It’s been months now since the mayhem that occurred in South
Africa left many nationalities having their either business or domicile in the
country extremely grieved at the human and material resources blatantly and flagrantly
wasted. It’s been months now since several
diplomatic relations between countries that have one tie or the other to
South Africa have been bruised, battered or all of it.
It’s been months now since whatever measure that has been
taken to quell the uprising became effective in stopping the escalation of
violent tendencies in the Land of The Rising Sun. Weeks since whatever losses
have been incurred as an aftermath of the imbroglio have been resignedly
accepted as irreparable and gone forever. Nigeria’s misfortune of a loss stood
in the neighbourhood of around 84 million naira (whatever that amounts to in
South African Rand) by way of shops and car marts that were both razed down,
looted or a combination of both. We are still thanking our stars, and the living
God of course, that the forbearance did not get to loss of human life.
I have patiently followed the news items, analysis and
opinion pieces that have this subject tag religiously, and the mantra seems to
be condemnation, both in strong terms and in soft, written and action-wise.
Numerous protests have been staged in different parts of the country, bellying
the feelings of a people who expected more from a country which seems to take
the stance of nonchalance and deliberate aggression for reasons that have
neither logical nor rational information, whether in the books or anywhere that
could act as a repository for human code of conduct.
Racially motivated
violence would not come across as new to anyone who has been a keen, no,
average follower of world events and discourse. As a matter of fact, it has no
respect for whatsoever strata of society and endeavour. We hear of negroid
footballers being booed with the extremities of hurling bananas at them in
pitches, race-energized injustices and a lot of things which goes on to prove
that the painstaking work of the heroes past geared towards abolishing this
race cleavage still leaves a lot to be desired. But be that as it may, I never
expected it would consume and masticate the West, and begin to consider black
African soil the next destination for domicile.
Indeed, the emergence of the race monster on black African
soil came across to me as a shocker of sorts, considering the lessons that
ought to have been learnt from the origin, aim, and modus operandi of this
goblin called xenophobia. The fact that black people would turn on themselves
in a killing, maiming and destructive spree is the height of proof of our
moral, spiritual and mental level and decadence. What surprises me actually is
how the words from a man’s mouth can be so powerful, far-reaching, and deeply
consequential. The Scriptures are clear about the origin of the black race and
what the first progenitor, Ham did to incure the wrath of his father, Noah to
bring about such a dastardly curse that would transcend generations, looks set
to be headed right on to the consummation. It only shows how potent the Word of
God can be, if the pronouncement of a human can be so laden with determined
zeal to be accomplished.
On the flipside as well, one of the variants of the protests
was a move to forcefully shut down South African business interests and
concerns in Nigeria like MTN and Shoprite. The response of the authorities
which was a veiled insult spoke volumes of their rating of us: that we could
not afford to do that on the aegis of the fact that we had more to lose than
they did. And truth be told, they are right, unless we want to live in wilful
denial of a glaring fact. That we have the unemployment malady gripping us in a
chokehold to the level that it has become a bargaining tool and an Achilles
heel, is not a good thing, for all intents and purposes.
But then again, I do not believe the matter is altogether a
hopeless case, on the grounds of the two reasons for which it looks like the
black race is doomed. Being a stubborn optimist, I refuse to believe the
situation is bleak. For one thing, it was Noah that sentenced Ham to a life of
servitude and inferiority, not God. On that premise, it is soluble, by
determined spiritual audit, assessment, overhaul and three-hundred-and-sixty-degree
turn around, Godwards. Thereafter, every other issue will fall in line and we
will be the better for it.
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