大象传媒

Good morning.

Happy Nigerian Independence Day! As a British Nigerian woman, today holds memories of the smell of mum鈥檚 cooking: jollof rice, a variety of vegetables, fish and meat, all prepared to celebrate Nigeria establishing a coalition parliament in 1960 and gaining freedom from colonial rule.

Celebrations like this can be stirring, or simply an excuse to gather with family and friends, with the politics and history relegated to second and third place. Today makes me think of how we cope with the big stuff, the history and history making that is happening around us, and even before we were born. What is our place in all of this? How do we make sense of our life in the grand stories of time? I remember thinking when the family moved back to London, following a spell in Lagos, that it was like a bit of an earthquake, at least for the little girl that I was then.

And so it can be, too, for anyone who has to move home, towns, cities or countries even. A new chapter begins in our story in unfamiliar surroundings. We may have some control, but we may also feel utterly overwhelmed. Perhaps all we can do is seek to connect with what is around us, with those who share the same story and those who do not, so that we can deepen our understanding, and theirs, of what has been.

So, today, I pray that I may listen more deeply, and also with my heart, to the stories of others, and see the common ground we share.

Amen.