Why Don’t You Change Your Accent?
Why should you stop asking accent based questions or joking about it you ask? Well because it is racist, connotes hypersexuality, is classist and damn right a promoter of cultural imperialism.
It is racist.
Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudices towards people based on their race or ethnicity. If your race has names like ‘Susan’, ‘Chloe’, ‘Miranda’, etc. as normal. Well, there’s also another race that has ‘Mbatha, Kachukwusicho, Abena’ etc as normal. So, when you see someone with a name different from what you know and you ask them —‘Do you not have an English name?’ or you see food that you aren't familiar with and ask for the English name, let it be known to you that you’re racist. You’re being racist for assuming that there is some inferiority in not being named after what you know. Accept that my name is Mkupulumma Chizoba Adaugo and my accent has only been trained to pronounce these and nothing more.
It is hyper-sexualizing.
I have never heard any folk listen to any African accent and assume it was a beauty to listen to. But when Gregory from London or Alba from Italy talks to you, you jump at the sound of their words and utter —‘Your accent is so sexy!’ Then, you go ahead to bully and break people who…
