TIME TO RE-THINK RELIGION

This is not an attack on religion, neither is it intended as one.  I am aware that there are those who may wish to attribute unintended motives, and they are welcome to have a field day with their human desire to assert victimhood.  I have no interest in feeding that need. Simply, it is time to rethink religion.  Jesus Christ did not form a religion but he preached redemption, love, forgiveness and social justice - all values which His apostles instructed that all who call themselves Christians ought to abide by. Some Muslims tell me that Mohammed encouraged peaceful coexistence and adherents of Judaism also know that the character of God is defined by love, peace and righteousness.  As we move deeper into the 21st Century, we need a re-examination of what we know and believe if we are to be responsible custodians of a world that was given to us for caretaking.

We live in a world that has more affluence than at any time in human history, yet we have more people scraping for a living than at almost any time in history.  We are much more technologically advanced and yet more blinded and driven by a desire to destroy others by what we know and build.  We are more aware of the importance of religion but are more driven by a need to affiliate ourselves with religious denominations and doctrines.  We deny the possibility that we all serve the same God and, instead, we claim that our God is superior to the one that everyone else serves who does not belong to the religious group with which we affiliate.  

It certainly appears from recent history dating back to the last few decades that the more religious a family or society becomes, the more hate and conflict that evolves in that family or society.  When we look around, we see religious leaders flying around in private jets, and living all-out in the lap of luxury while members of their congregations who finance the lavishness live in penury.  They build schools and universities that most members of their congregations cannot even afford to send their children.  As if that's not enough, they twist the holy books of their religions to extort money and respect from their followers.

Thanks to terrorism built on, and propelled by religious interpretations, our world is much more dangerous than at any time in recent human history.  Even then, we tend to claim that one form of terrorism is justified while another is not.  So, most of us condemn Islamic terrorism while some of us justify acts of terrorism against Planned Parenthood clinics or keep silent when a young white supremacist enters a church and kills black worshippers in what most reasonable people would consider a terrorist attack.  Due to religious beliefs, we condemn law breakers but embrace members of our religion who disobey court orders and claim to do so in the name of the same God who warned us to submit to established authority.  Around the world, politics has become increasingly polarized, and polarizing, either because of religion or because of the belief that some of us are superior to others - a claim which is also often justified by religion.

What are we to do?  I do not claim to have the answers but there are some things that I know.  One is that you could travel the world or even through a little town and you would find that the people that would be the kindest and most loving toward you are not people who practice your religion or any of the major religions that you know.  In many cases, they would be people who do not even adhere to any religious practices but their actions are consistent with what we know to be the character of God's love and goodness.  I also know that God is not the author of confusion.  Therefore, no religious leader or believer who implicitly or explicitly supports any of the conflicts that now prominently destroy families, societies and nations around the world should be considered as a true representative of God.  Finally, I know that God is true and our world is moving farther and farther away from His truth and clinging to religious dogma.  In so doing, we are becoming an increasingly fractured and morally bankrupt people.

We should allow ourselves the space to re-examine our beliefs and actions to see if they actually square with the values of the early leaders of the religions that we are affiliated with, and of the God that we profess to serve.  High chances are that we would find that they do not.  In that case, we must step back and begin our faith journeys afresh.  In a world where religion now appears to be causing more problems than it solves, it is indeed time to re-examine religion.

A MATTER OF EXPEDIENCY

‎Paul Inyang‎ 

December 15 at 12:59pm · Odenton, MD

 

Reports on the recent money matters’ affecting the country has surprised most of us—this writer included. The revelations have come at lightning speed—such that it is hard to verify or even ascertain the sources or its validity. The common denominator in all of this is that a great deal of money has been taken from the treasury and misappropriated, stashed away or simply spent frivolously. I am not sure which one it is but all the same the losers are the citizens—you and I. We have joked about being included or mentioned and made jokes about it but nothing changes the seriousness of the problem. It has maybe served the purpose of denying the incredulity of the situation and kept us collectively from losing our minds. If you are like me—you are left stunned by it all. This after all is the great wealth of a Nation that has been frittered away. This is communal wealth that we will never get back in our life time.

There seems no end to these practices. Many of the people who are on top today are beneficiaries of these same practices that they now profess to want to bring to an end. This writer would have mocked the thought of it but the question is—are there people whose hands have not been dirtied by these sordid practices? Please look at the list of the ministers and name one that has not had a leadership role in our nation and participated actively or tacitly in creating this debacle? Maybe we should presume they are all clean. Now tell me how you prosecute someone if your hands are just as dirty. There are a few quotes that this writer is reminded of— “those who seek equity must do equity”, “those who come to equity must come with clean hands” and "equity follows the law". The enormity of the fraudulent practices is mind boggling. Most of us want to just retreat to our world and pretend it does not exist—it is easier. That is the extent and quagmire this President has to confront. Many of us would like to see draconian tactics utilized to punish the culprits—this writer included. That is our base instinct. Unfortunately for us we all profess to be civilized so we have to choose the democratic route—it must prevail.

This writer said some time ago that President Buhari’s greatest challenge will be that of resisting the temptation of mistaking civilian rule for military rule. When human beings are under stress they resort to what they know and have experienced. He was a military man for most of his life and this is his comfort zone. Most of us would probably be worse as we have those tendencies in us. If the reports we read and see on videos are right—outlandish military tactic are being seen in display. Some of us enjoy this because it quenches some of our thirst to draw blood from people who have mistreated us so badly and taken our birth rights with ignominy. Democracy however requires that we discipline ourselves and utilize due processes. The president himself has stressed this but it is hard for this writer to believe that he the president is not aware of how some of his underlings are prosecuting this war on corruption and proceeding to treat people. This writer stands firmly behind doing so but in the appropriate way. It is easy for him to look the other way. Must government arrest these people in public and brutalize them as they do? If there is a message being sent out—who is the message for? Africans have a habit of mistreating each other in public and our country is no different. Yes, this tactic was utilized by the previous government but we do not have to make the same mistakes. Where does it end? If this is not put in check, we are headed in the wrong direction towards a police state because of our lack of internal restraint and boundary.

