Leadership (Abuja)
Segun Imohiosen
10 June 2008
opinion
Abuja — The recent spate of xenophobic display, atrocity and hideous attack on their African brothers by South Africans looking for survival is disappointing, discouraging and very barbaric.
In a civilized world, in this time and age, it would be very difficult for anyone to believe that South Africans for all their experience of apartheid and eventual freedom could condescend to engage in such prejudice and absurd show of intolerance. Considering the collective African heritage so shared, that is reflective in our life style, culture, tradition and others, this barbaric attack has made all of this of no consequential effect that on African soil, an African can no longer have a sense of belonging. It is so difficult to believe. If that is difficult here, then is it in Europe, Americas or Asia that they will be accepted? That African brothers could be set ablaze alive is unbelievable.
The cliché "one love" so very commonly used by our musicians, particularly our brothers from South Africa reminiscent of late Lucky Dube, the renowned South African singer/song writer Jonathan Butler and many others, has appeared by this show of intolerance, as mere use of words without any positive impact on fellow Africans.
I wonder what Nigeria would have turned out to be today if her citizens had embarked on launching an onslaught against Ghanaians, Liberians, Sierra Leoneans, Niger and so many other black brothers who came to seek succour in Nigeria and have turned Nigeria to their second home and some have out-rightly become Nigerians, doing so well and very successful here. In spite of the reports by the rest of the world on the crime rate in Nigeria, our people will never kill visitors. Lagbaja said in one of his songs that "all of us na the same". We may have different cultures and different nationalities but we ought to be a family. The question is, how do you differentiate between a Ghanaian and Nigerian? This preaching of one love by Lagbaja has more meaning here in Nigeria than in any of these other countries.
It is so discouraging that having gone through the "dark days," South Africans would have learnt some lessons which could have affected their lives in such a way that they would have human feelings and love their fellow brothers. But it is very alarming, disappointing and discouraging to realise that despite all the support the South Africans received from their African brothers within and in Diaspora in the days of apartheid, that they could stoop so low and carry out such barbaric and horrendous act upon fellow Africans. I presume that Botha probably assumed then, that if these people had their way, they would have done worse things to other people if they had been in Botha's shoes.
Isn't it surprising that this is the same people our dear former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said we should look for African juju, black magic to fight the Bothas and the likes on the side of South Africans against the apartheid masters? Remember, these are the same people the likes of Leopold Sedar Senghor, the great poet stuck his neck out to fight their wars through his poetry. The power of Negritude - the blackness so preached is bastardised by this act. If Langston Hughes far away in America could so eulogise blackness, how then could this people make a mockery of African heritage and try to destroy the destinies of people? If Martin Luther King Jr. stuck his neck out for black brothers in America, a land which is not their original native land, then what of us blacks on African soil? Something is fundamentally wrong. Come on, this is insane. How in God's name will people of flesh and blood burn fellow African brothers alive? People who were not caught stealing or engaged in any evil act? This is too bad!
Pieter Botha may not be absolutely as bad as imagined, considering the measure doled out in those days to the South Africans. My summation is based on the fact that this attitude is not African at all. It is popularly said that we Africans are more homely and very friendly in our disposition to other people, but this devilish and uncivil act make light of this thought pattern. What in God's name is the noise made about South Africa in terms of the development experienced politically and economically and in physical terms when their minds are in darkness? Development, if it starts in the mind, has a potent force in affecting the rest of the body. The development that makes a man vicious and cruel is nothing but barbarous. This action only shows what Jesus Christ said of the Pharisees ( a distinguished, developed and elitist class) in the Holy Book that: "they are like the beautiful white washed sepulchers (tombs) but have within, ugly dead men bones." By this act, there is, of course, no difference in this comparison between the Pharisees and the South Africans so vividly depicted in the burning of fellow Africans. I still believe there is no country like Nigeria on the surface of the earth because we won't treat fellow Africans like that.
MTN is from South Africa, Multi-choice and the wine distillers in South Africa have great market in Nigeria. If these people can survive in their country, why are they in other African countries doing business? The international community and the rest of the world should not go to sleep on this matter without doing something. Reports indicate further that these cold blooded killers were almost attacking a church, all in the name of dragging out their African victims. This is too boisterous and ugly.
South African president, Thabo Mbeki remarked thus "We come from a place where football is not simply a game but an enduring passion; we come from a place where our hearts beat in unison as we celebrate a shared destiny and love for the beautiful game with the human family. Africa is ready. Africa's time has come. Africa is calling: come home to Africa in 2010". There is no doubt that Africa is ready to host the world cup but is this the attitude South Africans will mete out to the rest of the world in their country in 2010? I have great doubt in the safety the South Africans promised the rest of the world in line with the "world cup" they will be hosting.
Segun Imohiosen writes from National Press Centre, Abuja
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