Mo ki yin oo, inú mi dùn láti rí gbogbo yin. Oruko mi ni Amanda Baret. In the preceding sentence I said "Hello everyone it is nice to meet you all. My name is Amanda Baret" in Yoruba. Or you can call me Arike which means one to take care of.
I had the greatest opportunity to travel to Ibadan, Nigeria in summer of 2018 as part of the Fulbright Hays Yoruba Group Project Abroad (YGPA). YGPA is determined to provide students who take any Yoruba language course an opportunity to learn Yoruba at an advanced level by immersing students in the realm of Yoruba culture. Which includes the, traditions, customs, Yoruba films, and it’s delicious food! Through these daily cultural exchanges, I exposed myself to a new culture, a culture I didn’t know existed.
In Nigeria, I lived with a host family on campus near University of Ibadan (the first university in Nigeria). I fell in love with my host family because they made me feel as if I was part of their family. While I loved my journey in Nigeria, I also felt disconnected with some Nigerians because of their perceptions of Black Americans or the lack of knowledge they had about Black people.
Due to that discovery, I am currently applying for several research grants that will give me the opportunity to study the perceptions of Nigerians on slavery and the slave trade. The information my research could provide is critical because even though Nigerians and African Americans are linked by slavery, the impact of slavery created two different legacies in America and in Nigeria. I look forward to traveling to Nigeria in hopes of understanding their perception, a perception that is hindering the relationship between Nigerians and African Americans.
To learn more about the Fulbright Hays Yoruba Group Project Abroad please visit here.
To learn more about UF Study Abroad opportunities visit here.