Love Me JeJe

Language & Ancestry

Mar 2

Written By Wariara Waireri-Àdigùn

⏱️ 30 seconds read. Yes, we promise.

Love me jeje, love me tender. You my sugar, my honey, my tender lover.

My husband is Yorúbá.
I'm Kikuyu.

We've known each other 20 years.

And haven’t ever said,
I love you in our languages.

Wild.

We've been telling each other I love you in English since we were 18.
And that feels... normal.
Which is the strange part.

Colonial languages didn’t just replace our systems. They replaced our intimacy.

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So last night I tried something different.
I said, Love me Jeje. 🎶
Nah just kidding.

I said Mo nifẹ rẹ

And that hit different.

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