Sometime ago, I featured Mr. White Nigerian in a post titled: Nigerian White Boy: Hausa man lost in London. Our man has finally finished his studies and according to him, he has come back home.
Home where? Nigeria.
Really? Home? Yes, o, back to Nigeria. While the real Nigerians are running away, my guy just JJC’d back home.
Welcome my broda.
Our first guest on celebrity spotlite is Mohammed Jammal and he goes by the stage name White Nigerian. Jammal who was born and bred in Jos has advised every one not be deceived by the color of his skin as he is a proper Nigerian. Just the way Barack Obama is American, same way he’s Nigerian and Nigerian passport is the only passport he has.
I first came across White Nigerian on a blog which I cannot remember right now but on the blog was a youtube video of Mohammed Jammal hanging out with Aki and Paw Paw and another of him making a funny comparison between life in Nigeria and life in the UK. Come 9th of January 2011 during Lord Of The Ribs show at Sheraton Hotels Abuja, White Nigerian was introduced onto the stage by Basket Mouth and soon after that, an interview with him was hurriedly put together. Below are the excerpts from the interview.
BACKGROUND
I grew up within a family of 7 kids in Jos, where I lived for 18 years of my life. I attended Hillcrest School before moving to London where I graduated with a BA in Business Administration at London Metropolitan Business School. I later went on to do a Masters in Global Management at Regents Business School where I graduated with a 2.1 last year. Now I have moved back to home to start my career as I promised myself I would do.
THE NAME WHITE NIGERIAN
When I moved to London all my friends started calling me white Nigerian because it was the first time they had seen a “white boy” from Nigeria who speaks pigeon english and Hausa. Since then, everyone calls me the white Nigerian.
VOYAGE INTO ENTERTAINMENT
It all started with a video I made on youtube where I was speaking pigeon English and Hausa with Kevin Pam, the former winner of Big Brother Africa. I got over 20,000 views in the first two months of releasing that video. After that, Nigerian’s all over the world asked me to make another video, so I made one comparing life in London to life in Nigeria. As of today, the video has over 70,000 views.
I was then discovered by an events manager and was asked to perform on one of the biggest stages in the UK. Since then, other people have been contacting me to participate in their different shows and events. I have been overwhelmed by the demand I have been getting from event promoters and organizers to feature in their shows.
My first ever performance is the most memorable one. This was on the AY Show Live UK that took place at the 02 Arena, one of the biggest venues in the UK. I was able to share stage with Aki and Paw Paw, AY, 9ice, and DJ Jam Jam. Having Odemwingie come watch the show was also a bonus.
My performance at Lord of the Ribs that took place in Sheraton is also one that will stay with me forever. That was my first performance in Nigeria and it was an honor being introduced by Basket Mouth and sharing the same stage with my Jos boys, MI, Jessie Jagz, and Ice Prince.
Nigeria doesn’t have its own Eminem yet, so maybe our Jos man can take up the position. Besides, he has his eyes on ShowBiz.
Read the full interview: click here
Beautiful Mic
June 9, 2011
Oh, and this is supposed to be something – A white man born and raised in Nigeria? Haven’t you heard of White South Africans, oh and apartheid?
I thought I would like this blog, but you glorify Anglo-Saxons a bit too much. You hold their standards/ideals over that of your own heritage/people.
People like you are one of the reasons Africans, black Africans, have been dissolved of identity, bloodline, culture, and language.
Get over yourself, because you grew up in the states. Whey should the rest of Nigeria, people continuing the legacy of their ancestors, a population offering the world unique human diversity, have to change for someone like you?
MyPenMyPaper
June 9, 2011
@Beautiful Mic,
I suppose part of angry tone is directed to me (mypenmypaper) and some directed to Mr. Jamal.
Thanks for not liking my blog, and no, I wasnt thinking about you when I started blogging. Thanks for dropping by though. Perhaps when you find something that interests you, you might change your mind someday. On a more serious note, so do you mean that because of 1-single post about someone born and raised in Nigeria and who prefers to be identified with Nigeria, I now glorify Anglo Saxons? kai, you understand too much English.
Who cares where Mr. Jamal is from? who cares if he’s black or white. Do you think the typical Nigerian gives a shit? Do you know how many black Americans live in Nigeria and they would rather pass off as normal black people rather than emphasizing their Americanness like a white-American might want to do? Do you know how many Nigerians live outside Nigeria / haven’t ever been on Nigerian soil? does the typical Nigerian have enough time to like or dislike these facts? No.
The reason is that Nigerians dont really care. I hope you know that some parts of Nigeria features very light skinned people – that if only they ate good food and woke up/slept under kilts for lie 6-months, you might think they are original Oyinbos – and yet we even call them Oyinbos (yabbitiously), and still water never pass gari, nobody blinks an eye.
Africa is black by default, so theres no need using the “black africans” here. Ofcourse I know there are non-blacks who are Africans by heritage, but really, in Lagos, Nigeria, no body cares if you are black or white; and should a white man try to use his Oyinbo’s ness to oppress the average Nigerian; my brodas would show him pepper.
Girl, should you pass by Lagos’s coordinates, maybe you could do a survey: stand by the streetside, watch out for foreigners passing by and see if Nigerians even saw them. Nobody is a celebrity in Nigeria o. As the saying goes: YoYo (You are on your own) – soldier come, soldier go.
But its nice though that Mr. Jamal identifies with Nigeria – even if he really doesn’t mean it. Still, nobody really cares. So he has to blow his own trumpet for the average Nigerian to even hear about him in the first place. Thats the most interesting part of being Nigerian, living in Nigeria and trying to survive.
whenever Mr. Jamal passes by, he’ll give you his own reply.
Moonga
November 3, 2011
hi. im from zambia and stumbled on your story. isnt mohammed not of asian decent? anyway… have read some nigerians writing that he cant be nigerian. why? was he not born there. in zambia it is not uncommon for you to meet a white who is zambian. infact thinking about it in sports such as swimming, cricket, motorsport and polo you will hardly find a blackperson in those teams. mohammed brings a new uniqueness to nigeria. i hope you trully embrace him