How pidgin English misconception gave me culture shock in Kenya — Simi
By Kachi Ekile
Music sensation Simi has opened up about how her misconception of pidgin English resulted in a shocking experience in Kenya.
During her latest appearance on the 90’s Baby Show, the artiste hinted that she assumed that all Africans speak pidgin English.
Simi said that her trip to Kenya opened her eyes to her misconception when she was asked for an interpretation of the pidgin lyrics in the remix of one of her songs.
“I went to Kenya years ago, and we were supposed to do a remix of my song with a Kenyan artist, and then there is a lot of pidgin in the song.
Read also: Why men crying is beautiful to me — Simi
“They asked me to write my lyrics down and then ask, ‘Can you translate?’ and I go, ‘What the fuck do you mean translate? It’s English. It’s pidgin, but it’s English.’
“Before then, I had thought that everybody in Africa could speak pidgin the way we speak pidgin, so that was a culture shock for me. I thought these were our people; are we not the same?”, she asked.
The singer further stated that her infant daughter Adejare speaks a little of pidgin English due to she and her husband, Adekunle Gold often conversing in the language at home.
“My daughter even started speaking pidgin by herself because we speak it around her, to our friends. So sometimes she would be like, ‘Wetin you do o’ and I love that because you need to have a gossip language around people,” Simi added.
