I was going through the formalities of hiring a car at an Enterprise Car Rental center during a recent trip to Sunny Isles, FL, when one of the attendants asked about my country of origin.  I answered calmly that I am from Nigeria, not knowing what to expect. Upon hearing my answer, the young man’s face lit up. ‘I like Jollof rice’, he said in a manner that showed pride at meeting a fellow jollof rice devotee. Our chit-chat about the taste and color of Jollof rice prolonged my transaction but at the end I made a new friend and got a free car upgrade to the bargain. This Jollof rice experienced was the reason I thought that the best way of returning part of the good hospitality of my Asian hosts was to treat them to a meal of the famed ‘Jollof rice’ on the eve of my departure. I conducted an online search for the best Nigerian restaurant in Miami. Based on reviews and ratings, I selected one located in North Miami. After about thirty minutes google-map assisted drive, my friends and I arrived at the supposed ‘Naija food Mecca’.  From outside it looked humble, inside was furnished like a motor park ‘mama put’ restaurant in downtown Oshodi, in Lagos. The environment was a bit of a let down as it undermined my idea of a ‘treat’.  Sadly, the service experience was no better and to worsen the situation there was no Jollof rice. I remained hopeful that the good taste of the white rice, fried plantain and fish stew meal that we ordered as substitute would make up for the untidy environment and poor service culture, after all despite environment limitations, Iya Modina’s joint at Obalende and ‘Ghana high’ at Onikan served some of the best meals in Lagos in the 1980s. When the meal was brought, it came in a low budget takeout container and was a rainbow coalition of rice, plantain and fish stew, like an amalgam of leftover food. In less than one hour, this Nigerian restaurant did more damage to the image of Nigeria than any movie about drug peddling and advance fee fraud could have done in years. It was simply mindboggling. From trying to show off a Nigerian delicacy I became a wreck from being embarrassed by the indiscretion of a few of my countrymen.

What I witnessed in Miami is similar to the experiences of several Nigerians overseas. From Brooklyn, to Washington DC, Atlanta to Houston (and even London that is almost an extension of Ikeja), Nigerian restaurant owners are debasing our food culture or failing to appreciate that food is part of our cultural heritage. They neither see themselves as Ambassadors of the Nigerian culture nor appreciate the opportunities inherent in building a positive image for our food. All over the world people take pride in patronizing Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Cantonese and Middle Eastern eateries because the restaurant owners present authentic delicacies in decent environments. The Tikha Masala, an Indian curried meal has gradually crept into the food menu of the British, bringing pride to the food culture of the Indian People, the same way Indomie noodle has turned a Chinese delicacy into the staple of many Nigerian homes. Food has by itself become a tourist attraction globally and spurned businesses such as food tours and food safaris in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa.

Quite unlike the bad examples being shown by most Nigerian restaurant owners oversees, Nigerians at home patronize decent and often steeply priced restaurants that serve continental and exotic dishes with Chinese, Indian, European and Mediterranean roots. So why is it that when we travel abroad, the only reference to Nigerian food can only be found in ‘Iya Modina-like’ places? Is it that the custodians of our culinary treats and food ambassadors are poor, lacks creativity or they do not recognize the business opportunities in the food business? So why aren’t we appreciating that we can grow the Nigerian brand through food?

Nigerians complain a lot about the negative perception of our country by foreign nationals, but we fail to grasp the fact that the negative perception is self inflicted not only through the criminal activities of some of our country men but through our nonchalant attitude to our cultural heritage. Our food, clothing, languages, music, movies, etc. are part of our culture and must be presented in ways that earn us goodwill rather than scorn.  Rather than complaining about the inefficiencies of the staff of our foreign missions, all Nigerians in diaspora and others who travel frequently ought to realize that they are the Ambassadors of our nation and that the ways we present our culture or run our lives have a bearing on the way our nation is viewed by other people. Much as every nation depends on a set of diplomats to serve its diplomatic purposes a percentage of ambassadorial duties are performed by ordinary citizens through their conduct and achievements.

I had cause to meet with a Japanese couple recently who told me of the achievement of a Nigerian mathematician who solved a thirty years old mathematical puzzle in Japan. This couple looked at me like I was from a nation of geniuses. Similarly, a Nigerian medical doctor in the US earned global acclaim a few weeks ago after he performed a novel medical operation bringing out an unborn baby and operating on her to correct some pre-birth defects and returning the baby back to the womb of the mother. This accomplishment earned Nigeria a lot of positive reviews and may have succeeded in changing the way some people perceive Nigerian professionals abroad. Many of us are familiar with the goodwill that Nigeria earns from the achievements of our sports men and women. In my sojourn to different parts of the world I have received favors from people on account of being from Jayjay Okocha’s country. So why is it that those involved in shaping our foreign policies and managing the image of our nation continually fail to recognize the place of culture and the role of the average Nigerian in shaping national image and enhancing diplomatic ties? Or in simple terms, why aren’t we allowing our food to speak for us the way the Jollof rice served by a Nigerian family in Miami does?

As our leaders prepare a new set of diplomats and politicians to take up offices as Ambassadors in foreign missions it is expedient that these appointees realize that besides wearing silk ties and hosting diplomatic soirees, they have a responsibility to add value to the businesses of Nigerians and by so doing helping such citizens to uplift the image of Nigeria.  Our new ambassadors should be oriented to appreciate the place of culture in diplomacy. They can take cues from institutions like the German Goethe Institute and the French Cultural Center/Aliance Francaise in the usage of social and cultural activities like drama, language training, food festival and fashion shows to create networking opportunities.

The world of diplomacy has evolved from the armchair to the dance floor requiring all forms of interaction. The days in which a nation relies entirely on paid civil servants to manage diplomatic ties are over. We are in a new era and all avenues of managing our national image and enhancing our diplomatic interests must be explored. If meals of Jollof rice, fried plantain, peppered snails, gizzards and ‘efo riro’ can do it for us, so be it.