Speaking at a seminar of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria , United States Ambassador to Nigeria Ambassador Terence McCulley challenged Nigerian leaders at all levels to ensure the diversity of the country is used to its advantage rather than its disadvantage. Excerpts:
By drawing from such a broad pool of talent, the Humphrey Fellowship programme provides a model of what can be accomplished when people with very different experiences and worldviews come together to learn from one another. In a way, that serves as a microcosm of the topic on which you have asked me to speak today: “Fostering Unity in Diversity in Nigeria: Learning from the American Experience.” Now, I have to admit, this title is a bit misleading, because the “American Experience” of finding unity in diversity, while perhaps instructive, is certainly not yet complete because our journey is not yet complete. And that, to some extent, is the point of the experience: there will always be different cultures, races, ethnicities, and viewpoints from which to learn and grow. In this regard, Nigeria and America are – as one of my distinguished predecessors once remarked – “two pilgrims on the same path.”
America and Nigeria thus offer grand examples of how diverse peoples can come together to build a great nation. Each country is teeming with talented individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and religions. The Fellowship Alumni in this room carried out their studies all over the United States—at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, Johns Hopkins in Maryland, American University in Washington, D.C., Emory University in Georgia, to name just a few examples—and you are each certain to have been struck by the magnitude of diversity that is a hallmark of our country. From Southern California to the Oregon coast, from Chicago to Florida, all across America you will find people of various races and ethnicities, with different religious views, distinctive cultural norms, and divergent political ideologies. What holds us all together, what unites us, is our strong sense of nationhood. I am reminded of a banner headline in the French newspaper “Le Monde” the day after September 11, 2001. “We are all Americans.” Now, that was an expression of global solidarity from one of our oldest allies in the aftermath of a day of horror. But it is also an expression of how we feel as a people, how we feel as a nation. Regardless of our differences…, we are all Americans. And when we speak of diversity, we speak broadly, of characteristics both obvious and not. Racial and ethnic differences are perhaps more readily observable than other marks of diversity. But diversity is not just about race, to be sure.
Much of America’s diversity comes from our history as a nation of immigrants. In fact, the United States is often referred to as the “Great Melting Pot,” a metaphor that suggests the blending of many cultures, languages and religions to form a single national identity. But this metaphor fails to capture the slow, complex and frequently turbulent process by which immigrants of diverse backgrounds and beliefs join U.S. society, even as they transform it. I am here to tell you that unity in diversity is hard work.
The United States may be viewed as “a permanently unfinished country,” because it is continuously being built and rebuilt by immigrants. Indeed, it has been the world’s leading destination country for immigrants from the 19th century to the present. Newcomers pose a recurrent challenge fundamental to American life: enabling communities of very different peoples to learn to act collaboratively under conditions of openness, change and choice, all within the confines of one system.
In the U.S., much of the stability that exists in our nation of immigrants comes from our laws and institutional reforms within our pluralistic democracy. Through legislative actions supported by a transparent, independent judiciary which protects the rights of all including minorities and immigrants, we create, encourage, and enlarge opportunities for education and social mobility. With our system of democracy, we permit and nourish the co-existence of those with differing ideologies, convictions, and interests. As a result, we have immigrants and native-born citizens partnering to create a shared collective and institutional life, both as a national community and as a constellation of local communities marked by differences in class, race, religion and culture. Our nation of immigrants has seen wave after wave of newcomers displaying remarkable creativity and flexibility in adapting to the American pluralistic culture, even as they helped to transform it, adapt it, and make it their own.
The history of Africa and of Nigeria specifically does not mirror that of the United States in terms of immigration. Yet, like America, Nigeria boasts the co-existence of many ethnic groups in a democratic land. Nigeria’s ethnic groups are 370 strong, with long histories and varying cultural norms. For the Nigerian democracy to continue to work, for it to blossom, conflicts among ethnic groups need to be addressed, and differences embraced. And Nigeria’s leaders – at the local, state, and federal level – need to promote unity, not encourage division for selfish political ends.
