{"id":1798,"date":"2025-06-05T16:22:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2025-06-06T11:03:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T10:03:19","slug":"how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/","title":{"rendered":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons. But above all, it has made her resilient and helped her find her voice and place in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe thing about moving between countries and cultures,\u201d she says, \u201cis that you\u2019re constantly aware of being the \u2018different one\u2019. And as a result, you\u2019re always adapting, always learning a new way of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And while it\u2019s challenging, it makes you stronger. Being immersed in unfamiliar environments and languages forces you to grow. Over time, it teaches you to see the world through multiple lenses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"761\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/IMG_8337-761x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1801 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 761px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 761\/1024;width:776px;height:auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Naomi Lufungula<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Naomi was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Later, she moved to South Africa, specifically to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, where she spent much of her young adult life. And now, she is settled in the United Kingdom.<br><br>Each place, she says, taught her something different, something vital.<br>Naomi says her Congolese background showed her the power of community and the profound wisdom from lived experience.<br><br>\u201cMy Congolese roots instilled in me a strong sense of community,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhile individualism has its merits, my upbringing taught me the value of interdependence, of knowing there\u2019s a village behind you.<br><br>&#8220;I grew up knowing that when one person rises, we all rise. That kind of emotional, spiritual, and sometimes even material support shaped how I approach life. It\u2019s not about how far you go alone, but how many people you bring along.\u201d<br><br>She also emphasises that Congolese culture of her multicultural background taught her to seek knowledge not just from books but from the lived experiences of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/05\/24\/bridges-between-worlds-a-black-womans-guide-through-japan\/\">Bridges between worlds: A black woman\u2019s guide through Japan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/brazils-plastic-surgery-culture\/\">Brazil\u2019s plastic surgery culture<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWisdom isn\u2019t always written. My elders taught me that. Sometimes, it\u2019s in the way someone prepares a meal during hardship.\u00a0<br><br>Or how they hold their dignity after a loss. Every moment, good or bad, holds a lesson. And I carry that mindset with me, especially when facing struggles. I don\u2019t just ask, \u2018Why me?\u2019 I ask, \u2018What am I being shown?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Identity, language, and belonging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>When Naomi moved to South Africa, she said adapting to a new way of life wasn\u2019t easy and that this marked the beginning of her journey toward becoming more open-minded about her multicultural background. <br><br>\u201cIt was confusing, honestly,\u201d she admits. \u201cI had to learn a new language, understand a whole new set of social rules, and figure out who I was in the middle of it all.\u201d<br><br>\u201cWhen I was young, I could only speak French and English. That made sense because I&#8217;d spent most of my childhood in Congo.\u201d<br><br>But living among the Zulu community in KwaZulu-Natal introduced her to a world where language wasn\u2019t just a tool for communication; it was a central part of identity.<br><br>\u201cOne thing about the Zulu community,\u201d she says, \u201cis that they don\u2019t joke about their language. They take great pride in it. If you speak to someone in English, they will most likely respond in Zulu. And if you can\u2019t follow, there\u2019s this subtle attitude, like: \u2018So&#8230; you\u2019re not really one of us.\u2019\u201d<br><br>At first, Naomi felt excluded. She didn\u2019t speak the language, and that created a barrier.<br><br>\u201cIt was tough. I struggled to connect, to make friends, to build my own sense of community. There\u2019s a strong belief that if you truly want to belong, you need to speak Zulu. That\u2019s how they know you\u2019re genuinely trying to understand their culture.<br><br>But over time, she realised this wasn\u2019t about rejection or trying to push her away. It was\u00a0actually\u00a0an invitation. A\u00a0quiet test of how willing she was to engage,\u00a0to listen, to\u00a0immerse.<br><br>\u201cSo TV became my best friend,\u201d she says. \u201cI started teaching myself through local shows. I listened carefully for intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation. I mimicked actors, picked up idioms, and slowly, steadily, I found my way in.<br><br>Now,\u00a0when people meet me for the first time, they\u2019re shocked to learn I\u2019m not South African because I speak like one.\u00a0I can cook traditional Zulu dishes like Chakalaka, Umngqusho, and Amadumbe.<br><br>Zulu culture taught me that life\u00a0isn\u2019t meant\u00a0to\u00a0be rushed. Whether in rituals, meals, or conversation, everything has its time. Slow down. Be present.\u201d<br><br>Naomi\u00a0goes on to explain\u00a0that one of the most powerful lessons she learned from Zulu culture is the\u00a0<strong>sacredness of shared responsibility,<\/strong>\u00a0the deeply held belief that burdens, duties, and care should\u00a0be carried together\u00a0as a community.<br><br>\u201cIn Congo, I\u00a0<em>knew<\/em>\u00a0community,\u201d she says. \u201cBut in South Africa, I saw it practised every single day. If there\u2019s a funeral, a wedding, or a birth, neighbours, friends, and strangers show up. No one is left to carry joy or pain alone.\u201d<br><strong>Displacement and duality<\/strong><br>But even as she adapted, Naomi says she sometimes wrestled with\u00a0<strong>identity, displacing\u00a0<\/strong>the quiet, lingering question of whether she was becoming someone else.<br><br>\u201cThere are days I wonder if I have lost pieces of who I was. Am I letting go of my French accent? Am I too South African now to still be truly Congolese?\u201d<br><br>She pauses, then continues:<br>\u201cI used to think I had to choose who I was,\u201d Naomi says. \u201cNow I know I\u2019m not this or that. I\u2019m this\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0that. I am a bridge between places\u2014a child of many homes.<br><br>I\u2019ve lived the culture, and now, it lives in me. And that\u2019s nothing to feel guilty about.\u201d<br><br>Naomi has come to see identity not as a fixed destination but as a\u00a0<strong>mosaic,<\/strong>\u00a0a layered, evolving collection of all the places, languages, and people that have shaped her.