In addition to an excellent style of delivery, the speech was just as sobering as it was satirical.
Cyril, a Zimbabwean, walks on the stage and for a moment looks at the contest chair then turns to the audience with his opening remarks.
He starts off by explaining the meaning of the Shona word, “Ndini”, which was the title of the speech.
It means: “This is me. ” It’s a story about the way he grew up, and the way he struggled to embrace the native middle name which he was given by his Nigerian father, a name that other kids at school would make fun of.
The name was apparently long and did not sound “cool” as he put it.
Although he never knew his father, he always questioned his mother as to why he was given that name.
He hated it because it made him look different, although his mother explained that it was a special name.
As soon as he turned 18 years, he made sure that the middle name was removed from all his documents.
Having travelled to eastern Europe for further education, Cyril felt even more different.
He explains that he felt like a “fly in the milk”.
It was not until he met another “fly in the milk” — a fellow student from Congo — that the turning point came about.
Cyril stumbled upon his friend’s identity card, and to his amazement, he also had a native middle name.
His friend was very proud of the name and deemed it very special.
That was the time it dawned on him that it was okay to be different as he reflected on why he had dropped his own name.
In that very moment he decided he was going to reclaim his name and use it.
So, he said to himself: “Ndini,” as he accepted who he was.
The lessons are far-reaching, and there are for a diverse audience.
The speech highlighted that we are all different, and that there could be some aspects about our lives that we may not be comfortable with.
That could be our physical appearance, the family we come from or any other condition.
The lesson is to embrace diversity, accept who we are and in the process make “Ndini” part of our vocabulary.
A popular quote says: “When life gives you lemons, turn them into lemonade. ” The very name that Cyril’s classmates would make fun of, is the name that he would go on to reclaim on the world’s stage and proclaim how beautiful it was. 🔗 Read Full Article
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