Welcome to "Stories from the Culture" (#SFTC), a blog series where we profile everyday people from around the globe to tell us how their culture enriches their human experience. These stories follow an interview format and except for spelling and some grammatical adjustments, none of their responses are edited in any way.
Today's Feature: Adaora Ochiobi Aloloari
Ethnicity: Nigerian 🇳🇬What's your cultural background and which country are you currently based?
My name is Adaora Ochiobi Aloloari and I’m a Nigerian by birth, and both parents are Nigerians born and raised in Nigeria. My father is from Abia state and My mother is from Rivers state. I’m currently living in Nigeria and I hope to travel around the world soon and experience the different cultures.
If you had a maximum of 5 sentences to describe yourself, how would you do it?
I would describe myself as a really misunderstood girl. I don’t have the most welcoming face but I believe that when you get to know me, you’ll see I’m quite an interesting person to be around. I’m very caring and I’m also a very good listener. I think my best quality is that I love to enjoy the best things in life.
When expressing ourselves in the world, some people use art, others cooking, fashion, makeup, design, academics, humor etc. What's your main way of expressing yourself in the world?
I express myself through my humor actually. I’m one of those people that makes a joke even when I’m really sad… I feel it’s not a really good way to express myself so I’m working on other ways to express myself.
What is it about that specific medium that appeals to you as a mode of expressing yourself in the world?
I don’t think there’s really anything special about the way I express myself but to me I feel like every thing happens for a reason and so I shouldn’t be sad for too long because no bad time in your life lasts forever so laugh about it and move on.
You use the butterfly emoji 🦋 in your IG Bio. Why? What significance does the butterfly hold for you?
The butterfly emoji on my bio doesn’t signify anything extraordinary… The butterfly is a really beautiful insect and Nigeria has the largest species of butterflies in the world and that’s so wonderful… The butterfly is always so free to move around and I love that freedom.
You also have the flag of South Korea 🇰🇷 and use some Korean in you IG bio. Why?
As for the Korean flag and the Korean phrase on my bio, I love Korea a lot. It’s one of the places I would love to see and I would also love to get married to Lee Min Ho ( a Korean actor).
How much (if at all), does your cultural background impact how you express yourself in the world?
To me, I don’t think my cultural background really affects my way of expressing myself.. I feel it’s more of the family you come from that really affects the way you express yourself.
What’s one song you can listen to no matter what mood you’re in or what’s going on in life?
I love a lot of songs but I have a few that I could listen to anytime and any day and they include:
1. Everything I do by Brandy
2. Try it on my own by Whitney Houston
3. Easy by Troye Sivan .
How would you describe your personal fashion style?
My fashion style, I love to wear anything that makes me feel good about myself but I’m not an emo kind of girl.
What's your favourite clothing item that you own?
My favorite clothing item is my bracelet, It is a gift from my mom. I wear it every time.
What does it mean to you, to be culture rich?
I love being culturally rich because my culture tells people where I’m from and I’m really proud of where I’m from… I really love my culture especially because of the traditions, the dressing, the languages and the music.
I’m really in love with my culture and I believe every culture is one to celebrate and be proud because it’s who you are.
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To close out the interview, Adaora wrote, "Thank you for asking my these questions, Answering them really made me happy 💕🦋"
At Culture Rich World (CRW), we aim to be more than just a luxury clothing company. We are committed to telling human stories, amplifying the voices of those in the diaspora and ultimately, promoting the sharing of culture across people groups.
To be featured in our "Stories from the Culture" #SFTC series, click here!