If we are trying to stop corrupt practices—we are required to do so utilizing due process—that must be the example we set from the top down. The entire nation is angered by the depth of this issue and we must deal with it appropriately. It is an opportunity to utilize these problems to build and strengthen our institutions—especially those charged with the duty of prosecuting this “war”. If there is a need to change the leadership of these agencies, then we must do it appropriately. This is a gift not a curse and we are obligated to set the right tone for those who will continue do this work long after we are gone. As someone once said— “this is a marathon not a sprint”.

Let's Talk (Nov. 29, 2015): Access To Mental Health Care In Nigeria

LET PEACE REIGN - BY PAUL INYANG

Paul Inyang 

Odenton, MD. USA.                                                   

Nov. 14, 2015                                                  

I am reminded that bad jokes still have a place in the world—they still tickle some funny bone. It may not be mine but someone else sure identifies with it. It is only when they are lacking in sensitivity and taste that we may find fault with it. I am not sure anymore what is happening to the world but I am beginning to lose my sense of humor. It seems that human beings have decided to make the place a hellecious place. I find no humor in all that is happening. So much of what happens today is based on someone’s jaundiced and twisted mind. A mind that has lost all sense of balance and cannot see things for what they are.

Zealotry has become fashionable and it does not matter that it may cause untold pain—still we seek it because it buttresses our own version of the “truth”. There is not a country in the world today that is not tethering on blowing herself up because some overblown ego has decided to hijack the principles that hold it together—again for their own version of the truth. There is no chance that we could consider that the truth may actually be in between what you and I may think and believe. If it is not our heritage, it is our ethnicity, tribal group or our religious inclinations. I have always believed that all religions have some version of the truth, even if my heart stands strong on my own convictions. I, like most people, have a love for my heritage but cannot say it is better than all others.

Can we say that our convictions are so strong that we can destroy the lives of others just because? We have people who are displaced for life and are killed as in the case of last night in Paris—not the only place in the world. No one issue is more important than the other but our obligation continues to grow because there are those of us who do not have enough vision to see that we have opted for self-destruction.

In Nigeria today we have Boko Haram in the North, Niger Delta in the South-South and added to the mix we now have Biafra stoking in the Southeast. Anyone who is looking for war has never experienced it. He or she has not seen enough of the damage yet, but may get to really taste it. Trust me; if you have seen war then violence would not be an option. In a society where fragmentation is the name of the game the “fights” are unending—all driven by bigotry of one kind or the other—yes BIGOTRY. Black folks seem to think that they are immune to the disease but we too have learnt well and practice it in our own tribal circles.

So tread softly my friends; otherwise we may really get what we do not want. Hell they say is reserved for those who have not lived well—at least that’s what the Bible says but trust me there are those who are already in it led by people who spout this horrible stuff. It is our world and we all must live in it. Help someone please.

AN APPEAL TO OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE - BY PAUL INYANG

Paul Inyang, USA

There is nothing as bad as someone who refuses to see the folly in their ways and continues to be misled along the wrong path. We are all given the ability to discern and think logically. Such people become partners in their own demise, for whatever little momentary gain they may have. They fail to see that misappropriation no matter who does it endangers not only them but their children and children’s children. For long this has been the bane of the African continent and its people. Yet, it continues to happen under the pretext of tribal and racial sentiments among other issues. Yet still, the youth who are supposed to be the arbiters and purveyors of change and progress are the ones singing the same songs—of hopelessness and self defeat.

 

Where is the hope now and for the future generations? We are supposed to be getting better not worse. We are infinitely more educated and have greater awareness. We do not have to leave the shores of Africa for greater exposure—if only one has internet. The resources of a nation belongs to the people not only a few people. If the leaders utilize it well then the entire populace benefits from it but if it is desecrated, personalized, stolen and wasted; then it is and must be an issue. But it seems that in our neck of the woods, the people who are most affected are the same people who cry foul. For what you may ask? For parochial reasons and based on ethnic sentiments among other myopic issues.

We do not have a chance if we cannot see that the millstone is on all of our necks and we are all going down. What we call transformation is depreciatory and will not stand the test of time—already it is derogatory. It is not built on anything that is self-sustaining. We must also transform our minds and perspectives—our eye sights are already poor and fool us all the time. In the end we will only get what we deserve. Please think not only of yourself but others! Mandela remains’ Africa’s “living” example—he was selfless. Read about him and learn about him.

AFRICA'S LEADERS: A CONTINENT'S SCOURGE - BY CHUKA CHUMA OKPE

 

Chuka Chuma Okpe,  Ph.D Student, Abia State University, Uturu. Nigeria.








Rwanda’s Supreme Court two days ago affirmed that President Paul Kagame can run for a third seven-year term. In nearby Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Ngueso who has been in power for decades is scheming to amend the constitution this month so as to continue in power. Pierre Nkurunziza’s run for a third term is destabilizing Burundi. These men are all plotting to give some semblance of legitimacy to their affront on popular will. This is another sad commentary on leadership in the continent.
                                                                                                            When Lord Acton observed that absolute power corrupts absolutely, he probably had successive African regimes in mind. Ruled by dictators who do not differentiate between the national treasury and their personal purse, African nations are impoverished and consistently occupy the lower rungs of the Human Development Index on poverty, life expectancy, literacy, GDP per capita, maternal mortality e.t.c.  The landscape of African history is littered with carcases of repressive regimes - Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Omar Bongo of Gabon, Marcias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Jean Bedel Bokassa of Central African Republic, Mobutu Sese Seko of then Zaire, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Sani Abacha of Nigeria and their ilk.
                                                                                                            Today’s African leadership has adopted this tradition of constitution violation and circumvention of the electoral process as defined in Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Republic of the Congo, Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, Joseph Kabila of DRC, Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan and now, Paul Kagame of Rwanda. These men employ deceit and brute force to manipulate the process and perpetuate their grip on power albeit till death do them part.
                                                                                                            Prodded by the salient acquiescence, nay ‘onlooker status’ of the African Union, mortals arrogate ‘’Sovereignty’’ unto themselves and, as absolute Emperors, set on a prowl to rape and plunder their ‘‘fiefdoms’’. Despots not only brutalize the conscience and commonwealth of their subjects but also impede the collective destiny of their people, plunging peaceful developing nations into penury and despondency. Did Chukwu Okike – the God of Creation - imbue African leadership with genes that are in constant negation to the advancement and aspiration of their people?

