A Nigerian writing about racism is funny—at least in a way. Unless you've experienced it firsthand, usually outside the motherland, your understanding of it is likely secondhand.

That’s the case for most Nigerians. We’ve been largely shielded from racism, barely taught about it—if at all. Colonialism? Yes. Racism? Not really. I can't recall ever being taught about it in school. Instead, our understanding comes from books, movies, and media portrayals.

Now, my latest lesson on racism comes from another book—probably my first proper book on the subject outside the hate-driven Hollywood movies on racism. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.

As a Nigerian, my first instinct might be to feel distant from a South African perspective—especially considering the history of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. But this book offered me something unexpected: a deeper understanding of their plight.

Racism in South Africa wasn’t just societal—it was institutionalized. The precision with which it was implemented, the extent of its impact, is both fascinating and horrifying. All of it designed to divide, control, and subjugate.

Would I ever justify racism? Never.
Would I ever justify xenophobic attacks? Absolutely not.

But when someone like Trevor Noah, a young man who lived through it, recounts these experiences firsthand, you begin to grasp how deeply ingrained its effects are. Especially when the environment itself continues to serve as a reminder.

Born A Crime is more than just a book about racism. It’s humorous, insightful, and, most importantly, educational. It gives a nuanced understanding of a people whose history could have easily mirrored ours.

Beyond racial hate, it’s a lesson worth learning.