 No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might”...Mariam Anderson (1897-1993)American singer of classical music and spirituals. |
How did we get here?
History they say somewhat gives us a clue of what the future holds, yet it seems like the history handed down to us has been altered and abridged, perhaps because history belongs to the victors, right?
Yet, an echo rings from the past like legends passed down by dogged prophets that probably paid the ultimate sacrifice to guard messages through generations like time capsules, so that they may grace our attention and that our minds may be freed of lurking ignorance and negative stereotypes created by men of mischief seeking to hurt poor humanity.
Not only is this a hard topic to discuss because of absence of clear cut details and the feeling of awkwardness, it also cannot be emphasized in volumes of lifelong lifeworks of researchers and historians, not to talk more being well encapsulated in a lowly patronized blog, but this much we know, even if a number of us lack the courage and will power to address it, hate does exist…but how, why and can it be cured?
“The Piano keys are black and white, but they sound like a million colours in your mind”…Maria Cristina Mena (1893-1965) American author of short stories, children’s books and non-fiction articles.
Systemic… Really?
Think about this for a while maybe with your eyes closed, who have you been in a competition with that you were not tempted to develop envy or hate for, especially when they are much better than you perhaps in the glare of the world? See, we all have a tendency to hate; only it is triggered by certain emotions, competition being one of them, and the art of controlling ourselves in such situations matter much and takes discipline.
Now, speaking about racism, this is definitely another level of emotional rollercoaster topic which not only sparks hate, it makes it virtually impossible to recover from, especially when it still persists, worst still when you realize that it is embedded in the subconscious mind and the powers that be stand by without doing anything about it, but rather, it seems like they have an insidious scheme to not only keep at it, but also benefit from it at the expense of the lives that other families cherish and hold dear and even hold unto for survival financially, emotionally and for guaranteed protection.
What happened to humanity and oneness? What happened to the innate wisdom it took us to realize that diseases are blind to race, position and gender, forcing us to either cower or simply unite in fear during a pandemic that is also possibly wrapped around conspiracy theories of self-inflictions that lay on a path of potential self-destruct.
If indeed there is a systemic oppression that tends towards the annihilation of certain people such as blacks, then we have not only failed humanity, but we have been a catalyst for destruction of the tendencies of great things to come that generations will benefit from.
We all know that racism and hate can only be thought, it is what you teach or bring to the consciousness of a child that he knows and lives with. One thing I also noticed is that in as much as blacks are pained, they don’t seem to seek revenge, rather equality and justice.
“To become better, you have to admit your ignorance – at least to yourself ”…William Pasmore (1953- ) A partner in Mercer Delta, he advices CEOs in the areas of organization design, senior team effectiveness, acquisition integration, strategy implementation and managing large scale change.
Owning up!
If not anything, I have been able to perceive with apparent pity that it is extremely difficult to let go of power and privilege. It takes great strength, courage, humility and true love, after all these are done, true power mysteriously emerges.
I say this because perhaps for the first time in modern history, light skinned westerners have risen for their dark skinned counterparts and other visible minorities to protest under the slogan of ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ against police brutality especially against African Americans in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an African American that a Minneapolis Police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and forty six seconds, which is now a major reference in the United States.
A big shout out to all the white people and organizations that admitted that systemic discrimination is still a problem and are speaking out against it.
This shows that there is hope for Humanity to truly be one, even though there is still a lot of work to be done.
This movement also made people more aware of their environments and certain historical facts such as the confederate flags and statues that have constantly reminded black people of the painful suffering that their fore fathers endured a few centuries ago.
For those that say black people should grow past this and move on, trust me, you probably cannot quantify the level of emotional wreckage this can cause, especially when the people of African descent let the scenes play in their heads, it is a tear jerker.
“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not”…Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author and winner of Nobel Prize in Literature
Loving Deliberately!
Another controversy that is related to the matter at hand also currently trends online, and it is about Africans criticizing African Americans for being too laid back and not maximizing their full potentials in the United States. Honestly, without bias and prejudice, my take is fair and simple, especially in proportion with the information at my disposal regarding this delicate yet volatile matter.
I have great respect for African Americans living in the United States because they are strong, brave, independent, daring and driven. No doubt they could be more united and stop killing each other over drugs, but their unity brought the United States to her knees and forced uncle Sam to change policies such as segregation and black people’s right to vote.
Back in Africa however, a different type of slavery occurs in broad day light due to self-inflicted suffering upon the people. The leaders are obviously massively corrupt, the justice system rots, mediocrity thrives in place of excellence, religion is a priority to education and foreign powers dictate the direction of Africa which by the way is a very wealthy continent, that even China is now getting a piece of the African pie, while Africans themselves groan in pain. Yet Africans have not been able to free themselves through peaceful protests, the leaders or organizers of the protest would lose steam when arrested or after being bribed as the youths are hungry, insecure and utterly misguided.
Perhaps it is high time Africans showed the way by fixing Africa, so that the African Americans Abroad can trace their beacon of love back home where they truly belong, where Police brutality will not be because of the colour of their skin, but because of the content of their character, if at all.
God bless, and I wish love and healing to the entire world!
Thank you, and be awesome because you truly are.
Akin Abimbola.
Support us:
Please subscribe, and do feel free to contact us: akinzogee@yahoo.com, akinzogee@gmail.com
Twitter: @akinzogee
Facebook: Critical Lyric by Akin Abimbola
Instagram: Akinzogee
Did we make your day? Spread the word.
Tell the world that it happened here.
Become a fan, follow us and share our content.
You can also become a critical lyricist!
Talk to us.
What did we miss?
What do you think?
Be grateful for being alive and let your content flow…
Remember! You are special, and you’ve got a word for the world also.
Sources: Autumn Leaves, Brainy Quote, Google, Good reads, The Collected Stories of Maria Cristina Mena, Unsplash Team, Wikipedia, You tube
This article is an original piece, which was reasonably researched, contains considerable opinion and is composed in a unique style of the author.
The names in actual stories are not real and the stories in this write-up are fictional. Consequently, people’s names appearing are purely co-incidental, except for quotes and news that are typically referenced.
No comments:
Post a Comment