NIGERIA AT 55: A DESIRE TO SERVE - BY PAUL INYANG

Paul Inyang

So it is the 55th birthday of my homeland. I am thinking about how to best serve my country. Incidentally, I am taking suggestions if anyone has them. Nothing is too little for me to do. Seriously speaking this has been my quest for in the past 10 or more years. If one senses some frustration on my part, then, you are probably right. Many of us have always felt we belong to this giant of a country but have never truly found a niche for ourselves. I am sure; I am not the only one because I also run into people who live permanently in Nigeria that share the same frustrations as I do. But mine is not quite the same as theirs—I believe. I could be angry but it would be a total waste of time. I and many share this struggle and/or anomaly. One should not have this difficulty. We who live in the so-called diaspora have had this struggle for a while. At times we are at fault for not being decisive enough to commit ourselves in such a manner but I will dare to say, that such people are in a minority. Some of us through no fault if ours, are caught up in the act of raising families at home and abroad. If you doubt it, checkout the figure of how much money is coming into the country from abroad.

A great many want to come back and be part of building this great nation but the truth is that the nation itself has not been so welcoming of our contributions. It is almost like having an out of body experience—one is there but not there. Many like me feel that when we come home—we are often welcomed and celebrated—for some time, until we are down to our last pennies. But as soon as we run out of money, we are discarded like worn-out shoes no matter how comfortable. We would not want to create scandal in the community, if we need a loan to get by. Gosh, if we dare to speak of the “national cake”—we are told of the difficulties in getting things done and are denied access to meaningful endeavors—no matter how talented or whatever our talent. The meetings are held later and later at night or we are simply dis-invited.

Imagine that you are from a country that does not allow your political participation by vote or through being a part of the process. The law says that people who reside outside of the country cannot vote—our constitution spells it out. We are nobody’s constituents. The politicians will come to visit and possibly raise some funds. They make promises that their dispensation will create room for our participation but nothing ever happens. Oh, the speeches are super colorful. The insistence is always that—one must be “on ground” as they say. When one is on ground the “cake sharers” cannot be found—accessibility becomes an issue. Then one must know someone, who knows someone else, who is going to take one, to wait for the person, whom you just saw in Washington, DC by simply making a call to them. They hardly remember your name. Go figure! They are usually keenly aware that time is your enemy and they wait you out no matter the authenticity and value of the project. For us, when the money runs out—one simply gotta go! If one dares to criticize them, then we are unpatriotic and are simply belly aching. Never mind that no third world economy has been successful without people in the Diasporas—you name it; China, Korea, Japan, Rwanda (yes you are reading it right—Rwanda), etc. They are actively recruited and in some cases pampered. That word Diaspora had become a dirty word—it is spoken in whispers around the big table and when one shows up the conversation stops. We are told to write proposals that end up in dustbins. Do we have to bulldoze the place down before we are considered citizens? Jeez why do we fail to see each other as benefactors of our many resources and work together?

Jare, this was supposed to be personal, so let me stop there, this was a personal note to everyone. I want to help build my homeland—I simply need suggestions. I am a psychologist. Surely there are people who need mental health services. We can start at the top with all our leaders. I am also sure there are people who need rehabilitation from drugs or substances—many have acquired the illness of the rich. What of the traumatized—oh, like the Chibok girls or are they still in the Sambisa Forest? Dr. Ohiro, please help. Are there children and adults who have learning disorders or educational challenges—Dr. John there you go! I Am calling on all my friends. What ills can we think of next that needs fixing—it is personal. Someone please help—I am waiting please! Happy Independence Day!

OUR WORLD OF SHAME

I have not frequently felt impressed by most countries in Europe.  It is not because I hold slavery and its impact against them, although I could.  It is not even because I fault them for colonizing and exploiting Africa. I could do that as well but I would never do so because I believe that African countries have generally had sufficient time since their respective independence to transform themselves into beacons of hope and respectability.  However, they haven't because Africans have mastered the art of embracing corrupt oppressors and massaging the egos of tyrants who kill them. 

Most European countries do not impress me because they continue to live true to their history as  ethnic and racial purists.  I have long been convinced that, if they could, many European countries would deny entry into, and residence in, their countries of people whose presence would reduce the homogeneity of those societies.  I suspect that they would even deny citizenship to people born in their countries who did not exactly come from the predominant stock. 

In the last few weeks, with Syrian and other migrants arriving on European shores as refugees, we have seen the worst of European sensibilities.  Except for the leaders of Germany and Austria, other European leaders have engaged in a race to the gutter.  Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Heinz Fischer of Austria have been the lone voices of reason in a wilderness riddled with hypocrites who talk well and pretend to mean well - until there is a crisis.  In the last few days, Prime Minister Cameron of Britain has begun to talk about acting with some compassion by offering to take in 4,000 migrants a year for the next five years.  Perhaps that should make up, or at least provide some cover for his previously expressed position on this matter.  It is often in times of crises that we get to see the true colors of those who try to present themselves as superior to others - as Europe has historically done. This is a time of crisis, and European leaders have not acquitted themselves well.  

Certainly, Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, took the cake when, in his effort to turn Europeans against the migrants, he wrote in a German newspaper during the week that preventing the current migrants from entering Europe was very essential in order to "keep Europe Christian".  The questions that one should probably ask are: Is Europe a Christian continent? Was it ever?  Were the crimes of slavery and colonialism perpetrated by Europe grand Christian acts or is anyone a sinner who considers those acts as evil?  What part of Christianity encourages believers to turn their backs on needy strangers and to deny them of water, shelter and food? 

This is not just about Europe, however.  Between 1967 and 1970, Ghana expelled Nigerians from Ghana, kicking them right into the the middle of a dangerous civil war that was at that time raging in Nigeria.  The Nigerians were forced to leave their property and other investments behind - which were then taken over by Ghanaians.  In 1985, Nigeria gave a week's ultimatum to 700,000 undocumented Ghanaian immigrants to leave the country.  In my mind's eye, I can still see that period and can still recall the pain that I felt and the uncertainty that I saw as I watched departing Ghanaians during that time.  This year, we have seen South African blacks kill black immigrants from other African countries and try to intimidate others into leaving South Africa. We have also seen the Dominican Republic kick fellow Dominicans of Haitian descent out of Haiti despite being born and raised in the Dominican Republic. We have seen conservatives in the United States demand that our country deny entry to children coming into the United States as migrants.  We have also seen U.S. and European politicians speak about certain segments of our immigrant populations in extremely derogatory terms while some in society commend those politicians for being "sincere", "courageous" and "politically incorrect".  That is the stuff of which xenophobia is made.

