Sitting on the cultural fence

Being a part of an American culture to my family has always been something my parents were unconsciously against. My parents were born into the Igbo tribe with strict traditions and rules. Having Nigerian parents constantly looking over my shoulder and constantly pestering me about my friends, what kind of music I listened to and what I wear has made me realize that I was a part of American culture more than Nigerian culture. But even though I have adapted to one culture more than the other I have realized that my parents don't want to see me to forget my roots easily.

Taste in Music
American music has a lot of variety and being raised in an environment with many music choices has made me much more open different types of music. My music choices range from the well known Justin Bieber to a popular Nigerian artist named WizKid.Having a different taste in music not only connected me to the American community and the Nigerian community as well.

                         
          Source : Twitter                                                       Source : Twitter 

M friends and family from Nigeria and America both have a common knowledge on the subject of music artist and genres but the main difference is the language. The sound of the music can change depending on what type of language it is sung in.

 An example of this is a French artist called Coeur de Pirate made a song called Carry On and had also made another version of the song in french. The song still has the same meaning but the difference in the language sticks out and in a sense almost changes the sound of the music.

The differences in the language an be seen in the wat the song is song and the underlying tone in the lyrics. Many of her fans believe that the song is sung better in french. The words translate a better meaning and create a better understanding of the lyrics. In other words the song is clearer. The use of language in music compliments the culture by creating a picture for others to understand. 

Party Culture and Clothing
When in comes to partying both cultures do it the same. The only difference it the type of clothes that are worn to parties. Americans usually pull out their party dresses, heels, suit and ties. But Nigerians have a special attire they usually wear at parties. The traditional lace and the Ankara attire is worn at parties but especially marriages.

                             

                                           Source : Nigerian Weddings Guide

This type of clothing is expensive to make but it last for a long time. My mother still has traditional attire that is fifteen years old. The tradition of this type of clothing has been passed down for centuries and is typically worn to represent status and wealth. The better material you wear the more people look up to you. In the Igbo culture it is very common to see this type of clothing worn at parties, marriages, picnics and even baby showers. The tradition of the attire never seems to fade instead it gets stronger as the years go by.

Overall The cultural differences in music and clothing in Igbo culture and American culture have made me realize that being a blend of both Igbo and American culture is a good thing. Even though my parents want me to stick to Nigerian and Igbo culture I can't help but fall back to the culture I am born in. American culture surrounds me but ultimately my parents have a bigger influence on me and because of this I have learned to balance this cultures and blend them which creates the person who I am today.