 |
| Photo By: Andrew Aitchison / Global Ocean Commission |
Dear Oby, Please permit the easy familiarity and by way of
introduction suffice it to say that I am older in natural age than your
illustrious self and hence my sense of entitlement. This letter has been
prompted in part by online posts I stumbled upon wherein one of the numerous
anonymous online regime supporters labelled you as 'ewu Hausa' and yet another
wondered why you were carrying the chibok 'abduction thing', 'on your head' as
if you were Hausa. I also get a feeling that this sentiment is gaining some
currency in Nigeria's increasingly polarized atmosphere. Ordinarily these kind
of comments, being so inane ought not to elicit any other reaction but disgust,
indignation and pity for the authors' small minded inhumanity. However we live
in strange but by no means uncharted times. Times where reason appears to be
taking flight from the souls of otherwise presumed reasonable people and where
those who take directions from them have shut their eyes and rely only on their
ears to follow a direction, which if only they opened their eyes, will discover
is headed to an approaching cliff edge.
Unknown to the small minded lot, by highlighting your
involvement in an endeavour you could have easily 'siddon look', they are
ensuring your place in the hallowed chamber reserved for those whose world view
and consequent actions are guided by an understanding of the true essence of
humanity. A hallowed chamber where greatness is a prerequisite- the greatness
that is measured not in figures or plaques but in the enduring and sincere
appreciation of humanity and including those not present at the time of your
actions. In short character and actions that will stand the test of time.
In these times especially given the atmosphere of
orchestrated dehumanization, it is tempting to feel discouraged for many
reasons. Like me, you must sometimes wonder, how it is that it is so easy to
fool people. At times you may even in confusion self-debate whether you are the
one fooling yourself because how can so many people be so foolish, so myopic
and hence so easy to beguile with self-serving and insincere partisan rhetoric.
All sorts of inanities and yet there are willing ears to listen but sadly there
is little appetite to allow the brain in between to process the plethora of
'information' and perhaps worst of all, the seemingly easy ability of people to
subdue their conscience on the alter of foisted partisan sentiments.
Please do not be discouraged and I will go into history to
furnish examples that will hopefully hearten you in these trying times. You
will of course know that in the heyday of racial segregation in America, some
white folks stood with the blacks in condemning segregation and fighting for
its abolition. Other whites sneeringly and malevolently derided them as 'blacks
lovers' and other 'abuse' names. In the meantime there were several blacks who
did not see the need to confront the system, especially those who felt well-adjusted
or those not living in the American south and indeed many saw segregation as a
southern problem which did not really affect them directly 'unbearably'. In the
long run though, good will always be good and even the white people today are
thankful that some of their number actually fought against what everybody now
agrees as evil. They are thankful because you cannot, on account of racial
segregation of the past, classify white people generally as evil since some
white people also opposed that evil at that time. So tomorrow, those lot
castigating you today will thank you for saving them from a general
classification as condoners of evil because you are fighting evil on their
behalf! I say condoners of evil because I also take the view that failure to
recognize evil as evil and fight it with every might and conviction is tantamount
to condoning same which only emboldens evil.
If you were a white
woman in that bus with Rosa Parks, you would have risen to her support and
protested against your fellow whites who sought to oppress her. If there was a
white woman like that in that bus what do you think humanity in general will
make of her today? Will we have known her name? YES and for the right reasons.
The others in that bus have since been consigned to the dustbin of history, a
fate that undoubtedly awaits your persecutors.
The struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa was not
only fought by blacks. Neither was the apartheid system sustained by whites
only. The bitter truth is that blacks participated actively in enforcing
apartheid. Today we acknowledge the whites who fought the apartheid system as
superior human beings. Superior in the sense that many of us know that whilst
we abhor apartheid because we are black, we are thankful that we were not put
to that test of exhibiting superior humanity if roles were reversed. Paradoxically,
we recognize that those who support or fight causes on objective moral basis
are cut from a different cloth. A cloth we all can have but which the promoters
of divisiveness use every trick available to muddy it's colour and make it
unappealing to the weak in mind to adorn. The seeming 'success' of the
promoters of hate, division and evil is however a pyrrhic one because when
tomorrow comes, the truth will subdue propaganda. That tomorrow cannot be
impeached or chased away – it must and will come and it is irrespective of
whether you or myself or indeed the 'other guys' will be there.
My Comrade, when tomorrow comes, by which time all the
propaganda and abuse will have faded, humanity will recognize that putting
pressure on a government to do it's job or pointing out the many failings of
that government in other areas has nothing to do with religion, section or
seeking to tarnish a regime's image, it is about answering NO to that famous
question posed by Ursula K LeGuin – 'if you know that the beautiful manner of
living you yourself enjoy is built on the foundation of misery deliberately
imposed on innocents, can you in conscience do nothing? Those who persecute and
harass you for following your conscience only do so today and unknowingly or
not caring demean their humanity for tomorrow. When 'they' accuse you of all
sorts of ulterior motives, 'we' know it is only a reflection of their world
view and disposition. So please remain steadfast, we are not all fooled! and
long may you live!
Edo Ukpong
Legal Practitioner
No comments:
Post a Comment