  

We must not stay silent when people give voice to darkness. Instead, we should be ashamed that such people live in our midst and, in that shame, we must rise to act before their voices further turn us and our world into a miasma of hopelessness and despair.  We must always demand sanity and kindness from ourselves and others, especially those in positions of power and responsibility.  By so doing we become capable of making ourselves responsible custodians of a world that was given for our care.  

A Lingering Cultural Shame: The Plight of Our Daughters

By Paul Inyang. Maryland. USA.

I watched a movie recently, that left me without any doubt—in pain and wondering very much about certain aspects of our culture. I would recommend the movie toeveryone—both women and especially men. It is a difficult but worthwhile watch. The title of the movie is “DRY”—written, acted and produced by Stephanie Linus. Its probably one of the best movies I have watched all year. Considering the subject matter, I would have expected the movie hall to be full but to my chagrin, they were probably seven (7) other people in the theatre with me. This story is riveting and it tore at my emotions and left me raw—considering, I have never met a movie I have not slept through. The story was about the origins of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) in our culture, utilizing a very familiar cultural frame of reference.These are stories we would rather not tell ourselves because some of us still subscribe to vestiges of a culture that support the process that brings this plague about. Imagine that a 12 year old girl, is married off to a man, clearly in his fifties-sixties, with three other wives. Her “mother” willingly gives her away, to this man who cannot understand the sin in marrying a child much-less understanding that raping her is one of the worst sins he could commit on this earth. As a result, the girl becomes pregnant and is forced to have a baby (which dies) and the condition leaves her estranged from her community and an unrepentant and unforgiving society that also ostracizes her. Additionally, the very man that is the source of the trouble “returns” her to her family—who in turn (her father) reject her.

I hope I am not ruining the movie for others but these are just nuggets which at minimum gives you a glimpse into the thinking behind the movie, which is a rich depiction of real life story, that goes more in-depth than this. Only a Nigerian could have told the story. Sadly, though the story is based on the culture of the people in Northern Nigeria the practice is not limited or unique to this geographical area—it happens all over the country. So-much-so that what would be considered and is pedophilia is common practice—even some of our legislators are known to engage in it. There is a cruel mix of ignorance and total disregard to the humanity of women folk and children, who are robbed of their childhood and damaged at a tender age. Women in this condition often cannot control their bladder discharges and most are susceptible to septicemia and without surgery live a totally woeful life. All kinds of myths are attached to the condition ranging from witchcraft to adultery—all bogus. Wow, could this still be tolerated with no significant response from the government? Many of us see these things and look the other way very sure that because we are educated it would never happen to us.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have heard about VVF before but have never seen it up-close. I was left literally in tears, when I consider the sheer magnitude of the problem in our culture. It is almost like feeding the beast—everything is hush, hush. There are a few organizations that are offering help, like Nka Uforo Iban, a socio-cultural group in the Washington DC metropolitan area, USA. Most of the work is on treatment, as should be the case but that of awareness and education appears to be missing. I have asked and am yet to see any legislative agenda on such a critical subject. In the mean time, little girls are loosing their lives because of the uncontained and unchecked avarice of men who would rather maintain their culture and “religious” practices as barbaric and inhumane as it is. When does a culture out-live its relevance? Must we be stuck in the dark ages, when the rest of the world is moving unto bigger and better things. Yes, there are things we should never emulate but what is the redeeming characteristic in this particular aspect of our culture??? We must find a way to act on behalf of our children and our mothers. Those who are responsible for carrying out these dastardly act must be educated about the full impact of their egregious actions. There should be a good deterrent for these practices through the law. People who defile young children in the name of culture should go to jail. Beyond treating these women there should be an effort to sensitize our people. Jeez….it must come to an end. God help us all.

FORGIVENESS AND RESTORATION

Golda Micah 

August 15, 2015 

 

 

This week, God granted me the opportunity to watch the widely acclaimed play, JOSEPH, at the famous Sight and Sound Theaters. This is the largest faith-based live theater in the United States and anyone who has been there would understand why it carries the nickname "Christian Broadway". Such a person would also understand why Sight and Sound is fondly referred to as "the place where the Bible comes to life".

The play Joseph is a greatly remarkable story of interest, intrigue and meaning. Packed with emotion, it is difficult to see this play and not think about our relationship with one another and with God.  After suffering many major hazards in a short life time that seemed like eternity, Joseph's otherwise forgettable dream not only maintained value and newness but came to life in his lifetime.  For that dream to become a reality, Joseph became Zaphnath-Paaneah (a name given to him by Pharaoh), meaning "man to whom mysteries are revealed".  Eventually, he moved from a very ordinary position in life and became the governor and the ruler of the land of Egypt. It is a story that should teach us all that our lives are planned out, not by man but by God who is our Maker and that our dreams are capable of coming true, no matter how long they may seem to linger.

 

Unfortunately, we now live in a world that is being ripped apart by our inability to forgive, our constant need to find fault in others and our remarkable ability to hold grudges even over matters of little importance.  As a result, families are shattering, communities are being torn apart, nations are at war and peacemakers are being condemned .  Yet, as difficult as it was for Joseph, he found the strength from God to forgive his brothers who sold him. Forgiveness is not easy and doesn't come naturally, However, the strength to forgive can be attained because it comes from God.  We owe ourselves and our world the responsibility to build relationships and not destroy them, and to build others up rather than tearing them down just because we choose to harbor grudges over peace and forgiveness from which restoration comes.

OUR DIFFERENCES SHOULD NOT DIVIDE US. HELP SOMEONE! - BY PAUL INYANG

Paul Inyang, Odenton, MD 

Just the other day my good friend Dr. Ohiro wrote about love and our differences. It was a timely piece and insightful especially because it is about real life events. Stories like that grab us and leaves us thinking about our humanity. Differences are not so new to us but the human story behind such issues are the ones that remain with people. It got me to thinking about a summer job I once had. I took my long vacation down south—Charlotte North Carolina.

