My Thick Accent

The Hummingbird Effect: How Cultural Authenticity Creates Belonging | Beneath The Accent with Yannick Oho Bambe

• Gurasis Singh

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In this Beneath the Accent spotlight, Yannick shares reflections from his journey across Cameroon, France, and Canada—revealing how cultural identity, once seen as a challenge, became his greatest strength.

Through the lens of a powerful hummingbird legend, Yannick encourages newcomers to see their cultural roots as gifts, not burdens. He emphasizes that real belonging stems from staying authentic—even in the face of rejection.

This segment is a moving reminder that embracing your accent, values, and background can transform cultural differences into deep connections.

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Gurasis:

now, in the final segment of the podcast I call it beneath the accent I'm going to ask a couple of questions. You can answer them in one word or a sentence or how. So you feel like the idea is just to know a little bit more about you. So ready, sure yes, let's go so the first is what advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?

Yannick:

advice I would give my younger self.

Gurasis:

I would say stay the same, don't change anything okay, what would you like to say to your six-year-old self?

Yannick:

I would say I hope you're happy with the choice that your younger self has made okay, describe a moment when you experienced a significant cultural difference that surprised you. Definitely, I would say. In Atlanta, georgia, I had a white girlfriend at the time and she came to visit me in where I was living because it was a predominantly black neighborhood. It made me uncomfortable. You know the way they just looked at her and really, you know, despised her. I mean it's like they've never seen, I guess, an interracial couple before in their lives.

Yannick:

It was almost like surreal to them, right, and that kind of reflected in their looks. Coming from France again, which was, like I said, much more multicultural than that.

Gurasis:

Okay, what's the one dish from your home country that always brings you comfort and nostalgia?

Yannick:

Plantains. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't bring you nostalgia because I can access them here, so Okay.

Gurasis:

But it kind of reminds you of your heritage right.

Yannick:

Oh, definitely of your heritage. Oh, definitely, definitely that.

Gurasis:

That is definitely that, yeah, yes I was also reading that it's like a, like a side dish for for anything yes, yes, yes, literally it's like fries here.

Yannick:

You know, you can eat them everything that you like.

Gurasis:

You know fish, chicken, anything, yeah so you know, since any of you have lived like all around continents, what's your favorite cultural festival or celebration that you have come across, and do you actually celebrate it then?

Yannick:

one festival, the cameroonian festival. Actually never experienced it, uh, physically, but my dad was kind of like one of the organizers of it at some point and I've always heard about it. It's called. It happens every year in December in Cameroon, the tribe, from which my parents are, like the water, the water tribe right, they're close to the water, so there's all those celebrations around the water. It's almost like a water festival. There are a lot of activities around that races, fighting and food degustation A lot of good things that are happening in that time of the year. What's?

Yannick:

it called it's called the Ngondo N-G-O-N-D-O, the Ngondo Festival, and so this is one of the festivals that I've, like I said, I've been exposed to, not physically, but I've always wanted to be part of it, and also that's another fun, fun fact about Cameroon there are plenty of festivals like this, depending on the tribe and the different cultures. All year round there are different activities like that that are actually celebrating the culture. So that's one. You asked me for one, right? Yeah?

Gurasis:

Share a quick tip for fellow immigrants who are trying to adjust in a new country.

Yannick:

Remember that you have something to bring to the country? I'm asked this question. I always try to get people to remember the so-called soft skills, right, right, that we those those soft skills and and that I believe as immigrant and people from the global south.

Yannick:

We almost inherit them in our culture because I've I've been around a lot of people from different culture in the south and and you, you see a lot of commonalities as far as some of those values that I was talking to you about. You know hospitality and solidarity and you know just respect for the elders and you know just behaving in a certain way when you're in public and treating the others. Are collectivist societies, as opposed to here in Canada or in the West that are individualistic societies.

Gurasis:

Absolutely.

Yannick:

Those skills that you have to bring. Treat them as a gift that you are going to share with your host community and use every opportunity to share those gifts with them. If you have that mindset of always trying to create this sort of like exchange, cultural exchange, then I think you'll be good. The journey will become easier and easier.

Gurasis:

I love that. Thanks for that. And since you spend most of your time in London, tell me about a friend that you made there and are you still in connect?