<br><br>\u201cWe are made of many places, many voices, many lessons. You don\u2019t have to choose just one home. You can carry them all\u2014like beads on a string.\u201d<br>This is a feeling many people with multicultural backgrounds wrestle with. And to others navigating the complexity of multiple identities, Naomi offers this:<br><br>\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be one thing. You are allowed to be a thousand stories stitched together. Don\u2019t be afraid to adapt, and don\u2019t feel guilty for evolving. Every culture you touch adds another thread to your fabric. Wear it boldly.\u201d<br><br>And she leaves us with four lessons learned from living between cultures:<br><strong>Learn the local language, even just a little.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a sign of respect. People open up when they see you\u2019re trying.<br><strong>Ask questions. Be curious. Don\u2019t assume.<\/strong>\u00a0Every culture has depth\u2014dig for it.<br><strong>Keep your roots alive.<\/strong>\u00a0Speak your mother tongue, cook your traditional dishes, and call home.<br><strong>Let yourself transform.<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019re not betraying your past by growing\u2014you\u2019re honouring it by becoming fuller, wiser, more whole.<br><br>Now, living in the UK, Naomi reflects on her journey across borders, languages, and identities.\u201cI see now how each chapter of my journey has shaped me. I\u2019m stronger, more open-minded, and more vocal because of my multicultural background.<br><br>If you can move across countries, learn new languages, and adapt to different ways of life, you can overcome anything life throws at you.\u201d<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons. But above all, it has made her resilient and helped her find her voice and place in the world. \u201cThe thing about moving between countries and cultures,\u201d she says, \u201cis that you\u2019re constantly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":1802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[27,28,42,143,41],"class_list":["post-1798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-story-self-image","tag-culture","tag-heritage","tag-image","tag-multicultural","tag-self"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heritage Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"982\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"632\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Franca Temenu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Franca Temenu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Franca Temenu\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de\"},\"headline\":\"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1229,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png\",\"keywords\":[\"culture\",\"Heritage\",\"image\",\"Multicultural\",\"self\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top story self image\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/\",\"name\":\"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de\"},\"description\":\"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/50\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png\",\"width\":982,\"height\":632},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/05\\\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/\",\"name\":\"Heritage Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de\",\"name\":\"Franca Temenu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Franca Temenu\"},\"description\":\"Hi ! I'm Franca I joined Heritage Magazine because culture is a big part of who I am \u2014 especially celebrating women from all backgrounds. Growing up in West Africa and now living in the UK, I\u2019ve seen how powerful it is when our stories travel across borders. Being part of this platform lets me uplift voices like mine and connect with incredible women. P.S. My favourite cultural shock in the UK? \ud83d\ude04 People casually call their elders by first names.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jusmedia.co.uk\\\/heritagemag\\\/author\\\/joa21fot\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine","description":"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine","og_description":"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.","og_url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/","og_site_name":"Heritage Magazine","article_published_time":"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":982,"height":632,"url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Franca Temenu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Franca Temenu","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/"},"author":{"name":"Franca Temenu","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/#\/schema\/person\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de"},"headline":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today","datePublished":"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/"},"wordCount":1229,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png","keywords":["culture","Heritage","image","Multicultural","self"],"articleSection":["Top story self image"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/","name":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today - Heritage Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png","datePublished":"2025-06-05T15:22:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-06T10:03:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/#\/schema\/person\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de"},"description":"Twenty-eight-year-old Naomi Lufungula says that growing up, living across different multicultural countries, and adapting to various cultures has taught her countless lessons.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-05-at-16.14.26.png","width":982,"height":632},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/2025\/06\/05\/how-my-multicultural-background-shaped-the-person-i-am-today\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How my multicultural background shaped the person I am today"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/#website","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/","name":"Heritage Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/#\/schema\/person\/58937b70c8e7366ab79935279a19b8de","name":"Franca Temenu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/272040f7e64ddb33c94cd4723336de24d3d7caa517541687ee29beba8035dd0e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Franca Temenu"},"description":"Hi ! I'm Franca I joined Heritage Magazine because culture is a big part of who I am \u2014 especially celebrating women from all backgrounds. Growing up in West Africa and now living in the UK, I\u2019ve seen how powerful it is when our stories travel across borders. Being part of this platform lets me uplift voices like mine and connect with incredible women. P.S. My favourite cultural shock in the UK? \ud83d\ude04 People casually call their elders by first names.","url":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/author\/joa21fot\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1798"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1899,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions\/1899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/heritagemag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}