In my financial desperation I took on selling Tupperware. You have never been used until you do a job like this one. Your salary it totally dependent on commission for selling every piece in a set of dishes or house ware. The worse part is that you have to drive around strange neighborhoods, trying to sell unattractive products to equally uninterested and financially strapped “customers”. Worse yet, you have to generate your own leads. I want you to imagine a black foreigner with a thick accent trying to sell dishes and knives in a blue collar white neighborhood. There are other names for such neighborhoods but I will stay away from such references.  I happened to knocked on the door of an old lady and in a flash was face to face with a shot gun and someone shouting—“n…..g…r get off my damn porch”. My life flashed before me and I thought I would be blown to smithereens. You can imagine the race of the person I am referring to and juxtapose that with the notion of the South, white robes, burning crosses and the confederate flag. I know that I am bombarding some of you with images that you may not be familiar with but they are all symbols of hate. Believe it or not it made no difference to me, because I was a hungry and a motivated young man. I ran for the day but subsequently went back—foolishly in my naiveté. I simply did not know better. Perhaps if I did, I would not have done so.

History is for the books but what I found out much later, is that people live them and if one is fortunate enough to live through it, they do have a story to share. But ultimately, I made some friends in that neighborhood who were able to guide me to safety—though most of them could not afford to buy from me except for a few and a very special lady—the same one who pointed a gun at me. I believe, I was just a lucky guy or just fell into the category of the fool who by all accounts, as they they say, is taken care of by God.

The story is a much longer one because it did not happen overnight. People are not always who they appear to be until you are able to understand that there is always a story behind what you see. Yes, we are different and I must have appeared to be “something” to my lady friend but somehow we got past it. Hate has no place in our world and we have actually more in common than we care to admit. The problem is that we rarely take the time to encounter each other in meaningful ways. We may also not have the patience or the intuitive persistence to find out about each other and hear our different stories. You really do not know anyone until you can stop the noise in your head and listen to them tell you their true story. It may expose your vulnerability but it will make you human. Most of all, it will help you learn to love despite our differences. So be kind to others—especially those you may not know or understand. Help someone.

IT WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY

Vanity now reigns in a world where love, humane values and generosity ought.   All forms of 

hatred are increasingly becoming the building blocks of a cottage industry that is reshaping a world that could otherwise do without social injustice, more hate, more malice and unimaginable levels bigotry.  Therefore we leave ourselves and posterity in a situation where those who consider pride, mistrust, hate and cruelty as virtues are increasingly the ones with the closest access to the loudest megaphones.  It wasn't supposed to be this way.

We have left behind a time when a person's word was his/her bond and people were recognized and respected for their humanity. Now we celebrate people for the sizes of their bank accounts and amount of material possessions that they have acquired, regardless of the manner in which they acquired the possessions.  Society now frequently judges the quality and stature of a man by his wealth rather than by the quality of his character.  People and institutions are afraid to rein in a
rich man for bad behavior while those that we perceive as poor have just about lost their right to be considered human. Consequently, advocates for the poor must now work harder than they ever did to ensure that the poor are fed and housed, and that the poor can maintain a hope that somehow, our world can regain a conscience and become a just world that includes them.   Unfortunately, the task of caring advocates for equality and justice is made even harder because even the poor and oppressed
now have among them very large contingents of bigoted and ignorant individuals  that are cheerleaders for their oppressors.  As a result, hateful bigotry, pride and cruelty has become prevalent at all levels of society, even among those who virtually live in houses of worship.  Truly, it wasn't supposed to be this way.

Through history, wars have been fought against bigotry. That was the reason for World War II, the American Civil War and America's involvement in Kosovo as recently as 1999.  Today, the hateful rhetoric constantly directed at Nigeria's new president, Buhari, by members of the party that he vanquished, the cruelly racist venom spewed daily at President Obama of the United States, the
inhumanity that is perpetrated by racist and oppressive police officers, the Islamic State (ISIS), Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), Latin American drug lords and other terrorist groups around the world are such that one is left wondering when the world went off the rails and what hope there is for future generations.  Today, we have people all over the globe who wish that slavery never ended, people who would have our world apologize for rising against ethnic cleaning and authority figures who would rather that a big part of our population did not exist because they possess the "wrong" skin color, bear the "wrong" names, live on the "wrong" side of the tracks, practice the "wrong" religion and belong to the "wrong" political parties.



President Buhari of Nigeria

In today's politics, it is no longer sufficient or even necessary to debate ideas; people must now shout and beat down their opponents who they believe they must present as inferior and terrible human beings unworthy of respect. Society now honors those who can shout the loudest and rewards them with adoration, money and promotion.  Therefore, talk media hosts and their guests must shout at
one another to maintain high ratings, evangelical pastors must shout at their congregations through microphones to build up their prestige and fill their pews.  Regardless of race, class or culture, many men in today's world continue to perpetuate the old faulty thinking that they must shout down their female partners if they are to be considered qualified to lay claim to manhood.

As I see it, this is an increasingly unjust world replete with failed institutions and organizations, failed leaders and failed followers. Our world has lost its way and must begin a journey back to basics.  Everyday, we are digging for ourselves holes from which we must begin to climb out because it could become too late.  Perhaps we should long and work for a day when love, justice and truth take their rightful places in the community of mortals. I write this knowing that I may be asking too much.  But it is perhaps also because there is a part of me that believes in the inherent goodness of man. This is not to say that I think that man is by nature good and imperfect but that I believe that it is possible for man to possess, attain and display some measure of goodness because man, after all, was made in the image of a good Creator.

AFRICA AND AFRICANS: A CONTINENT AND PEOPLE IN NEED OF A MIRROR

Across Africa, human life is being ravaged by poverty, disease, armed conflict and very bad leadership. How a continent so blessed in natural and human resources can also seem so cursed is inexplicable because it is unfathomable.  Yet, that is Africa's plight.  Immensely blessed by God, Africans have inflicted pain on their own Continent - and continue to do so.  By so doing, they (we) have made the Continent seem as though it is forsaken by its Creator. For several decades, the African mindset has been programmed to believe that Africans are not responsible for Africa's problems. Instead, non-Africans (mostly Westerners) are blamed for the conditions of life in Africa. In the circumstances, there is a consequent expectation that the responsibility for resolving Africa's perpetual state of crisis belongs to non-Africans. In my opinion, that reasoning smacks of a level of intellectual dishonesty that stinks to the utmost.