Yannick:

I guess it's much more than a friend that you made there and are you still in connect? I guess it's much more than a friend. Uh, I mean, I think it's. It's. It's actually a lady who was, uh, uh, one of the the leaders at at the church that we attended uh, my family and I, my, my wife and my sister and I, and uh, and, over the years, um, she became also, she, be, she almost became like a, like a mother to me, like a second mother.

Yannick:

Right, and uh, we still in touch today. Um, you know she's, uh, she's a senior citizen, obviously, but, yeah, but, but but there's like this, uh, very deep affection and and love for her. You know, so, yeah, so when, so when you talk to me, when you ask me about a friend, immediately my mind went to her. I mean, I don't know how that's.

Yannick:

That's the first picture that I saw him because, yeah, she, she's more, but she's more, she's much more than a friend, she's more, but she's more, she's much more than a friend. She's. She's almost like a yeah, like a mother to me. Okay.

Gurasis:

What's something you ate for the first time in Canada, and did you like it?

Yannick:

Again, when I mean we talked about Tim Beats, tim Hortons earlier.

Gurasis:

Yeah.

Yannick:

I would definitely say that. You know, I mean that. I mean, that's where my mind goes to Tim Hortons. Either Tim Hortons or the other restaurant is Hi-Hop. They do pancakes and things like that. So yeah. Okay, if you could describe yourself as any creature. What would it be and why, a creature? It's funny that you say that. It's funny that you say that. It's funny that you say that just like now, because, I mean, I'm actually talking to one of our common friends, andrea.

Gurasis:

Oh, okay.

Yannick:

About the project that. I don't want to say too much about it now, but it's like a project that we are working on right now. The symbol of that project is the hummingbird.

Gurasis:

Okay.

Yannick:

And that's how I see myself, because there's a legend, it's a native's legend. One day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals were just trying to run away as fast as possible from that forest. From that forest fire, all the animals but one, and it was the hummingbird. And the hummingbird started to collect some water and started dipping the water on the fire. And then, when the other animals say to him, why are you doing that? You know, this is like such a big fire and what are you going to do? And then the hummingbird said I'm just doing my part.

Gurasis:

I'm just doing my part Right. I love that.

Yannick:

So, yeah, so there must be. There could be a fire of hate, the fire of fear of the other, but you know we all have to. Just as long as we all do our part, then, uh, you know, we, we never know what our part are much of a long way. The fact of doing our part to just take us in, uh, in getting in, getting rid of the fire, so, uh, so for that I would say definitely I'm a hummingbird and, like I said, yeah, thank you, thank you and, like I said, there's a, there's a project coming around the corner I'm looking forward to that, and if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Yannick:

Oh, one superpower. I mean I think I already have my superpower, and my superpower is my uniqueness. It's a superpower. My cultural uniqueness is a superpower, it's a superpower. And then, like you told me in your quotes that you just shared with me yeah, your quotes, uh, that you just shared with me, yeah, it is something to be shared and to be, uh, you know, shared with others as a gift, and that I think that, as we go along, I mean, uh, you know, we realize that there's more more people who are anything that give than, uh, than rejecting. So, yeah, so I already have it.

Gurasis:

I already have it, my superpower so you know, since you do like making documentaries, is there any topic at this moment that you would like to make a documentary on?

Yannick:

I guess just continuing to continue the conversation on uh on, on what we just discussed today, which is, uh, you know who is the immigrant and what is someone who has an accent, and you know all those, everything that we just talked about today.

Yannick:

I mean if I had a chance in the future to take it further as a documentary, then yeah, I would definitely love it. And in fact it's also another project that is kind of like in the pipeline right now with the Greater Association of, I mean the Victoria-based association that I'm working with the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria. I mean we are just in discussion also about that, about making maybe a possible documentary which is going to be on immigration and just all those topics, but just continuing the discussion because obviously the podcasting is. I like the podcasting because obviously you take the time to discuss with the guest and go deeper, but the documentary also has another layer to the conversation.

Gurasis:

Absolutely, and also the long form right you can do a lot. Yes, yes, yes, yes so finally, anik describe Canada in one word or a sentence.

Yannick:

There are two words that are coming to me. Go ahead, share two Welcoming and embracing. Welcoming and embracing yeah, welcoming and embracing. That's my experience, at least. The circles that I've navigated so far. They have been very welcoming to me as this unique and complex person, right? But the thing is, I don't want to mislead people. This unique and complex person, right, and but, but, but. But, the thing is, I don't want to mislead people. I guess what I want to say is that, in order for it to be welcoming, one has to be the most authentic that it can be, because people will, uh, respond to your authenticity and to your uniqueness.

