Despite thirteen years in Canada, her Nigerian accent is still thick. Sometimes, it’s like her accent is calling out to mine, saying: “Hey, authentic Nigerian Azere, come out and play.” And that’s when the accent, the one I tried hard to hide after my move to Canada, forces its way out. This happens whenever I’m at home with my family, when I don’t feel the complete pressure of being wedged between two worlds, when I’m not a Nigerian Canadian. When I’m just Nigerian. Then I speak freely, mixing pidgin English with Edo or simply speaking fluent English but with a Nigerian intonation, altering
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