Frederick's Nigerian community celebrates Nigeria's Independence Day
Oct. 2—For Nigerian natives living in Frederick County, Oct. 1 — Nigerian Independence Day — is a chance to celebrate, connect, and share their culture and heritage with their children.
Nigerians in Frederick, a local nonprofit cultural organization, hosted its 13th Independence Day celebration on Saturday at the New Spire Arts Stages on West Patrick Street in Frederick.
Independence Day is joyous in Nigeria, but "it's a regular day in the U.S.," Yewande Oladeinde, the president of Nigerians in Frederick, said in an interview with the News-Post.
Bringing together Nigerian natives and their families who live in Frederick County, or nearby, was an opportunity to celebrate the way they would in Nigeria, Oladeinde said.
It was also a chance for Nigerian natives to teach their U.S.-born children — who may have never been to Nigeria — about the country's culture, dress and way of life.
The Independence Day celebration, held in a room tinted with green light for the Nigerian flag, included a presentation about Nigeria and the recital of a cultural poem with a talking drum. There also were speeches from local officials and a fashion show highlighting the traditional Nigerian outfits that many in attendance wore.
The event also featured a cake-cutting ceremony, a rendition of Nigeria's national anthem and a keynote speech from Lt. Col. Riliwan Ottun, deputy commander for administration at the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
The vibe became increasingly festive as the evening wore on.
The Harvest Olney Dance Group performed a traditional dance, which was followed by a cultural dance performance by Nigerians in Frederick children. The celebration concluded with a vote of thanks, a closing prayer and a dance party.
Nigeria, a country of more than 210 million, according to 2021 data from the World Bank, is in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea. The country gained independence from British rule on Oct. 1, 1960.
Yemi Fagbohun, 62, left his home in the port city of Lagos — the largest city in Nigeria — when he was 19 to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Fagbohun eventually moved to Frederick County to raise a family. He has lived near Camp David for the last 26 years, but it wasn't until a few years ago that he realized there was a vibrant Nigerian community in his county.
"I'd always thought of myself as one of two or three Nigerians in the area," said Fagbohun, a renowned local artist.
Fagbohun said that by embracing the Nigerian community, Frederick County has become a more diverse and more unified community.
"This is our home, too," Fagbohun said. "We feel welcome here."
Francis Mbamalu, 48, attended the Nigerians in Frederick celebration with his family for the first time on Saturday. He said the local Nigerian community has grown since 2012, when he moved with his family from Germantown to Frederick.
On top of coming together to remember Nigeria's independence, Mbamalu said, the event was a chance for professionals from an array of fields — including the arts, medicine, law and the military — to network and connect with one another.
"We help each other," he said.
Nigerians from beyond Frederick County attended the celebration, too.
Ade Adetayo, who lives in Virginia and has family locally, has been attending the Nigerians in Frederick Independence Day celebration for a few years.
She said the celebration encourages the children of Nigerian immigrants to be proud of their heritage, and it teaches them about their roots.
"I'm happy to see everyone, once a year," she said. "We are still remembering where we came from."
Follow Jack Hogan on Twitter: @jckhogan
