I just read a very interesting post on Naijablog and would suggest it to anyone who is reading this one. I usually stay away from populist blogs like his but i suppose some of the stuff on there is pretty cool reading. That said, the slavery annivesary thing is coming to an end and hopefully, life will go back to normal....NOT! For lesser mortals like myself, it means university is almost coming to an end which translates to courswork burdens and exams. I don't mind it so much as it also means four months of summer holidays.The prospects are already bright as we've done away with our coats and jumpers already. I might just go to tuscany this year but first it's finishing uni work.
In retrospect, i am glad for the modules i took this year most especially the culture and subjectivity which has helped me understand the mechanics of contemporary society as it affects idenity issues, sexuality and the like. Isn't it funny how most of ethnic minority extract have something to say about the slavery antecedent as it affects our current social praxis but yet still do not exact change on similar/related issues such as sexuality. In our backyard (i.e. on the African continent), inequality is rife and we have the audacity to condemn the happenings here. Of course i say this from a strictly foreign/internationl student-only-temporarily-here perspective. There's killings in the Dafur region for ethnic supremacy and even the hideous anti-gay rights bill to be passed in the Nigerian legislature, yet nothing is done about it. How can we still get things so wrong? What makes people think they are better than others by virtue of skin hue or even more absurdly, sexuality? Here is where the artists of the African-American renassaince got it right! Challenging the issues of idenitity and subjectivity remain a huge hurdle to scale for the enlightenment of contemporary society. When i read Langston Hughes' Merry Go round, i could understand their arguments on the thin line between all these varied forms of discrimination. Here it is
Merry Go round (Langston Hughes)
Where is the Jim Crow Section
On this merry go round,
Mister, Cause i want to ride?
Down south where i came from
White and Colored
Can't sit side by side
Down south on the train
There's a Jim Crow car
On the bus we're put in the back
But there ain't no back
To a merry go round
Where's the house
For a kid that is black?
Hughes gives insights into racism in America and how it Affects black subjects . consider the poem as he tells this story through the eyes of a little black child. One can see how hideous these behavioural patterns of soceity are. Of course we are quick to think we do not fall prey to such utter tastelessness, but in our hearts of hearts; can we trully argue this point through?
In retrospect, i am glad for the modules i took this year most especially the culture and subjectivity which has helped me understand the mechanics of contemporary society as it affects idenity issues, sexuality and the like. Isn't it funny how most of ethnic minority extract have something to say about the slavery antecedent as it affects our current social praxis but yet still do not exact change on similar/related issues such as sexuality. In our backyard (i.e. on the African continent), inequality is rife and we have the audacity to condemn the happenings here. Of course i say this from a strictly foreign/internationl student-only-temporarily-here perspective. There's killings in the Dafur region for ethnic supremacy and even the hideous anti-gay rights bill to be passed in the Nigerian legislature, yet nothing is done about it. How can we still get things so wrong? What makes people think they are better than others by virtue of skin hue or even more absurdly, sexuality? Here is where the artists of the African-American renassaince got it right! Challenging the issues of idenitity and subjectivity remain a huge hurdle to scale for the enlightenment of contemporary society. When i read Langston Hughes' Merry Go round, i could understand their arguments on the thin line between all these varied forms of discrimination. Here it is
Merry Go round (Langston Hughes)
Where is the Jim Crow Section
On this merry go round,
Mister, Cause i want to ride?
Down south where i came from
White and Colored
Can't sit side by side
Down south on the train
There's a Jim Crow car
On the bus we're put in the back
But there ain't no back
To a merry go round
Where's the house
For a kid that is black?
Hughes gives insights into racism in America and how it Affects black subjects . consider the poem as he tells this story through the eyes of a little black child. One can see how hideous these behavioural patterns of soceity are. Of course we are quick to think we do not fall prey to such utter tastelessness, but in our hearts of hearts; can we trully argue this point through?
posted by internationalhome @ 1:32 pm
5 comments
5 Comments:
Now do you not think that your view is somewhat narrow minded, the inequality of you speak of in Africa and not least Nigerian is in no war on par with Slavery. The ethnic supremacy can able seen as racism; we are not asking for an apology for any racist behaviour.