There is no denying the fact that Africa had its unfair share of oppression and exploitation at the hands of European colonialists who pillaged the Continent, tortured the African people, and battered them physically, psychologically, emotionally and economically. African history is replete with evidence of the destruction that those decades of thievery, trickery and violence by European colonialists represented. But it is also true that African nations have had a long time since their varying years of independence to stand on their feet and design their own fate. Unfortunately, most have not done so. Instead, people who claim to be African leaders have done nothing but run their countries to the ground. In my opinion, it is time for Africans to end the blame game and begin to hold themselves and their so-called leaders accountable for the plight of the Continent and its inhabitants.

I am conscious of the fact that this is a touchy position that I am expressing, but it is only because this position represents a fact that many of my fellow Africans would rather avoid.  I dare anyone to provide a convincing description of how white people are responsible for the genocide in Sudan's Dafur region in recent years; or for the ongoing violence in Somalia; or for the murderous plundering of Liberia by Samuel Doe and the likes of Charles Taylor; Mugabe's murderous dictatorship in Zimbabwe; the instability in the Congo, Chad, Niger and other African countries; or for the dictatorial rule in Guinea-Bissau, the murderous "Lord Resistance Army" in Uganda, Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan's band of thieves and Boko Haram, and the ultra corrupt leadership in Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, the Republic of Benin and other African countries.


Honesty demands that we take a sincere look into our souls if we desire to see Africa's plight more clearly. When we do so, we can begin to understand our own roles in the saga that Africa has come to represent for several decades now.  When we are honest with ourselves, we will know exactly what we must do to restore the Continent to a level of glory that Africa once experienced.  We will also be able to see a glaring image of a Continent that, for centuries, has been victimized first by foreigners, and then by its own people. We will see a Continent in which people aspire to become corrupt bosses rather than honest leaders. We will see an African continent, indeed a Mother, that was once raped by strangers and is now being raped by its own children who posterity placed in positions to care for her. There is no greater form of abuse than this, and there is no greater sense of responsibility than for all Africans to look in the mirror and make the individual and collective change that is needed for Africa to be restored to respectability.

OUR LOVE VACUUM

Several months ago, I spent an evening with a 91 year-old man that I had just met for the first time.  He invited me to his very beautiful home and, as he walked me through and introduced his family to me in the pictures all over his wall and his cabinets and desks, I was drawn to a picture of one of his grandsons, an attorney based in the Midwest.  The young man was leaning and praying over a name stone somewhere in Poland.  I asked questions about that picture, and then we talked about a picture taken with all of his children, and another that had his wife, himself and two granddaughters.  He informed me that his wife died 2 years ago – 3 weeks after that photograph was taken.  After answering my questions about that and other pictures, including one taken just with his wife, my host said in his soft voice: “Let’s go back and sit at the table”. 

As we walked back to the table, I remarked that he was a really blessed man to have such a successful family. Then he said: “I was also a very successful business man who made payroll for hundreds of staff every week….but what’s the use? In the end, what does anything amount to?”  In an emotional state, he discussed the loss of his wife and his loneliness despite frequent contacts by his family.  He opened a window for me into his life and I realized that, unlike anyone that I knew, his childhood was cut very short by a vacuum in man’s refusal to apply the Golden Rule that we love others as much as we love ourselves.  When I asked him about his childhood in Poland, his response hit me like a pack of bricks: “I’ve got a number”, he said, “do you want to see it?”  Without waiting for my response, he undid his left sleeve and showed me a tattooed number that, as a child, he was given in the Holocaust camp at Auschwitz. I was dumbfounded.  When I gathered myself, I told him that my son had visited a Holocaust camp in Austria (Mathausen) as a teenager and still would not discuss the experience.  “I was there in that camp too at age 13, then I was returned to Germany when I was 15”, my guest told me.

Is there anyone reading this article who has “a number”?  Is there any reader of this article whose life was forcefully wasted in a Holocaust camp for no reason other than his/her heritage?  I often forget that I was born and raised with privilege – a reality that I was reminded of when I traveled with my son to a few African countries last summer, including the country of my birth.  We (I included) spend so much time discussing the privileged status of others and we neglect to see that we might also be privileged in ways that are different.  If I saw that man before I got to spend time with him, I would have focused on the obvious aspects of his life, not knowing the less glamorous aspects of the road that he traveled.  So it is difficult for us to love as we ought because between us is a vacuum of knowledge that we as humans remain unwilling to bridge.  I do not believe what some would have us believe: that we lack the capacity to bridge that gap or to love.  Instead, I believe that we choose not to, partly because it seems easier to capitalize on differences either for personal or group gain than it is to let ourselves become humble and vulnerable enough to love those that we consider more or less privileged, different, offensive or less in status than us.

It is time to pray and work hard for our neighbors, our communities and our world to fill that vacuum that seems to be getting even wider due to what appears to be our diminishing willingness to love others.  Sometimes I desire to imagine a situation in which humanity loves with genuine zest, knowing that the night is far spent and that we have a responsibility to put on the armor of light to brighten a world that has become increasingly darker in my lifetime.  I know that this is wishful thinking at best, but knowing that does not prevent me from praying that God should grant us the wisdom, strength, courage and guidance to love one another as He desires.

WHAT'S IN A BIRTHPLACE? - PART 2

The last time I recall standing up to people overseas on behalf of the United States was during the presidency of President George W. Bush.  That was almost a frequent occurrence at the time and it was always in Europe.  Bush-Cheney had been responsible for committing the greatest foreign policy blunder in living memory by lying the United States to war and taking many countries along. We know that over 100,000 Iraqis and over 4,000 Americans were killed in that senseless war that was based entirely on a lie.  Clearly, the world has yet to recover from that Bush-Cheney act.  While my opposition to that war was very solid even before it started, and was published in a local newspaper in my area, it was difficult to accept anyone in Europe bashing the United States (and my President who I voted twice against and with whom I completely disagreed on almost everything) for heinous actions that much of the West, not just the US, was responsible for.  Soon one occasion in Europe, I stopped obvious hypocrisy by reminding the US/Bush critiques that, to the extent that their own countries were part of the Bush-Cheney coalition that destroyed Iraq and turned the world into an unsafe place, they were just as culpable and it would be best if they kept their mouths shut because, at least from where I come, hypocrisy is not a virtue.  To their point that the American electorate was "foolish" to have re-elected President Bush, I reminded them that they had all also re-elected their own war-mongering, lying leaders and, except for Jose Maria Anser of Spain, no European leader was punished by the electorate.  Needless to say that the conversation ended.

