Pidgin English in the Diaspora
More than 75 million people speak Pidgin including inhabitants of Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and Equatorial Guinea. Pidgin English can be defined as a lingua franca - an adopted language - between English and the native language(s) of where it is spoken. Pidgin English accounts for one of the most spoken languages in West Africa. Pidgin English originated during the 17th century, when Portuguese missionaries and traders appeared in West and Central Africa. As one co uld imagine, trading without speaking the same language proved to be difficult. Out of necessity, Pidgin English was born. It is not monolithic, but rather a collection of varying languages combined with English to account for over 500 official languages in West Africa alone.
Pidgin English (PE) was once regarded as a bastardization of the English language thought to be used mainly by non-literates and low-class society members. Despite not being acknowledged as a valid language, Pidgin English has transcended all social classes. It is commonly spoken amongst university graduates, professors, lawyers and other professionals. And even more importantly, PE is widely used by the diasporic communities in the U.S., Europe, and Canada.
Nigerian Pidgin English (NPE) has been and continues to be used to connect people through mutual understanding, regardless of cultural differences and language barriers. Outside their homelands, Nigerians and many others communicate with it as a way to feel close to home. Despite the closeness that the use of NPE inevitably brings, it is a marginalized language thus making those who speak it marginalized as well. Like NPE, black lives are marginalized, vulnerable, and depicted as monolithic in both experience and culture. The #BlackLivesMatter movement has brought together the diaspora of black people. Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless other lives lost due to police brutality has forced many to put aside their differences in order to fight for a noble and just cause. Every victim is a friend, a parent, a sibling. Black lives matter.
By: Ashley Campusano
