Peter Adegbie has lived in Newcastle since 2003 and has contributed to the community through several occupations since completing his Master’s degree at Northumbria University and PhD at Newcastle University.
Peter specialised in poetry, with his most recently published works being launched at the Teesside International Poetry Festival. In 2007, supported by Newcastle University, the Arts Council, and the Heritage Lottery fund, he collected one of the first oral histories of the North East’s Black community for the Changing Perspectives cultural participation programme. Peter felt a calling from God to be in the North East, started the charity Maximum Impact Christian Centre, and has since been involved with several North East charities and organisations. Before moving to England, he studied Zoology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and worked in the media industry where his work included producing UNICEF documentaries, prior to becoming a missionary.
‘[Newcastle] has been a home away from home.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
Moving to Newcastle from London with his wife and two children was an exciting experience for Peter, particularly because of the spiritual sense of calling he had to move to the North East. He initially lived in Prudhoe, Northumberland where he made lifelong friends and his family was quickly accepted into a community where they were the only African family. Peter recalled his first Christmas in Prudhoe as the moment he first felt the warmth and friendliness of the North East after inviting the carol singers at his door in for coffee. The kindness his neighbours showed him and these positive experiences were a confirmation that he was meant to be in the North East and was sent here for a higher reason.
‘This was borne out by many incidents, many events, several things that happened that give me a sense of assurance. [The North East] was meant to be home for me.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
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‘I’ve met amazing people. I’ve met friends for life.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
Throughout my conversation with Peter, it was evident that one of the most important lessons he has learned from having lived in different countries and cultures is that one’s personal outlook and perspective of life, affects everything around them. In Newcastle Peter continues to connect with different cultures in the region, including being on the steering group for the Pakistan Cultural Society and supporting the Iranian Heritage Project, and over time has seen how cultures and their integration into society are evolving. We discussed how society changes between generations, and Peter noted that there are certain norms and values that don’t change but others that are added and adopted between generations. From his experiences he has found that the principles of culture, respect and honour are integral in all societies. When you have a basic understanding of those and can empathise with where people are, you find there is ‘a level of acceptance and comradery’. Over time Peter has found that, even though there are always people capable of wrongdoing, things have improved a lot around him when it comes to acceptance and tolerance.
‘I believe your perspective and how open you are will affect a lot of how people open to you.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
In all he does, it is clear that Peter is a community-oriented person, and his understanding and respect for everyone he meets has shaped the approach he takes. He foremost identifies as a human being, and secondly a Christian, and having a strong sense of his identity is vital in his work. Trying to bring value to people of all backgrounds has helped him to get to know people, gain their confidence and trust, and approach them with his values guided by Christianity, the basis of which he states is love. He always aims to bring as much as he can to other peoples’ lives whilst staying true to the values he upholds so that others can be aware of who they are, their individuality, what they have, and how they can contribute to the world.
‘Love is open. Love is kind. Love is gentle. Love seeks the other person’s best interest.’ -Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
He sees the process of life as this: at first you acquire, learn, find place and voice. You progress to establishing yourself and giving those things back to young people and the community. Now, Peter is in the stage of his life where he wants to support and advise from his experiences in order to help others overcome their difficulties. Peter strongly believes that personal culture is built from exposure to other people and cultures. When these cultures are bought together you can empathise and see within all ethoses there are brilliant and important aspects with values common to all humans. Learning from others and bettering yourself from your experiences with them can make you more understanding of differences to make the world a kinder place.
‘Make the most of what everybody has brought to the table and that makes you a better person… but that doesn’t affect the individuality of who you are.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
I asked Peter if his identity has affected how his work has been perceived and the progress he has made, to which he responded, ‘yes and no’. We all have unconscious biases and Peter feels that, when he is the only black person in a room, he will be treated differently. He explained that, although unconscious bias is a defence mechanism to protect you against unfamiliarity, maturing should undo that bias as you learn to see people beyond how you initially perceive them and that there is a unique being on the inside. He also described what he calls ‘ascending perspective’: if you experience bias against you this will help you to learn to be gracious even when it is unpleasant. Thus you can respond more kindly to people than they have to you by seeing beyond what’s on the surface.
‘Every human being has unconscious bias.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
Having worked in the pastoral ministry for over 30 years, Peter admitted that he does sometimes make excuses for people’s behaviour but stands by the perspective of you don’t always know what someone has been through in the past 30 minutes so not everything is personal. In his work, he often uses storytelling to teach about human behaviour and being reflective helps him to remember that people sometimes put others down only because they want to feel better about themselves. He has seen the same behaviour that comes with racism happen between people in different tribes in Africa, and similar examples in other countries, and thinks it is a human trait in people who have refused to evolve beyond these differences.
‘As you mature, you learn how to undo that unconscious bias and you learn to see people. Beyond their colour. Beyond their shape.’ – Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
I learned a lot from talking to Peter and I wanted to better understand how he feels connected to Newcastle as a place to call home. When he moved to Newcastle a group called Oversea Fellowship of Nigerian Christians helped his family feel welcome. This was important to him due to having young children as he could meet people who lived here and could guide him in an unfamiliar place. He loves being by the beach, the beauty of the area, the friendliness and his fantastic neighbours, but what really makes it home is that something beyond the physical: God, has appointed him here to use his life experiences to give back in this particular place. Beyond anything else, that spiritual calling has given him a sense of belonging.
I am grateful for the time I got to spend with Peter and for him sharing his perspective with me, as well as with you. This is my fifth and final interview for the Local Black Histories and Stories of Intergenerational Resilience interview series and I would like to thank all of our interviewees for sharing their stories for us all to learn from, and for the support they provide the North East community. I will leave you with these words from the very end of my time with Reverend Dr Peter Adegbie:
‘There’s always something to learn. I always believe that. Every relationship, every contact.’– Revd Dr Peter Adegbie
By Taz Nasif-Whitestone