REVOLUTIONARY ACTION begins with REVOLUTIONARY THINKING.
If you are familiar with Lagos, i do not mean the geographical location of the State but the way of life and mentality of millions of people who lived there in the late 90s, you would be familiar with the unwritten rule especially among the males, that it was wrong to talk to strangers. Now I do not mean people new in the community but anyone you met along the way who was not your family or friend, all this fear because we believed such persons may steal our male genital organs or even rob us of our will and thus order us to provide all our valuables without question. Even i still unconsciously hold the boys whenever a stranger inquires for directions from me, hoping that i had not fallen victim.
If you are American or British, the thought of a seemingly innocent traveller stealing your male organ just by exchanging innocent words about his destination with you may seem absolutely ridiculous and may sound like a story used to scare recalcitrant children. But, trust me, it is our reality, a reality as strong and evident as that shared by the people of Romania who believe in the existence of vampires; ancient creatures who live among us and feed on the blood of their innocent and unsuspecting victims.
But that is not all, there are quite a number of superstitious theories that guide the actions of an average native Nigerian, superstitions such as : one should not plant a banana tree in his house as it will serve as a meeting point for witches; that it was wrong to do laundry at night as it was an omen; that if a wife was childless or a man was unlucky, he or she was the target of offended village members or extended relations who were not happy with their success and happiness. At this point, let me state that i just planted a banana tree in my house a few months ago.
This is not an article into the existence of evil or the potency of charms concorted by dibias or a babalawo, it is rather a peripheral look into the effect our cultural heritage has over us as a people and how it affects our society as a whole. Believe it or not, the society is hostile and our experiences have helped build this abnormalcy. Mistrust and false suspicion are the order of the day. Every tribe and interest group has an agenda for their benefits, we all shun collective gain. If you doubt this, look at the crop of public officers we have in Nigeria who are worldwide renowned experts at syphoning public funds or the struggle between the Yorubas, Hausas, Ibos and Minority tribes on who will be the number one citizen of this nation, this feud is as old as the country itself.
If we really must change the rioutous direction affairs of this nation are going, we must take a great look at our culture and rid ourselves of some norms that promote the malady. Norms like those of the Ibo who praise their sons and daughters who return home with stupendous wealth without regard for how it was made; or the norm of the Hausas which makes a person lord and master over others because "the others" are poor and have no means of surviving but for the handouts of this fellow who uses the restless nature of the illiterate youths to his advantage; or the yoruba norm of owanbe that promotes an excessive display of wealth.
This seemingly un-important cultural ethics in the larger society promote wide spread corruption and a way of life where the rich and smarter thieves are worshipped while the righteous man who is filled with integrity is hardly recognised or even applauded. How then can we build a society we hope will be based on the tenets of equality and social tolerance? We are our own problems and our solutions also lie with us. If we must change society, we must first change ourselves. Revolutionary actions begin with revolutionary thinking.
- @adedunmade
Adedunmade Onibokun Esq.
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