A Nation’s Story of Heroes

If we combined every Nigerian on the planet to form a net new individual, would this composite person be a dreamer?

While this is an interesting thought to ponder, I think the deeper consequence of this question is in the factors that shape our ability to dream as a nation — the heroes, and the stories, both fictional and non-fictional, that we interact with every single moment of our waking lives.

If you traveled backward 2-decade with a time machine, sitting across the room with the version of me that was a child, and you asked me “Why does the world need heroes?” that little lad, with all the excitement in the world would tell you that heroes exist to stop evil and fight bad guys.

You must be thinking that my disposition has changed because I am older now, but I don’t think it has, although I now have a better understanding that the evil bad guys are more or less the internal demons that we face each day. This rather existential internal turmoil, mostly caused by the external societal circumstances that threaten our identity, and our place in this world is the reason we need heroes.

Imagine a child from the slums, eyes wide with a hunger for something more. Now, layer upon that the story of Tunde Onakoya, another child from those same streets, who defied the odds and became a globally respected figure. Suddenly, the world for that first child transforms with Onakoya’s story becoming a tangible example that shatters limitations and whispers, “Yes, you too can do big things from a small place.”

This, in essence, is the reason for heroes — they and their stories help us find a clear path through the societal obstacles that are right in front of us. It is seeing that within all this chaos, I too can find my path as they did.

A mosaic of heroes, and endless stories

Now think about the multiple human experiences that exist within our already complex nation — the rich blend of class, age, religion, gender, tribes, and traditions, each person representing a unique reality, and a different path through the world.

With this, you can already start to picture the consequence for a nation as diverse as ours lacking a variety of heroes who reflect these multiple realities.

The child in the slums may find inspiration and a clear path through the world with Tunde Onakoya’s story, but what about the young girl yearning for a future where leadership has no gender? Perhaps she hasn’t witnessed a Nigerian woman president yet, but why not? Where are the stories, the movies, the books that ignite that fire within her, reinforcing that, “One day, that could be you leading our nation?”.

Without heroes, both fictional and non-fictional, who mirror the diverse realities of the Nigerian living condition the very fabric of our national dream weakens, for a nation’s potential is only as vast as the dreams its people dare to hold.

This call for diverse stories is not just ours, but a part of a larger global discourse. That’s why we’ve been seeing Hollywood’s efforts to push towards inclusivity, ensuring characters mirror the richness of our world.

Because we too want to see ourselves in the stories that we immerse ourselves in. We seek heroes who navigate the same societal currents we face, who offer a path through the chaos, as a way of saying, “This too can be your story.” That’s what we need to start doing in Nigeria today, and even the larger continent — to not only share our stories but embrace telling diverse stories.

Let’s make room for dreams

However, the challenging human condition in Nigeria has pushed our media to project mostly comic-relief-like narratives and stories. But I believe it’s time we created room for more.

We must make space for our dreams. Stories that demonstrate that even in the most improbable places on Earth, extraordinary things can occur. And we need to sow the seeds through the stories we tell.

Africa, which has the largest youth population in the world, is at a turning point in its history. One side presents a dismal narrative with statistics that show a correlation between higher rates of crime and a higher younger population. Conversely, there is the utopian narrative, which holds that countries with high rates of youth population are also the most innovative.

While the fate of an entire nation does not solely rest on the stories of heroes in and of itself, this is a crucial moment in our history that we need to start telling more stories.

At the end of this, I hope you can go on to be inspired by the heroes in your life and do extraordinary things as you also walk your path to becoming an inspiration to the next person out there. Your stories matter.