Africa x Nigeria x Canada x Hockey: This is my history.
What I am wearing on my head is called Gele, on my waist, Iro and on my top, buba. This the culture and the traditional clothes of my mother’s tribe (Yoruba).
What I am wearing on my hands are hockey gloves, on my feet, hockey skates and in my hands, a hockey stick. This is the culture and traditional objects of a Canadian hockey player.
In me, these two cultures co-exist in harmony. This is my history.
And that’s what I love about hockey! Its ability to bring people of all cultures and walks of life together, to co-exist and live together in harmony.
We should all remember that both off and on the ice, we are one and the same. Equal under God and so can co-exist together.
On this Black History Month, I wish my fellow Black and people of colour a happy BHM and I hope that we can also remember where we first came from and remember our history.
