Is an Igbo proverb my father taught me that his mother would say to him. What’s interesting about Igbo proverbs and stories is that they can have various meanings. This proverb literally means ‘take your eye’ however it also means:

• “Ensure your eyes are open”
• “Remain alert”
• “Be mindful”

Now why would I say remain alert and be mindful, then put the words “Black Power” after it? Here’s another question, how many Africans do you see from Africa walking around in colorful dashikis yelling “Black Power!” and proclaiming how “black” they are? Better yet how many Africans from Africa are on social media ranting about their mistreatment from someone of another race or ethnicity? Now please do not misinterpret what I’m saying here. The black power movement that occurred in 1950s and early 1960s was something in a way I wish I could have experienced and has paved the way for us, especially the Black Panthers. The movement was a true reflection of how powerful we are. Today it’s like the term ‘black’ has become just something to say. I’m guilty of it myself at times, which is why I wrote this blog post.

And now that I am thinking about it, I realize since birth I have never heard my father, uncles, aunts, or even grandparents say or mention “Black Power”. Their walk is power; Their accent. Their language. Their mentality. The way they teach us (children). The stories they tell. The proverbs they pass down. Now I have heard my father say, “People judge me initially but once I speak and they hear my accent their demeanor changes. They become respectful–they get friendly.” My father has also said to me, “Black says nothing about you. Not even “African American” says anything about you. You are Nigerian American.”

Africa is a continent, full fifty-four countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, languages, beliefs, foods, principles, proverbs, cultures, style of clothing, etc. According to my father the dashiki that African Americans wear, relates to a group of people in Nigeria called the Hausa people. Wikipedia explains the word dashiki further. The name dashiki is derived from the Hausa word ʼdan ciki, which means shirt.

This spiked my curiosity and I immediately wanted to dig deeper into the various styles of traditional Hausa attire. A popular style worn by Traditional Hausa-Fulani is very long and the sleeves are loose and kind of cut off.

Am I against dashikis?

No, they are beautiful. Have I ever worn one? No. Will I ever wear one? Probably not. What I will surely wear is my Igbo Nigerian traditional attire that will or has been specially designed for me by my aunt who sews, or a professional Nigerian tailor.

My point in all this is let’s open our eyes so we can see the African culture for what it truly is. Just because we wear a dashiki or in proper terms a dan ciki doesn’t make us more or less powerful. Let’s not get caught up in the hype of the “Black Power” business (believe it or not it is a business) so much so that we drift away from our true roots. Remember being African or of African descent is about knowledge, strength, values, and culture. That is our true power. Many African Americans who are going hard for Africa can’t name up to ten countries in Africa. Many Americans going hard for “Black Power” are still calling Africa a country.

As my grandmother told my father and my father told me…

 Kpachara anya gi . 

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I’ve been told that I’m hard to read. I agree. It’s hard to tell what I’m thinking or predict what outlandish thought may develop in my head and exit through my mouth. Yes, I’m unpredictable, so what? Of course, that’s so much easier for me to say today than it was back in my elementary school and high school days.

Back then, I was quiet and held back on a lot of my thoughts. Why? Because when I did speak up, no one truly understood my words. As a result of them misunderstanding me, my thoughts were immediately classified as disrespectful or mean.

A good example would be when I stood up in the middle of class and yelled across the room at my 7th grade teacher who found the need to tell me my interpretation to a story she assigned us to read was wrong. At that moment, all I could think was, “What gives her the power to be right and make me wrong about my opinion?”

It was just like that time on Sway’s morning radio show when Kanye West yelled, “You ain’t got the answers!”

You see, when you’re passionate about your feelings, and are frustrated with others misunderstanding who you are, it will build up inside of you. Then one day, it will manifest through a major action, and people will judge you again, based on that one big action. We can get deeper into that another time, but I’m sure you get where I’m going. If you don’t…just turn on the news, and then read my statement again. Here, let me help you out by saying it again:

When you’re passionate about your feelings, and are frustrated with others misunderstanding who you are, it will build up inside of you. Then one day, it will manifest through a major action, and people will judge you again, based on that one big action.

You see, the best way for me to express myself has always been writing. Mainly because I didn’t have to deal with direct judgement and people’s confusion about what I was trying to say. Everything made complete sense when I wrote it. I’ve written letters to physicians who said I inspired them. I’ve landed great jobs because of my writing. I’ve won awards and have gotten accepted into great schools because of my writing. But I’ve always asked myself, how can go beyond that?

Many people may be wondering why I am going through all this – blogging, explaining who I am, etc. – as opposed to just going to get my now completed manuscript published and selling the damn book already! This project is the reason for my existence. I say project because the book is just a tiny aspect of my vision.

This project gives me life, and I know it will give life to others. It goes beyond getting published. I view the exchange as a heart transplant. As research explains, a heart transplant is not necessarily a cure for heart disease but a treatment that can improve the quality of life for its recipient. I’m not claiming my written words to be 100% perfect and healing of what’s broken, but I am most certain that they will improve the quality of life for their recipients.

WHO AM I? I am a heart surgeon, and before I go out into the world performing operations, I must make sure people know WHO I AM through my words.

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