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.