The supposed anti gay rights of Nigeria (which I agree with by the way – as the country is a religious country and thus should stand by the little moral it has, it you cannot be gay in Iraq and it is Ok why is it so bad to have the same in Nigeria) is discrimination and we are not asking for an apology for discrimination
So here is the reason we have the audacity to condemn: (racist wish to wipe out another race) slavery on the other hand is to deprive someone completely of their freedom, over a million slaves died before they even left Africa, let is not discuss the conditions or the practice of seasoning “to break the spirits is the salves to ensure the so not rebel” the wealth of this nation is the result of turning a entire race of people into commodity, a practice that Africa is still suffering the effects off.
So do not belittle the practice as inequality, familiarise yourself the next time you are back home with the badagry tour lest you forget that while we do have the audacity to condemn we need to use the knowledge we have as the luky onces educated here to ensure that the selling out of fellow African (still practiced today) is a thing of the past in ours and out children’s time - includeded in this us Yaradua's recent emergency flight to the UK following health problems yet millions of Nigerians are forced to use this health system that is not good eenouth for the future potential president of the county -.
Auty (2001) may give you a differnt view on inequality in africa.
Excuse me, but I dont understand the logic of anonymous, sorry. No offence. Inequality is inequality; discrimination is discrimibnation. If Nigerians oppress the Niger Deltans, then nothing differentiates us from the slavetraders, cos it means given the opportunity we would do the same
And since when did Iraq become a yardstick for sane societies???
1) I have not said that it is any less of inequality or discrimination, and we have had the opportunity and we have done the same, nothing does differentiate us from the traders. The same right we have to speak about these horrors is the same we have to speak about slavery.
I wish to not take anything away from the happening of the delta But in comparison to the slavery practice, the Nigerian are somewhat lacking. We are yet to ship 1mill deltans’s to a farm in the middle of nowhere torture them until their spirits were broken, the sheers scale of Slavery makes it different, and most importantly even though I have grown up in Nigeria with the Delta atrocity’s happening I don’t and have never thought it was the My right to use the Oppress, Deltan’s for my own gain because they are less than Human.
P.S Use SA countries before you use Nigerian and Niger Delta as an example of slavery. Because I my opinion it only goes to show that we are still the same stupid people who sold are people into slavery for out benefit.
Auty (2001) which I recommend you read, provided the theory that natural resources such as Oil leads to fight for power and control of land, and results in oppression of the Poor, this obvious in the situation in Nigeria, the atrocity is attributed to Govt, presidents and the international Firms, AND NOT NIGERIANS
2) Since the western world became the yardstick of societies, I take it the UK or America can be used as an example of a civil and democratic society with high moral values but, Iraq cannot? If I had said the UK has been successful in its civil marriage scheme lets implement it in Nigeria you would not have commented. Besides I gave it as an example. The point I was making was because you do not agree with something for whatever reason does not make you bad.
PS. Please I would like you to justify your premise that they are an insane society – please be objective I would not want you moral view on what is right and wrong to influence your answer -
Interesting post.
Liked the Hughes poem...though I think that it should read "Where's the horse/For a kid's that black?"
Did the artists of the Harlem renaissance get it right? Hughes wasn't so sure...and though they were open about their racial pride..they were coy about their sexuality; Hughes, as a black gay man, most of all. Enjoyed reading this--thoughtful!
@ Eshu: it is horse actually, thanks for pointing that out. I pointed out that the artists got it right on the issue of challenging issues of identity and sujectivity...however, i also agree that amongst themselves; they had issues to deal with but they were not coy! Harlem of the twenties it could be said was an antecedent of the swinging sixties in Britain....
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