When Olugbenga Adewuyi decided to move from Nigeria to Lithuania, he did not speak Lithuanian and knew almost nothing about the country. Over the past seven years, he has reached A2 level in the language, obtained a permanent residence permit and grown accustomed to life there. But when discussing integration, he says language is not the only challenge.
For a non-white foreigner trying to become part of Lithuanian society, avoiding racism can be difficult – from offensive comments online to situations in which you feel unwelcome.
First shock: the weather
Adewuyi was given the opportunity to take part in an EU project for IT specialists and arrived in Kaunas in October 2019. At the time, he did not know he would settle in the country for the long term.
“I had lived in Nigeria all my life and really wanted to try something new. Many of my colleagues had found jobs in various European countries, so I started looking for an opportunity to do the same,” Adewuyi told LRT.lt.
His first impressions of Lithuania had less to do with a new city or a different culture than with the weather. On the day he arrived, the temperature was just 4C.
“Where I come from, the temperature almost never drops below 20C. I went outside wearing just a T-shirt because I wanted to find out what a Lithuanian autumn was like. I quickly realised it was not a good idea,” he says with a laugh.
Today, he works as a software developer and says he is satisfied with his standard of living in Lithuania.
“IT specialists are paid well here. Of course, I considered opportunities to move to another country, but for now, things have worked out in such a way that I am staying in Lithuania,” he says.
After living in the country for several years, Adewuyi has obtained a permanent residence permit. However, he admits that he is seriously considering spending part of his time in Africa.
“I miss Africa. Here, I always stand out from the crowd. Sometimes you just want to be among people who look like you,” he says.
‘I thought I would never learn Lithuanian’
One of the biggest challenges Adewuyi has faced in Lithuania is the language. His native languages are English and Yoruba, spoken by one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups.
Lithuanian seemed completely unlike any language he knew.
“When I first heard Lithuanian, I thought I would never learn it. The hardest part is the grammatical cases. In English, everything is much simpler: we use prepositions, whereas here you have to change word endings. For someone who speaks English, that is very unusual,” he says.
He began learning Lithuanian almost as soon as he arrived. His employer paid for his first language courses.
Adewuyi says his progress really took off when he began studying independently in preparation for the state Lithuanian language examination.
“I passed the A2-level exam. That is enough for everyday life – I can find my way around the city and deal with daily practical matters. But, for example, visiting a doctor and communicating in Lithuanian is still a difficult task,” he admits.
Adewuyi’s circle of friends now includes Lithuanians, Belarusians and people from other countries. One Lithuanian friend helped him prepare for the exam by speaking to him exclusively in Lithuanian and correcting his mistakes.
“Even now, when I write to him in English, he replies in Lithuanian. I still find grammatical cases particularly difficult to understand,” Adewuyi says.
He has noticed that many migrants are in no hurry to learn Lithuanian because they are unsure whether they will stay in the country for long.
“Most foreigners think they will live here for a while and then leave. So they are not always motivated to learn the language. But when they need to obtain a permanent residence permit, their attitude changes,” he says.
Adewuyi identifies the changing seasons, the way public institutions operate and the sense of security as the main advantages of living in Lithuania.
He says that when you approach a government institution, you generally get what you need “without unnecessary formalities or having to know the right people”. He has also grown quite fond of Lithuanian cuisine.
“I like variety. I often visit different cafes and restaurants and try new dishes. The food here suits me perfectly,” he says.
Nevertheless, Adewuyi believes cultural differences are one of the most challenging aspects of living abroad.
“Where I come from, people are generally very open and welcoming. Lithuanians are more reserved, so it takes time to make friends. Being a foreigner is probably difficult in any country, but here you feel it particularly strongly,” he says.
Racism and difficulties finding accommodation
Speaking about attitudes towards people with a different skin colour, Adewuyi acknowledges that during his seven years in Lithuania, he has experienced both positive encounters and unpleasant situations.
He says discrimination is far from always being obvious.
“The thing about discrimination is that it is often impossible to say for certain whether it has taken place. You cannot always prove that you were treated differently specifically because of your skin colour,” he says.
The most painful experience for Adewuyi has been looking for accommodation. This year, while searching for a new flat, he became acutely aware that, in his view, foreign nationals with a different skin colour have to make considerably more effort than local residents.
“If your skin colour is different from that of the majority of the population, you automatically find yourself at the bottom of the list of potential tenants. That was probably the most unpleasant experience I have had recently,” he says.
Nevertheless, Adewuyi says he has experienced few instances of overt aggression during his years in Lithuania. He recalls hearing racist insults on several occasions, but says such incidents have been rare.
“Yes, I have been called the N-word, but those incidents were very rare. In general, I cannot say that I constantly encounter this kind of attitude,” he says.
According to Adewuyi, he feels safe in everyday life. In public places, at events and in clubs, people tend to show curiosity and friendliness rather than hostility.
“When I go out, people are usually friendly and interested in where I come from. I do not feel that I am in danger, and I am not afraid to walk around the city,” he says.
Online comments cause concern
Speaking about religion, Adewuyi says he grew up in a religious family but now describes himself as an agnostic.
“I grew up first in a Muslim environment and later in a Christian one. But I am not religious now. I am an agnostic,” he says.
He says that over the past year or two, he has found some public debates in Lithuania particularly difficult to watch, especially those concerning religion and attitudes towards people from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
In particular, he is referring to the debate surrounding the burning of the Quran. Online comments and public discussions about migrants have had a significant impact on his emotional wellbeing.
Further reading
“The past year or two have been quite difficult. Sometimes you open the news or social media and see a huge number of negative comments. This is especially true when the discussion concerns events attended by Black people. Posts like these almost always trigger a wave of hatred,” he says.
He believes such rhetoric also influences how people perceive others in real life.
“After reading comments like these, you start wondering: if someone looks at you in the street, what are they really thinking? Perhaps the person is simply looking at you, but you have already started to doubt yourself. It really does have an impact,” he says.
One incident at a city fair has stayed in Adewuyi’s memory. He says he was standing in a queue at a market stall when the vendor, having served other customers, simply walked to the back of the stall without acknowledging him.
“To this day, I cannot explain it any other way. After that incident, I found it much harder to attend similar events. Perhaps someone will say it was a trivial matter, but when you live far from home and do not have the support of your family nearby, such seemingly small things hurt much more,” the Nigerian says candidly.
Despite these experiences, Adewuyi stresses that he does not consider Lithuania a dangerous country for foreign nationals.
However, he admits that he sometimes feels tired of standing out.
“Sometimes you just want to be among people who are similar to you. There are many foreigners, Ukrainians and Belarusians living in Vilnius, but I still stand out very clearly. Over time, you begin to understand how important it is sometimes to feel like part of the majority rather than an exception,” he says.
LRT English
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