As I mentioned, America is ever adapting in terms of embracing diversity. But again, the key is to strive to come together based on what is shared, not to divide based on what differs among us.
Our recently re-elected President, Barack Obama, has said that “we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity—diversity of thought, diversity of culture, and diversity of belief. In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family.” In America and in Nigeria, the common issues we face, the common hopes we have, are all human issues, all human hopes. We seek stability in our democracies. We desire positive action from our leaders. We expect food security. We look for economic opportunity. We want high-quality education for our children no matter their socio-economic status. We work for a protected environment that will be as safe and useful for our children and our children’s children as it is for us. And we, as Americans, as Nigerians, as human beings, wish for peaceful co-existence that allows us to embrace our backgrounds and our unique characteristics even as we build our societies together. To accomplish this, we must look to what binds us together and work to achieve those common goals.
But again, the concept of diversity is a broad one. I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of religious diversity and the principle of religious freedom. The freedom to worship is a cherished right in the United States, one that has historical roots older than the formation of the nation itself. In the 21st century, the United States pulses with a unique cultural chemistry which sees followers of more diverse faiths in many communities throughout the country.
Consider this: Most Americans were Christians when the United States was founded more than 200 years ago, but now the United States is the world’s most religiously diverse society. Between 1990 and 2001, the number of Christians in the U.S. increased by 6.6 percent while the number of those practicing all other religions grew by 69.1 percent. People of different faiths contribute to the fabric, strength and character of the United States, in all walks of life.
To be sure, there are challenges to religious co-existence. Yet again, the guiding principle is that which binds, not that which divides. In terms of religion, that concept is the desire to worship freely or not at all. For Americans, religious liberty is embedded in the Constitution and reflected in our guiding Constitutional principle of separation of church and state. And I believe Nigerians must also work together to build their nation irrespective of their religious beliefs. If one puts continuous emphasis on differences, rather than working toward overall betterment while co-existing, one risks chipping away at the very fabric of the nation.
Too often, when we talk about Nigeria and with Nigerians, we hear about the differences: the Muslim North and the Christian South, the Igbo, the Hausa, and the Yoruba. Nigerians deserve better; Nigerians can do better. While you should be proud of your religion, your culture, your background, your beliefs, you can do so in light of the fact that you are all Nigerians, drawing inspiration from the uplifting words of your national anthem. And I have to say that as I travel across your great country, I am inspired by your powerful sense of nationhood.
And there is much to celebrate in Nigeria. As I said to you last year at this event, I have worked as an American diplomat in Africa since the mid-1980s, when I began my service in Niger Republic. The remarkable changes I have witnessed on this continent over the past 27 years, changes effected by remarkable African men and even more remarkable African women, make me an optimist about Nigeria’s future. Indeed, the people of Nigeria, with their intelligence, drive, ingenuity, and capability, make me an optimist about Nigeria’s future. Leaders like those assembled in this room, particularly the talented Humphrey Fellowship alumni, are those who will enable Nigeria to achieve its potential.
And as for us, your fellow pilgrims, the United States remains committed to the people and progress of Nigeria. We are committed to helping foster an environment in which this great nation continues its path of becoming a powerful force both regionally and on the world stage, a beacon of what can be achieved in a thriving, diverse, populous democracy. And while we have our history to share by way of example, we encourage you to not only accept but also welcome the fact that finding unity in diversity is an ongoing challenge, a constant work in progress. And it is not just about tolerance, but about enrichment, and dignity, and going forward as one. And, as I have suggested, it is truly challenging, but it is what will make you stronger.
As Hubert H. Humphrey wrote of the United States, “Just as we welcome a world of diversity, so we glory in an America of diversity—an America all the richer for the many different and distinctive strands of which it is woven.” We do welcome a world of diversity, and we glory in a Nigeria of diversity, one that is all the better due to its vibrant people.
