EUROPEAN FOOD ISSUES This book examines the connection between food and identity in the Nigerian diaspora community in Belgium. Encounters between people from different cultures do not lead to a simple adaptation of the diet, but usually give rise to some kind of fusion of new and indigenous food habits. The author questions the relationship between what Nigerian migrants in the diaspora Maureen Duru eat, their self-perception and how they engage with outsiders. Starting with a historical introduction about the country, this study examines what aspects of the Nigerian food culture is retained and what has changed. This is refl ected by the dynamics in the Nigerian homes, especially the gender roles. The new generation of Nigerians, who see Belgium as home, also hang on to a Nigerian diet that remains not only an important part of who they are, but is also used in the creation of cultural boundaries and group identities. However, the infl uence of the new environment is very present because each diaspora community, wherever and whenever, must adapt. Skills such as language and social norms are indeed necessary to survive in the new environment. Yet, food plays a prominent role: on the one hand, it contributes to the affi rmation of Nigerian feelings, and on the other hand, food serves as a means of communication with the host country. Diaspora, Food and Identity Nigerian Migrants in Belgium EUROPEAN FOOD ISSUES Food and Identity: Nigerian Migrants in Belgium Diaspora, Maureen Duru obtained her doctorate degree in History from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), with a higher distinction. Her research interest focuses on Diaspora, migrants, food and identity. She is the founder of the non-profi t organization The Food Bridge, which promotes food cultures as viable development tools and also supports indigenous food systems. She is a member of FOST, the Social and cultural food studies research group (VUB, Belgium) and is currently the Vice President of the Federation of Anglophone Africans Belgium. Born in Nigeria, Maureen Duru Ms Duru now lives in Belgium with her family. P.I.E. Peter Lang Peter Lang P.I.E. Brussels www.peterlang.com Peter Lang P.I.E. EUROPEAN FOOD ISSUES This book examines the connection between food and identity in the Nigerian diaspora community in Belgium. Encounters between people from different cultures do not lead to a simple adaptation of the diet, but usually give rise to some kind of fusion of new and indigenous food habits. The author questions the relationship between what Nigerian migrants in the diaspora Maureen Duru eat, their self-perception and how they engage with outsiders. Starting with a historical introduction about the country, this study examines what aspects of the Nigerian food culture is retained and what has changed. This is refl ected by the dynamics in the Nigerian homes, especially the gender roles. The new generation of Nigerians, who see Belgium as home, also hang on to a Nigerian diet that remains not only an important part of who they are, but is also used in the creation of cultural boundaries and group identities. However, the infl uence of the new environment is very present because each diaspora community, wherever and whenever, must adapt. Skills such as language and social norms are indeed necessary to survive in the new environment. Yet, food plays a prominent role: on the one hand, it contributes to the affi rmation of Nigerian feelings, and on the other hand, food serves as a means of communication with the host country. Diaspora, Food and Identity Nigerian Migrants in Belgium EUROPEAN FOOD ISSUES Food and Identity: Nigerian Migrants in Belgium Diaspora, Maureen Duru obtained her doctorate degree in History from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), with a higher distinction. Her research interest focuses on Diaspora, migrants, food and identity. She is the founder of the non-profi t organization The Food Bridge, which promotes food cultures as viable development tools and also supports indigenous food systems. She is a member of FOST, the Social and cultural food studies research group (VUB, Belgium) and is currently the Vice President of the Federation of Anglophone Africans Belgium. Born in Nigeria, Maureen Duru Ms Duru now lives in Belgium with her family. P.I.E. Peter Lang Peter Lang P.I.E. Brussels www.peterlang.com Peter Lang P.I.E. Diaspora, Food and Identity Nigerian Migrants in Belgium P. I.E. Peter Lang Bruxelles Bern Berlin Frankfurt am Main New York Oxford Wien Maureen Duru Diaspora, Food and Identity Nigerian Migrants in Belgium European Food Issues Vol. 9 Published with the financial support of the VUB Belgium. An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched. KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access for the public good. More information about the initiative and links to the Open Access version can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org Cover picture: map from author, with the help of Chibuzor Anthony. The book was subject to a double blind refereeing process. © Maureen Duru, 2017 1 avenue Maurice, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgique www.peterlang.com; [email protected] Open Access: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 unported license. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ISSN 2033-7892 ISBN 978-2-8076-0130-7 ePDF 978-2-8076-0211-3 ePub 978-2-8076-0212-0 Mobi 978-2-8076-0213-7 DOI 10.3726/b11082 D/2017/5678/28 Bibliographic information published by “Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek”. “Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek” lists this publication in the “Deutsche National- bibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.de. This book is dedicated to the loving memory of my parents, Gilbert Ifufebuorji Duru (Chinetugo) and Gertrude Chinyere Duru (Ochiora), My daughters – Chioma, Obianuju, Chinenye and Chimezurum, And To God who is ever faithful. Table of Content Acknowledgement .............................................................................. 11 CHAPTER ONE Introduction ....................................................................................... 13 1. A journey of different routes ..................................................... 13 2. Migrant Communities: Food, Identity and Belonging ............ 14 3. Ethnicity, Culture and Diversity in Nigeria ............................. 54 CHAPTER TWO UNITY IN DIVERSITY Unity in diversity ................................................................................ 81 1. A Reflection of the Nigerian Food Culture .............................. 81 2. Food and Identity Construction in Nigeria ........................... 101 CHAPTER THREE The routes to a Nigerian foodway in Belgium .............................. 129 1. “O je mba enwe iwe”: perspectives on Nigerian migration trends ....................................................................................... 129 2. International migration trends: relating theories and concepts to the Nigerian migration context .................... 138 3. The migration of Africans to Belgium .................................... 145 4. Nigerian migrants in Belgium ................................................ 147 5. The demography of Nigerians in Belgium ............................. 160 CHAPTER FOUR The Nigerian foodways in Belgium ................................................ 165 1. Is it like home? Seeking familiar food in Belgium .................. 165 2. Nigerian restaurants and the making of a diaspora foodway in Belgium ................................................................ 170 3. Whose food is it anyway: African shops and the making of a Nigerian foodway in Belgium .......................................... 176 4. So they eat that too? Food products: genuine and substitutes ........................................................... 191 CHAPTER FIVE Recreating home in a new place ...................................................... 203 1. The use of food in Nigerian homes in Belgium ..................... 203 2. Creating and negotiating identity in the Nigerian diaspora kitchen ...................................................................... 209 3. Nigerian meal times in Belgium ............................................. 216 4. Substitution and Fusion; some space for something new ...... 218 5. A meal on the interracial table ................................................ 221 6. Feeding the next generation .................................................... 227 7. Eating, identity and being a young Nigerian in Belgium ...... 232 8. Food- related gender roles in Nigerian households in Belgium ............................................................................... 240 9. Dinning out ............................................................................ 249 10. “Omenala ga adi” (traditions and customs will remain) but with something new too ................................................... 251 CHAPTER SIX Conclusion – Foodscapes and Migrant Identity Formation ........ 259 1. Migrants’ foodways in contemporary foodscapes ................... 259 2. “Their food is good but ours is still the best”. Food, eating and being Nigerian in Belgium ......................... 262 Appendix 1 ........................................................................................ 269 Appendix 2 .......................................................................................