Three religions in one childhood
‘‘To me it’s not about believing in one thing, it’s about respecting people’s beliefs.’’
It was common for families to be multi-religion when Sheun Fasheun grew up in Nigeria.
He was born in Lagos, and his father was a staunch Pentecostal Evangelist Christian pastor.
But when Fasheun’s mother died when he was 8, he and another brother were sent to live with a Muslim family. He was later raised by a Catholic aunty in Edo state, Benin city.
His other four siblings stayed with his father and were raised within the Pentecostal Evangelist church.
‘‘I grew up as Catholic. It was a great childhood,’’ he says. ‘‘Right now, who am I, what do I believe in? I’m a Christian. To me it’s not about believing in one thing, it’s about respecting people’s beliefs.
‘‘I can go to the mosque, I can go to any temple. I follow and blend in with everyone. I don’t discriminate.’’
But there is tension between religions in some Nigerian regions. ‘‘It’s a pity that in some parts of the country you can get that.’’
Fasheun came to New Zealand in 2004 after studying business education at university in Ekpoma.
He settled in Christchurch where his brother already lived, but it was his first trip out of Nigeria and he experienced ‘‘the whole cultural difference’’.
‘‘I came during the day and looking down out the plane it was really green. It was really beautiful. The sun was out, people were in shorts and looking really happy.’’
But he was ‘‘shivering’’ and wondered if that was a good day, how cold could the weather really get.
He married and has two boys, aged 7 and 10, who go to a Catholic school and ‘‘church sometimes’’.
The family used to go to Fiji for holidays, where they would take part in Hindu celebrations.
Here, they go to either a Pentecostal church, or a Catholic church.
‘‘It’s just my own life journey,’’ he says. ‘‘If I can live in peace with everybody, life would be a bit [of a] better place to be.
‘‘I love my kids to bits. Family is very important to me, no matter how different we may be.’’
Fasheun and his children love sports, like football, golf and touch, and one son represented Canterbury in gymnastics. Fifteen years since moving to Christchurch, Fasheun is the chairman of the Canterbury Nigerian Association, which is trying hard to grow its members after many fled the city after the earthquakes.
There are now nearly 200 Nigerians living in Christchurch.
‘‘Nigerians, we get this negative vibe. You almost have to prove yourself. It’s not even because you’re black, but because you’re Nigerian.
‘‘There are up to 200 million people in Nigeria. If we were all involved in fraud, the world would be in trouble.
‘‘We can’t change people’s perceptions about us, but . . . people [should be] given a chance.’’
He ko¯rero to¯ ia o ia o ta¯tou. Everyone has a story. Stuff is chatting to a new person every week to hear theirs. Nominate someone with a story to tell by emailing reporters@press.co.nz