An interesting anthropologic piece in the form of a diary written in the early fifties by a caucasian lady Margaret Jefferies- the wife of one of the then Nigerian expatriates.

This diary is interesting in so many ways. The contents of paper-based logs (diary) do not significantly differ from web-based logs (blog) as the contents of this diary have shown, and I find it interesting that, though it was written before the advent of the Internet and blogs, its contents have somehow found its way into the blogosphere. A situation where what was written casually, confined to the covers of a common diary and – closed to public and restricted to a handful of eyes – is now being made open to all. A convergence of the old and the new world!

Back to the contents of the diary. The word ‘Pikin’ (another varient is piccin) is a Nigerian pidgin english word for ‘child’ that is widely used by many, and whose origin I suspect only very few know (you may also peruse Babawilly’s Dictionary of pidgin English Words and Phrases). I just discerned that ‘pikin’ actually originates from ‘Pickaninny’- a somewhat offensive term for a black child! See how the word is used in the diary:

“…We found a reception committee lined up to welcome us. It consisted of Godwin, a steward boy at the Rest House, his wife and three picaninnies [pickaninnies].”

If only my brethren really know what pikin means…

The diary offers remarkable insight into Nigeria of old (which still bears some semblance to the present day Nigeria) as seen through the eyes of an English lady; not unexpectedly, the entries are not totally free of some colonialistic bias and not-so-subtle ethnocentric comments. For instance:

“Ronson [the Jefferies’ steward] made us coffee and beamingly produced a bunch of bananas as his dash (i.e. free gift) for me. He was resplendent in the new uniform he had ordered for my arrival – white drill with brass buttons. He is well under 5 feet and not unlike a chimp to look at.”

I also wonder, just as Owukori (Black Looks) does on her site: Imagine if theise ’houseboys’ had also written a diary on their ‘masters’!

By and large, the diary entitled ‘A Trip to Nigeria 1951′ comes with great pictures, and certainly makes an excellent read, particularly on a weekend morning. Check it out here: http://eryptick.net/unisold/amj/nigeria-1951/nigeria-diary.html Photo: A page in the diary of Margaret Jefferies.