Journalists and their ‘stupid questions’ – Punch Newspapers

’Tunji  Ajibade([email protected] 08036683657)

I take note when I encounter in other cultures what my culture would not accept. One, I mean Yoruba culture in relation to other cultures.  Two, I mean African culture in relation to that of the Western world. I understand mine and I consciously let it guide me wherever I am. The Yoruba are sensitive to the values they hold dear, and to nuances too. If an outsider misses them, it’s pardonable. When a son of the soil misses them, it’s a criminal offence. And it doesn’t matter where the offence is committed, in Yorubaland or outside.

I’m keenly aware of what is expected of me when, for instance, I’m in the field and I meet elderly journalists who are of Yoruba origin. The practice is for journalists to regard one another as “professional colleagues”. But I don’t make the mistake of taking this as given. The ones who…