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A growing cultural initiative in southeastern Nigeria has forged new connections between Nigerians and Latin Americans through music, language, and shared history.
In Enugu, Nigeria, a simple salsa class is doing something bigger than teaching dance. It is helping reconnect Nigerians with people in Latin America through culture, language, and shared history.
Music fills the room as students move across the floor, trying to follow the rhythm. Some are confident, while others are just learning. The instructor counts in Spanish, and partners rotate. For many, it is their first time experiencing Hispanic culture.
“If we just said ‘come and learn Spanish,’ people may not come, but when they come for the experience, they begin to ask questions,” said Uchenna Vasser.
Uchenna Vasser founded SLANG Global in 2022. The programme uses music, dance, and food to introduce Nigerians to the Spanish-speaking world. Instead of starting with textbooks, it focuses on cultural experiences that spark interest in language and history.
The idea came from a personal moment: while visiting North Carolina, Vasser met a man who called her “hermana,” meaning “sister.”
“He saw me and recognised himself, and I realised that people like him don’t fully remember where they are from but they know they are from Africa,” she said.
Millions of Africans were taken to Latin America during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Over time, their culture shaped music, food, and traditions across the region.
“You find it in the food, in the dance, in the speech,” Vasser explained.
Today, SLANG Global has trained over 60 women to speak Spanish. For students like Mabel Mmesoma, the experience has been eye-opening.
“I didn’t really know much about them, but now I see the similarities in our food, our dance, even how we live,” she said.
Cultural expert Ben Etiaba believes many Nigerians are too focused on daily survival to explore such connections. He said, “We have bigger problems to worry about, people are focused on survival, not on tracing connections across continents.”
However, he sees an opportunity. “There are our brothers and sisters out there, if we recognise that, we can build relationships, cultural, economic, even tourism,” he said.
With over 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide, learning the language opens doors. For Vasser, the mission is clear: reconnect people separated by history.
Back in the class, the music starts again. Step by step, the bridge Vasser imagined between Africa and Latin America is being rebuilt.
Credit: Vera Chidinma, Bird Story Agency
