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    Culture Shock Nigerians Experience When They Visit Benin Republic

    CULTURE SHOCK NIGERIANS EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY VISIT BENIN REPUBLIC

    Benin flag

    I’ve lived in Benin Republic all my life so some of these things are normal for me. It’s a day-to-day part of living, I hardly pay notice to them. However, from my interactions with Nigerians coming from Nigeria, they come as a surprise, pleasant and otherwise .

    Who knows? You may find yourself in Benin Republic one day. Or, like me, you could be curious about how people in other countries live. Anyhow, you’d find these points interesting:

    1. Benin has a national holiday for Vodoun Festival January 10. I used to like this fact because, well, you get to stay at home. Vodoun is a religion that’s legally recognized and celebrated in Benin Republic. University authorities tend to put fear in the hearts of Nigerian students by giving them gory tales of human sacrifice and abductions. However, unless you find yourself in an interior village, the only sign of celebration you are likely to see are banners, a procession and the occasional masquerade.

    2. Women ride bikes
    I thought this was normal everywhere until I listened to some colleagues of mine talking about it. Apparently, seeing women get on a motorcycle to ride and put on a helmet is strange to Nigerians. Omo. I kept laughing that day.

    3. Currency
    Nigeria hasn’t used coins since the days of kobo and 2 Naira. Here, coins are part of the legal tender. So you get to see 5f, 10f, 25f, 50f, 100f, 200f, 250f and even 500f coins. Also, while Naira stops at 1000 note, Cfa has 2000, 5000 and 10,000.

    4. Commercial bikemen wear uniforms
    I don’t know how y’all manage to recognise okada men in a place like Lagos with no form of identification. I’ll probably figure that out when I get there. Here, they have uniforms you use to pick them out. The colours vary from city to city.

    5. Bikes and helmets.
    The average working Beninese (and even students) has a motorcycle. Heck, they could have a car yet choose to move around with the bike. Also, you could be penalised if you ride a bike without a helmet. The police confiscate your bike while you run around to gather money to bail it. Imagine bailing a vehicle? 臘‍♂️

    6. Language
    In theory, everyone knows Benin Republic is a francophone country. But hearing it been spoken everyday is a new experience. Not to mention the fact that they also have indigenous languages like fongbé.

    7. Constant electricity
    Okay, this list would not be complete without this particular point. Sure, we get blackouts every now and then. However, light is a constant and generators are used only by a few. It’s a sign of lavishness if you own a generator in Benin Republic.

    8. The aversion to noise
    This is where students and indigenes clash a lot. Students make noise on a norm. Nigerian students make even more noise. It’s not unusual for school owners to get visits from the police because of complaints of noise. There were guys who moved into our apartment. They had this habit of throwing loud parties with music and booze until they spent a night in police custody 臘‍♂️.

    9. Being called ‘Ibo!’
    Igbos are both famous and notorious in these parts. Their ladies tend to like Igbo guys because we’re fine and we spend money . However, a good number of them hold strong stereotypes against us. They say we came to steal their money and that we’re arrogant. To be fair, a lot of Igbos do display pride. Also, we dominate the marketplace and are moving further than that. So it’s not uncommon for you to be called ‘Ibo!’ when your name is Abiodun simply because you’re Nigerian and look fresh.

    10. Their food.
    I’m still yet to meet a Nigerian from Nigeria who can comfortably eat the indigenous dishes. I bet some can sha  . Perhaps a few.

    SweetFingers

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