Who is Laila Johnson Salami? Laila Johnson Salami is a journalist,feminist, media personality , public figure and a career woman.
As a young girl, Laila Johnson Salami had a keen interest in politics and this dream made her study Politics and International Relations in the University of Westminster,United Kingdom . The passion also gave birth to an empowerment initiative for young women called the We-Rise Initiative. She currently works at Arise TV.
Being a feminist and advocate for women/girl child , Laila spoke with the global citizen recently, on the collective power and constant drive of Nigerian women.
Speaking about her skin tone, Laila Johnson Salami said;
“Society entrenches benefits to those who simply do not have an overabundance of melanin in their skin pigmentation.
I was born with extremely fair skin, and although my ethnicity is Black, I have always been made conscious about the vulnerability of my skin tone as well as the privileges that come with it.
I grew up in Ibadan, one of Africa’s largest cities in its most populous black nation, Nigeria. I went to an American school and developed friendships with my peers from several different backgrounds. This exposure allowed me the opportunity to gain an understanding of diversity within my school setting. I was also fortunate to have parents who educated their children through travel, so I increased my knowledge of different cultures during my teen years.
Still, my mother always reminded me that I am vulnerable in Nigeria because of my skin tone, and the older I became,the more I experienced this for myself. Recently, I received a phone call from a friend who cautioned me about ritual killings for which my skin tone would make me a target. I laughed – not because what he said was absurd, but because it wasn’t the first time I’d heard that people with “yellow skin” are often targets for rituals; your body parts are basically worth more if you are ‘white’. Albinos are often the main targets for rituals as it is believed that they are ‘special’ people who are ‘marked’ by God. It all sounds grimy, right? But unfortunately that is the reality right now in certain parts of Nigeria.
More striking is the common knowledge that there is a hierarchy in society, and that white people are considered as more worthy in most societies, especially in the West. We rather subconsciously support this remnant of colonialism and allow the subjugation of Africa to endure. This is a general and pervasive mindset that only succeeds in denouncing the already downtrodden.
I have witnessed moments that have instilled immense pride in my fellow countrymen. Having queued for passport control, I watched four European men trying to barge past Nigerians in the security queue. A Nigerian immigration officer set them right, unreservedly embarrassing them by sending them to the end of the line. Everyone definitely felt a sense of pride and belonging thanks to the officer’s no-nonsense approach, but more importantly in the motivation to take their rightful stance as first class citizens.”