Oh...I recall another incident in Moscow where one of the speakers at a conference that I was attending - a Russian professor dubbed as one of the country's leading Sociologists - told us that there were two kinds of civilizations, a black civilization characterized by violence, crime, brutality, etc and a white civilization characterized by peace, intelligence, sense of responsibility, respect, etc.  Of course he got off the stage immediately after he spoke without a chance to ask him any questions. Most of us from the United States and Canada responded by holding up the conference and declaring it over until he was brought back to apologize and acknowledge that his presentation was not the product of any scholarship.  In that instant, we knew that by binding together, we were exercising a responsibility to humanity and to our respective countries with sizable numbers of black citizens (and residents).

Now, fast-forward several years.  About a week and half ago, I sat comfortably at a bus terminal in a quiet university town in Nigeria, about 7 hours drive away from the airport from which I was scheduled to fly out of the country later that night.  I was at the terminal because the airport from which I would normally fly to my departure city was closed due to runway renovations.  Just a few feet from where I sat, a religious woman was holding court.  As she spoke, the crowd around her grew larger and a few people were seriously searching websites on their cell phones and increasingly looking puzzled.  I realized that she was "educating" her audience about the "demonic and immoral" leadership of the United States.  "Look at the picture of President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron of Britain kissing", she told them.  "I have always known that President Obama is gay.  I know that most of you didn't know that.  Now you know".  One man who identified himself as a lawyer responded: "President Obama is a black man with a white mother.  A white President can get away with being gay in America or being born outside of the United States but Obama would never even be President one day longer if they found out he was gay - and there is no way America would not know that even before he became President.  That is not possible".   The woman confidently repeated her claims, directed the audience to some political and religious conservative websites, answered a bunch of questions and then asked them: "Does any of you know that Michele Obama is a man"?  There was a loud gasp from puzzled listeners, one of whom said: "She is not.  No way. Look at the resemblance between their first daughter and the President".  "Mrs. Obama is a man", she said emphatically. Those children were born through surrogates.  Google 'Michele Obama and the blue dress'.  I doubted that myself until I saw the blue dress.  Then I said: 'Finally, they are exposed'".

Without a pause for reaction, this woman moved on to her next lie: "Do you know that the so-called Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) are men"? Another gasp, and then one man said: "Serena is too beautiful to be a man".  Other men agreed but the woman was unimpressed. "Don't be deceived", the "lecturer" responded, "Look at Kris Jenner!  May that Mr. Williams rot in hell for adopting 2 little black boys, dressing them up as girls and making them learn how to play tennis.  He wanted them to dominate the world of tennis just as Obama's mother gave birth to him in Kenya and took him in secret to the United States so that her gay son would become President and change this beautiful world to a gay world".  Now, there was silence and confusion.  She obviously now had the stage in her palms.  As if that wasn't enough, she got up from her seat and said: "Do you know how Joan Rivers the American comedienne died? She died after revealing that Obama is gay.  So, add one and one and you don't need me to tell you who killed her".

At that point, I had heard enough.  My responsibility to the US and Nigeria, and even more to humanity, led me to put a stop to the craziness.  In the process, I taught the crowd how to fact-check with the same cell phones that they were holding in their hands and I reminded them that even in the woman's own religion, which is mine as well, believers are encouraged to engage in some research to verify that what preachers were telling them was true.  No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard the following announcement bellow across the terminal: "Please take note of what happened in this here just now and research what you read in order to know the truth before you speak.  As we have just been reminded, many things that we read are not true.  Take some time to find out the truth before you believe it".

Things do in fact happen for a purpose and we are sometimes placed in certain situations for reasons that defy explanation.  Sometimes we don't even know why.  By the way, did I mention that I was born in that same university town where this happened?  So, things do in fact go full cycle sometimes.  My quest is not to search for the reason why I was born in Nigeria, or why I was in my birth town on that day at that time.  Instead, my desire is to be grateful to my father for his lectures and to always warmly embrace the blessing of being a national of two countries, both of which I love very dearly.  Certainly, with such a blessing come responsibilities.  When my time on earth is spent, I want to be able to see my father again and thank him, and also thank my mother for her role in educating me for the first few years of my life before her transition to heaven.  When the bell tolls for me, I want it said of me that I embraced and fulfilled my responsibilities to my two countries and that I did so in a manner that glorified God.  When He welcomes me to His Kingdom, may my Maker say: "Welcome, my son, you were not perfect but you used very well the talents that I gave you and you honored the country that I had you born in and the one that I additionally blessed you with.  By so doing, you made me happy and my grace covers your imperfections".  So help me God.

WHAT'S IN A BIRTHPLACE? - PART 1

Whenever I tell friends and relatives of my plan to visit Nigeria, some ask me why - as if I need a reason to visit a country in which my father gave me the most important lessons about life and love of country years before he made the transition to the world beyond.  "It does not matter to me where you choose to settle and spend the rest of your life", he once told me. "It will not bother me where you choose to marry from", he continued, "all I want is that you always remember that Nigeria is the land of your birth, and it is home.  I want you to know that God in His infinite wisdom put rivers on lands where he knew His water would be safe.  Perhaps that's the reason He ordained that you would be born in Nigeria". 

In retrospect, I did not understand the deeper meaning of any of my father's statements but I thought I did.  It took decades to get here but I believe that I now know what it all means.  It means that however beautiful and comfortable another town or country may be or feel, there is a reason why one's birthplace would be the one chosen by the omniscient God and, while one may never know what that reason was, it behoves a person to regard that birthplace with some sense of reverence, respect and responsibility. 

