The Culture of Keeping Quiet

Photo Source: digdang.com

Change is in the air in Nigeria, in with the new and out with the old is the word on the streets, the people are happy and satisfied as they have spoken out loud and made their choice. The preceding events, the elections and the result process have really got me thinking about the journey so far and the road ahead for Africa as a continent.  As much as I know from my years on this planet and the experiences of those who have spent far more years than I have, one of the major attitudes that have held us back for so long is the culture of keeping quiet. 

We are told to;

“Keep quiet, I am writing names of noise makers”

“Listen while elders speak”,

“Do not speak unless you are asked” (and you never get asked),

“Do not interfere when elders are speaking”,

 “Do not sit in the midst of elders”,

“Do not look an elder in the eye when talking to them”,

 “You are a lady, so do not talk when men are talking”,

“A lady should be seen and not heard”,

“You are a man, speak only few words”,

“Why are you arguing like a woman?”

...and the list goes on and on. How does this affect us as a country and a continent? Let me share with you my views on this. Right from childhood, we have been taught to keep quiet and listen. At work, we are too afraid to air our opinions, with government, we are too timid to confront our leaders, and we are too ‘respectful’ to have honest conversations with our parents. What does this mean? If we do not start speaking up, we might just be the continent with high potential for another couple of years. Potential for too long my friends, let’s start saying and start doing.

If we are going anywhere soon as a country, as a continent, we need to look inside us and pull out our inner courage and confidence and speak up when the occasion arises at work, at school, in government, in your personal relationships, with your family, pretty much everywhere. Nobody will ever hear the voices inside your head my friends. Imagine all the unwritten books, the untold stories, the un-invented inventions, the unheard songs, the un-established entrepreneurial ventures, the unheard million dollar ideas. There are too many things the world needs to hear that you are keeping inside you my friends. Never be too afraid to speak, never be too afraid to make a mistake, never be too afraid to be corrected. I’d rather move forward and backward and forward again, than stand in one place all my life.