ANTHONY OLUWAFEMI JOSHUA: Heritage is Nigerian, Proudly Nigerian

Watching the footage of boxing superstar, Anthony Joshua, deliver an emotional speech at the Commonwealth Day 2020 service in London last Monday personifies nothing short of true greatness. Joshua was among some of the Commonwealth’s top entertainers and sporting stars, who joined Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family at a multi-faith service to celebrate Commonwealth. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

The trending video had barely made the rounds on the blogosphere. Little did it occur to the privileged and exclusive firsthand bearers that it will generate a flurry of praise and admiration on its subject, British Nigerian born world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua. Fans and followers in response to the post heaped praises on him, describing him with kind words like, MVP, generational talent, impressive young man. “He’s got brain to match his biceps,” another great fan posted on Twitter.

Joshua was among some of the Commonwealth’s top entertainers and sporting stars, who joined Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family at a multi-faith service to celebrate Commonwealth Day. It was attended by a sizeable crowd of about 2,000 people in London’s Westminster Abbey.

Resounding in substance and style, Joshua’s speech before the Queen and Prince Philip at the service, touched on a number of issues, with an emphasis on unity around the Commonwealth. Born in Britain and a child of Nigerian parents, Joshua spoke at the service, telling the audience that he was “proud to be a child of the Commonwealth”. He asked people to remember how “our Commonwealth cousins stood shoulder to shoulder in combat” and spoke of the values of “fairness, responsibility, tolerance and diversity” which bind us.

The service also included performances by West-End star, Alexandra Burke; and multi-platinum, multi-award winning singer-songwriter, Craig David. Commonwealth Day has been celebrated across the Commonwealth every year since the 1970s. The unified heavyweight champion, 30, who proudly also represents his Nigerian background, was chosen to give a reflection during the celebration service considered the largest annual inter-faith gathering in the United Kingdom.

This year’s event was centred around the theme, “Delivering a Common Future”, highlighting how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth family are “innovating, connecting and transforming” to help achieve some of its biggest goals – such as protecting natural resources and boosting trade. The service among its attendees was the Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle in what was their final official appearance as senior royals) and the Earl and Countess of Wessex also attended the service which was broadcast live on BBC radio and television. In the event, the world boxing champion spoke about his Nigerian roots and Yoruba culture. Joshua began: “My name is Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua and, like many of you here, I’m a child of the Commonwealth.

I was born in Watford and my heritage is Nigerian. I come from the Yoruba people, who are the largest and some might say the loudest ethnic group in all of Africa. I’m proudly Nigerian and proudly British. I join a long line, perhaps too long to count, of UK citizens of Commonwealth origin who’ve made enormous contributions to this great, multicultural society of ours. In my world, that would include names such as Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie and Ramla Ali.

“Like me, so many children of the Commonwealth have two homes, two identities, two cultures and two ways of viewing the world. Some even have more than two. These days we hear so much about division and difference that some might be tempted to see that as a bad thing. But on the contrary, it’s a beautiful thing, a thing to be celebrated and cherished – and a great source of peace and stability.”

Joshua continued, by saying we, as a society, must work harder to move forward as one, removing all sense of division across the Commonwealth. “I feel opportunity should be there for the taking along with hard work, dedication and perseverance regardless of one’s background. We need to strive harder collectively in order to create unity. It takes a village to raise a child and in the same vein it takes a whole community to stand together to tackle some of the challenges we are confronted with today.

“In the same way boxing gave me the opportunity and framework to become Olympic champion, Commonwealth champion and now heavyweight champion of the world. I ask myself, ‘what does the Commonwealth really mean?’ The second part of that word is key for me; a united, common future could create opportunities for our Commonwealth cousins.”

To the discerning, his heartfelt speech is not without wits, as he ended and made mention of what can probably be described as his favourtite meals fish and chips and egusi soup and pounded yam. “So, here’s to fish and chips and egusi soup and pounded yam, to the UK and Nigeria and to the children of the Commonwealth.”

Following his presentation, the two-time unified heavyweight champ was later seen conversing with the Queen. Very inspirational to young people and admired by older folk, His connection to his Yoruba heritage has never been in doubt.

The professional boxer was recently in Nigeria where he visited the nation’s capital to register for the National Identity card. He also visited Sagamu, his hometown in Ogun State, where he took pictures with traditional rulers and his young fans on the streets. Anthony is not lost. He is the type that would be described as omooluabi.

He once said in an interview: “Growing up in my household was like Nigeria when you come home. My parents lived there and grew up there, so they know the culture.”

On the night he reclaimed his boxing titles from Andy Ruiz of Mexico, Joshua walked into the ring to the song of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. He will defend his three world titles against Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.