of humour. I even promised myself not to get involved in any other arguments online but its people like you that make me break that promise. I left a line in my last comment and you responded with an essay. I wonder what you gonna do now write a thesis or a conference paper?!

First of all I just want you to know that all that history 101 alias auto biography about your father immigrating to Nigeria to marry your mother and blah blah blah is all make believe story that I don’t buy. You know why?…other people’s experiences have thought me to know that people who come on the internet and talk about their personal life when it has no relation to the post are outright lying. I don’t know about other people on this page but as for me Obi-talker I think your talking nonsense. I still think you’re an angry woman.

Your whole response doesn’t add up. You say you were doing a research and came across Bella’s website…are you kidding me?… except that research as to do with Nigerian entertain industry or Nigerian online users, that lame excuse is all part of your fantasy on-line make believe alter ego. As someone who has done research and is doing another one, please who are you deceiving ’cause its definitely not me. You started all this nonsense when you said every one who lives abroad is a coward and I’m assuming your list includes Soyinka, Ngozi Adiche, Philip Emagweli, Biodun Jeyifo. The list is endless…because they live abroad too. So all the Americans who live in Europe are cowards right? And vice versa

Pls Llily this is an entertainment website where I’ve come to have fun. U’re killing it! If you have a problem politically please go to Nigeria curiosity blog or the guardian website. Don’t come here and start talking nonsense about you and your husband. Also you claim to be a citizen of the world so during the years you were living abroad you were also a COWARD.

You’re evening talking about me and which country I have been too. What has that got to do with your inane level of IQ. You don’t know nothing about me and you ain’t got nothing on me. You don’t even know what I have done or where I’ve been too so what in the name of Moses are you talking about girl! It’s people like you that take away the fun of this website with your useless comments insulting everybody in one sentence. Like who are you to come and talk trash about others you don’t know.

You keep on saying I am fighting for my country, as in how?, have you fought harder than Soyinka who was thrown in jail and yes he lives abroad. Pls, lily make we hear word. Your noise is too much. I think its time for you to get back to your ‘make-believe’ research. And stop assuming that I don’t love my country because I called you out for what you really are…A confused angry girl. Seriously while I was looking at your responses it got to a point it sounded like a JSS 1 student writing. I’m gonna stop now…peew!

Why can’t we all live in Peace….wink, wink.

Nigerians can complain like sissys…
Now the South Africans have made a movie depicting a group of Nigerians as criminals..and all hell is let loose. What has the Nigerian government done to promote the ingenuity and talent in Nollywood? Or even stimulate the sector? If they had, maybe the world would have seen one of those movies casting us in a better light before they saw District 9! And a bunch of idiots and thieving crooks waste expensive public funds ‘re-branding’ the image of the country.