Nigerian activist Solomon Buchi recently shared his experiences and challenges of being married to someone from a different tribe. In a candid revelation, he expressed the difficulties he faces, particularly in public communication. As an Igbo man married to Arike, a Yoruba woman, Buchi lamented his inability to converse with his wife in his native Igbo language in public settings, often resorting to English instead.
Buchi humorously wished for a scenario where he could speak Igbo to his wife on a train and have her understand and respond in kind. This highlights the complexities and nuances of intercultural marriages, especially in a country as linguistically diverse as Nigeria.
”Being married to someone from another trouble whose language you can’t speak is stressful.
You can’t even gist in public. Why does it always have to English? Sometimes I just want to speak Igbo to my wife on the train, and command her to understand it and reply me in Jesus name!
This topic surfaced back in August, when Buchi shared a video with his then-fiancée discussing their future children’s language fluency. He expressed concern over their kids primarily speaking English, as he desires them to be proficient in a native Nigerian language. The video also showed him questioning Arike about her Yoruba fluency, and her admitting that her upbringing in the UK had affected her language skills.
Earlier in the year, Buchi was in the news for slamming a social media user’s suggestion that his emotional reaction on his wedding day was due to excitement over potentially leaving Nigeria. Buchi retorted, highlighting the ‘poverty mentality’ of such assumptions.
In September, Solomon Buchi also made headlines with his advice on marriage. He had revealed that men are not doing women any favors by proposing, stating that marriage is a mutual partnership where both individuals positively impact each other’s lives.