Gurasis:

Yeah, I guess that's that would be the best, the best way to describe it, you know how I'm interpreting is like it's welcoming towards all kinds of people and cultures and also allows you to embrace who you are.

Yannick:

Yes, yes, but I think I would take it a little bit deeper, because you might have people who would say, okay, that's not my experience, right, because I'm different, absolutely.

Gurasis:

Right.

Yannick:

I am of a different culture, but I haven't experienced that to me.

Yannick:

I believe the reason why it's been so welcoming to me is because I've been able to to show the version of myself that is the most authentic and unique absolutely but then the problem is what happened to your unique self and your authentic self if the first encounter that you have, kind of like, make you lose your voice, right Because of your accent, because of the way you look? So if, after your first encounter, you are afraid to show your uniqueness and your most authentic, authentic self, then the welcoming is not going to happen. The gap between the welcoming part, our first arrival, or our rejection to become authentic again and to be unique again and to express it again because people will respond to that.

Yannick:

People respond to who you are the truest version of yourself, right?

Gurasis:

that's what people respond to and they will welcome that it's definitely a journey from being misunderstood and not being well welcomed, but to the point of really understanding that, okay, I need to be my true self and not change myself to try to become somebody else. You know, that's the journey that one has to go through, and all it doesn't happen like overnight. It's uh, it takes time and a lot of introspection for sure. Um, but, yannick, if you could leave me with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Yannick:

oh man, I mean it's difficult because, uh, you're already doing like, uh, I mean, I admire, I really do admire, uh, you know what you do, uh, your work and uh, so I don't know if there's much that I can say to you, for that there's not this much, I guess. I think I think you're doing, you're doing well, um, I guess the only thing that I I can say to you is just uh, yeah, keep keep being you. Uh, you know, keep keep doing your thing. And uh, you know, um, I'm pretty sure that there have been times when, uh, you know, you doubted yourself, you felt like, uh, maybe you know what's the reason of doing this, and and are people even listening to me?

Yannick:

And uh, you know, but, yeah, but I mean, if there was just one, I would just say I mean, no, you have an audience and uh and uh, yeah, and you just have to keep, keep, keep it moving and keep going and uh, and we need you, we need your voice, we need your voice. So, uh, yeah, so, so, so, keep it up and uh, and you have us here and uh and uh, we'd also do our best to uh, to share it among, among our networks, and support you in any way that we can, and uh, yeah, and uh, yes, uh, like you know, I feel like I've known you for forever because we have, like a very deep connection and you already feel like a brother to me. You know when I was telling you about my tribe, so you're definitely a member of the tribe, a member of the tribe, and yeah, so we're there to support you. So keep being you and keep uh, sharing your gift with the world, brother yeah, keep sharing, I'm humbled.

Gurasis:

I'm humbled by your kind word. Thank you so much and if people are listening, please reach out to me. I would love to hear from you and how you would describe your experience being on the podcast it was awesome.

Yannick:

It was awesome, it was awesome. It was a free-flowing, you know, conversation and yeah, I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. Just going back and forth like that. Typically I'm the person. I mean we kind of switch roles today, you know.

Gurasis:

Yeah.

Yannick:

And, to be honest, I'd rather interview people than being put on the spotlight. This is just my natural kind of instinct, right? So I always find it or I prefer being the one who interviews. But it was a joy to just have that conversation with you today and, yeah, thank you again for having me. And it was really a joy to just have that conversation with you today and, yeah, thank you, thank you again for having me. And it was really a pleasure to be here.

Gurasis:

Oh, thank you. Pleasure is all mine. Thank you for being on the podcast and adding value to me and to my listeners. Thank you so much.

Yannick:

Thank you. Thank you, guru Ashish.

Gurasis:

Yes, I know how you taught me in the beginning, naseem Nassum.

Yannick:

Nassum yeah, Nassum yes.

Gurasis:

I remember that. All right, thank you so much.

Yannick:

Thank you, thank you, thank you, brother, thank you.

People on this episode

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Gurasis Singh

Host
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Yannick Oho Bambe

Guest