Quite recently, I spent a week in Nigeria, the country that I have always been proud to call the land of my birth.  The headline occasion was my niece's wedding.  However, I accepted the opportunity to also address a very large group of Law students at Delta State University.  As I took the stage and spoke, I could sense in the students a high amount of respect, a remarkable yearning for knowledge, and strong sense of gratitude to a man who was introduced (and they obviously perceived) as a son of Nigeria who went abroad and made good but could also have greatly succeeded in Nigeria where he obtained his undergraduate degree.  As I received their standing ovation and then listened to a "vote of thanks" presented to me by the designated student at the end of the session, I could almost hear my father's voice reminding me that I was born in Nigeria for a reason.  I could almost hear him tell me that there was a reason why I was standing on that podium; and I could almost hear him remind me of my responsibilities to the land of my birth.  At the same time, I wondered if the students in front of me truly understood the magnitude of their good fortune to have had the renowned Professor Badaiki, who is one of Africa's leading scholars in Constitutional Law, arrange this opportunity for them to interact with me on that day.  Did they know how fortunate they are to be in school in an age where so much knowledge is at the finger tips of the willing student?  Did they know that they also have a responsibility to their nation?  Would they be willing to do the selfless work that is needed to transform their society and provide hope to generations that come behind them? I do not know the answer to any of these questions but I told them that the future of Nigeria's people and democracy hangs on their willingness to serve professionally, honestly, sincerely, generously and selflessly; and their ability to always choose truth and justice with courage.

No less than 90% of the questions that the students asked me were about race, racism and social justice in the United States.  One student asked me: "How can anyone be sure that racism has not permeated your justice system in the United States to the point where black people should never expect justice to be fair"? Another asked: "Why was the white boy who killed nine black people in a church in South Carolina get treated as a king when he was being arrested?  We know that he would definitely have been killed had he been black".  That question was immediately followed by another one: "Why did the judge in whose court the murderer of those nine black Christians was arraigned last week say that the family of the killer should also be seen as victims in the same way as the families of the nine murdered people"? "Why do white police officers always kill black people in the US"?, another asked.  "Would you please explain to us the human factors that you perceive in the American jury system"? Why..."?  "Why...?"  "Why..."?

On this day in Nigeria, I discussed with the students the role of power in policing and reminded them that the three of the police officers indicted for the murder of Mr. Gray in Baltimore were black.  I informed them that, relative to much of Europe and even India, the United States is a young country but the difference between the US and others is our acknowledgment that not only are we not a perfect nation, our journey to a less porous union is one that is often made longer every time police officers and racists act in ways to which the students were alluding.  I requested them to mention any racially heterogeneous country in the world in which racial integration has occurred as well as it so far has in in the United States.  After a few moments of deep thinking, the word "None" coming from many lips echoed through the packed auditorium.  In answering the questions that I was asked, I was reminded of three things: First, that people around the world know a lot more about the United States and Americans than Americans do about the world.  Second, thanks to technology, the claim that the world is now one global village is not an overstatement.  Third, that even in my birthplace, I am not only seen through multiple lenses but I also have a responsibility to uphold the best values of my adopted country. 

Let's Talk (May 8, 2015): What Xenophobia In South Africa Means For The ...

South Africa's Sickening And Saddening Descent Into Mob Rule - By Paul Inyang

In what seems like a few years ago Africans everywhere and most of the world were in an uproar over the treatment of black Africans by the white minority in South Africa. There were marches everywhere in the world and this writer participated in the march here in the United States—encouraged by a friend from South Africa who had relocated to the United States for safety and in part because he had family that were wealthy enough to send him out of harm’s way. We would have discussions about the plight of the black man and the black experience over the world. I was also quite aware of the issues at the time. In part also due to the fact that in Nsukka where I grew up, there were children in the University community who were from South Africa. Their parents were staff members of the university and some livd with host families within the campus. They were fully assimilated into the community and if they did not tell who and where they were from, no one would know. This was not limited to South Africans but you name the country and they were represented in that community—some are still resident in Nigeria till today. I fondly remember my friend Joe, from the then Togo, who was one of the best athletes I ever knew, who was like a son to my parents. I share this story to give some perspective and understanding of how Africans have always collectively felt responsible for one another through the ages—because of a shared destiny. It was not uncommon for us to look out for one another and in many ways the continent was considered a resource for anyone who chose to make any place their home. What was needed, was an open mind and a willingness to work and sacrifice. We all saw each other as brothers—at least that was my experience growing up and living in and out of the continent.

There are explanations for what is happening in South Africa but it would be an academic exercise to dwell on it. The economy is bad; South Africa has an unemployment rate of 25%, extreme poverty, lack of education, ignorance, misguided traditional institutions, etc. This could be said about almost all African countries. Nothing justifies what is happening. Xenophobia is a common phenomenon and is not unique to South Africa but I have never seen it express itself in such a barbaric manner. And to think, that this round was set off by a traditional Zulu chief who refuses to apologize or call his people to order. These from the same tribe which until Nelson Mandela confronted them, saw nothing wrong with apartheid. I remember very clearly Nelson Mandela’s interview on night-line on his visit to the USA after his release. He exchanged terse words with the then Zulu chief who not so secretly was in support of white rule. I remember Mandela telling him that he was not going to be drawn into a conversation about the issue in public—“we will not wash our dirty laundry in public and on foreign soil”—he said. Mr. Mandela was acutely aware of the ramification of words I believe and its impact on a people. That is what we are now dealing with as we all see Xenophobia in action.

I have never been so sickened or saddened by watching videos and photographs of so many incidents. It is what I call Africans being Africans—playing into stereotypical notions of Africans that goes as far back as 200 years ago. When a mob of people are so aroused that they create mayhem and kill others in the name of hating foreigners, who are there to do nothing but trying to make a living and sustain their families. Though this notion is not cognitively farfetched while real but I still simply cannot wrap my head around it.

Nigeria has been a place of solace and provided sustenance to ALL Africans and not only our own neighbors—especially South Africa. For those who do not know—Nigeria was at the forefront of the war against apartheid morally, politically and financially. So why are we and other Africans being persecuted? The problems of African countries are not unique to South Africa—so why transfer the pain and suffering to others. This must stop immediately. What one person can do, the other can do better. Please stop this madness…please do! God help us all.

Paul Inyang 4/17/2015