Erica Nlewedim defends herself after backlash over viral video of her speaking Igbo.
She calls out tribal hate, urges unity and respect among members of the Igbo community.
Actress and former Big Brother Naija star Erica Nlewedim, following a video of her attempting to converse in Igbo that surfaced on online has responded to the online criticism.
In the video Erica was seen trying to converse in her native language, but her apparent difficulty with fluency drew a wave of backlash, particularly from members of the Igbo community.
Many viewers mocked her pronunciation, with some going as far as questioning her identity and using derogatory terms in their remarks.
In response to the negative commentary, Erica publicly addressed the situation, calling attention to what she described as internalized hate among Igbos.
She wrote:
“Look at my Igbo people in the comments showing how much they hate their own! Continue but please don’t complain when others don’t show you love,” she wrote. “You can’t be so openly divided against your own people and expect trust from outsiders!”
When a social media user teased her for “struggling” with the language, she responded with:“Don’t you think it’s foolish for someone to choose to become your enemy because you can’t speak a language? You don’t even see other tribes insulting themselves for not speaking their language. They are united!”
Erica further stated:
“Is it your first instinct to insult someone who is [from your tribe] but can’t speak the language? And use words like pig, bitch, shame etc? Of course not! We on the other hand need to learn love and unity,” she added.
Her comments stirred mixed reactions, with some accusing her of creating unnecessary tribal comparisons. One user remarked that her point “could have made the same point without dragging anyone else.”
