Adunni Ade, a Nigerian filmmaker and actor, has claimed that it is exhausting when people want her to speak Yoruba.
She made this statement when appearing on a recent episode of Channels Television’s Morning Brief.
The actress, born to a German-American mother and a Nigerian father of Yoruba descent, stated that she preferred English, Nigeria’s lingua franca, and that all other languages should be put aside.
In a now-viral video, Adunni Ade stated, “Speaking Yoruba is draining, and it sometimes irks my nerves. English is the first language that we know in Nigeria. Let’s leave all the other languages aside.”
“Some are even rude with it. I really know what it is. I don’t see how that will make them feel better. Maybe they just want to hear me speak Yoruba,”
She did, however, appreciate her father bringing her to Nigeria to learn about the country’s culture, language, and everything Nigerian.
A blogger misinterpreted the actress’ statements, reporting that Adunni said speaking Yoruba is draining and “hurts her nerves.”
Adunni Ade cleared the air on her Instagram page by reposting the video on her Instagram.
She wrote:
“These are the issues. This is one major reason why I avoid interviews. Everything I say is always twisted and interpreted negatively.
“A few minutes of your time to watch would have cleared this. Omalians crib is this what you got from the video you posted? Why change the narrative? Why cut the clip to favor your page? I never said speaking Yoruba erks my nerves.
“I said people asking me randomly (most times rudely) irks my nerves. If you’ve ever come in contact with me and do speak Yoruba, you can attest to it that I’d rather communicate with you in Yoruba but when in a certain gathering, I prefer to stay professional and speak in the country’s first language. One thing I have always avoided saying publicly is the fact that a lot of you hate me for no reason.
“A lot of y’all have an issue with my existence good or bad. Please note, I am not dragging position, title, culture, nationality or language with anyone. I’m just living my life trying to be the best being and mother to my children. Channels television what I told you all I was avoiding still happened. Please watch full interview on their YouTube channel. It’s always love from this end.”