My Kunta Kinte to my roots

30 years after Roots

Yesterday evening I caught the tail end of a programme that at least had enough subject matter covered for me to get a good idea of what was going on.

Chicken George was being interviewed about the epic television series that first showed 30 years ago – Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of an American Family.

I remember when I watched the episodes in Nigeria in the late 70’s, it is doubtful any of us watching understood to any extent the story unfolding before our eyes about an untouched Africa, a discovered Africa, a pillaged Africa, the snatched Africans and the Africa adrift of its roots.

Now, there are all sorts of controversy about Alex Haley’s Roots, but I would not rake over those matters, rather I would say that somewhere between fiction and faction, it was a true story but not necessarily one particular experience.

Whilst those who were snatched or traded as slaves with the culpability of their people may not be able to trace their exact roots back to Africa because they were forced to adopt the names of their slave masters, the story of Kunta Kinte in retaining his name at all costs provided the tenuous and probably contrived link through which Alex Haley was able to trace his lineage back to his supposed ancestors in Gambia.

Traditional names matter

This is one area where Africans need to be very conscious, names do matter and the quality of names given almost always helps in tracing lineage especially in Africa where very little is written down, but the repositories of memory in our elders tell us where our journeys began and these hopefully help us chart our courses forward.

For instance, my parents have formal English (Christian) names as their first names and then Yoruba names, however, I know that my mother has another name that does not appear on any papers – All I had to do was mention that name and automatically the elders in my village knew who I was, when I was born, the affirmative words recited as an indication of who I am (Oríkì) and many more things not too obvious to the unskilled.

Oríkì is definitely more than just praise-singing, of what I can remember of mine or one of my siblings, it talks of character, ability, power & wealth, it puts you on a high pedestal to survey your entire, if we lived by the contents of the Oríkì, we cannot but be overcomers.

[My grandmother also had a Judeo-Christian name and it is my view that the preachers of those times termed our names heretical so offered new names that they could pronounce – I was however, baptised in 1975 with my Yoruba name which was given me by my paternal grandfather who happened to be a Muslim.]

For as long as there are elders in my village and hopefully traditions, folklore, history and events are passed down, my mother’s special name is my Kunta Kinte - the road back to my roots.

The way back home

In the case of Alex Haley’s Roots, what he did was not so much to expose the abominable man’s inhumanity to man done with hypocritical Christian piety, but to show his fellow Africa-Americans and the Diaspora borne of slavery that there is a way home, a way to their roots, roots that we in Africa are jettisoning for a modernity that has no bearing on who we really are than consumers of alien customs and trend victims.

It leaves one utterly speechless that Dr. Watson of the “white genetically smarter than black” fame was instrumental in discovering DNA, and this is now part of an activity called The African-American DNA Roots Project where DNA is the Kunta Kinte calling card that links African Americans to particular West African tribes.

Quincy Jones, Chris Tucker, Oprah Winfrey and T.D. Jakes amongst others have had their roots traced back to Africa; the videos below show those episodes of African-American Lives. I remember the BBC showcased a number of genealogical shows called Who Do You Think You Are?, everyone who went through that experience came out with a greater sense of self, belonging, confidence and esteem.

A person with a history, a heritage and understanding of their ancestry and where they have come from will never be patronised, belittled or left despised in depression – this is the lesson of Roots, to those in centuries old Diaspora and contemporary Africa – our Roots are what will make us people of achievement ready to take on the world and its challenges.

Dr. Watson’s discovery might yet be the saving grace of Africa as we offer incontrovertible proof that as men we are equal to anyone anywhere and any challenge wherever. It starts with a name for identity and then blood for where you are from.

Links to Youtube videos of African-American Lives courtesy of Youtube user Peppa800 appear below, I have been unable to ensure the properly embedded videos appear on this page.

African-American Lives 1 of 6

African-American Lives 2 of 6

African-American Lives 3 of 6

African-American Lives 4 of 6

African-American Lives 5 of 6

African-American Lives 6 of 6

Fair-trade oil quest for Nigeria

Yar’adua, a different kind of dinosaur

The Nigerian Jurassic Park seems to be entertaining an audience as one observes the probability that it is about fossils turning to oil or dinosaurs awakening to new life.

The Economist this week has a piece on the venerable, God-fearing but sedentary “servant-leader” and whilst I would not contribute to the disparaging “go-slow” epithets that President Umaru Yar’adua is living up to, the jury is still out as to if this man is really up to the job.

Before we jump to any judgement, the four issues the President has offered to address are the economy, corruption, power and violence – there is enough information about these matters and the dinosaur metaphor to these would be to grow the economy into an African behemoth, to stamp out corruption with unmistakable footprints, to harness the raw energy resources of the nation to meet our power needs and swat untrammelled violence with the swish of the dinosaur’s tail.

Basically, Nigeria has big problems that requires big minds, big hands, big decisions, big strides and a man ready to step into the big shoes of government to steer this big vehicle called Nigeria in the right direction – Umaru Yar’adua has a nation in waiting to see if he is big enough for the task ahead – the virtue of patience is on a rather short fuse lately.

Lukman seeks a better price for Nigerian oil resources

The fossils of dinosaurs not brought back to life through maniacal DNA gene science lie in the Niger Delta area as oil that is selling for more than ever, it hit $90.07 a barrel in trading last Thursday and no doubt the times are looking good for those whose lands were dinosaur graveyards.

The generous terms that Western oil majors got in exploiting the oil resources of Nigeria are about to suffer deserved scrutiny and review with the aim of extracting more for what is ours; about time, as one reads from the Financial Times today.

The terms were negotiated decades ago when prices were a paltry $20 or less which has the oil companies sharing revenues only after they have recouped the cost of their investment – one wonders who accounts for real cost of investment - this is a loophole for corruption.

There is no doubt that the oil industry in Nigeria is in need of radical reform, and President Yar’adua has revoked a number of dodgy arrangements in the industry that the erstwhile President Obasanjo let through which have been termed irregular and worse with one of the businessmen honourably pulling out of the deal.

The issue of reviewing the oil company deals was raised by Dr. Rilwanu Lukman – now that is definitely an oil man who has been in the forefront of the Nigerian oil industry since the time of the dinosaurs - chairman of Nigeria's oil and gas reform committee who was once the Secretary-General of OPEC for 6 years – this is an interesting development, maybe the president is really creating a groundswell of activity that might suddenly hit us like a tsunami.

Meanwhile when we start selling fair-trade oil - like coffee, cocoa, tea and bananas; it is time oil extraction and the price it is sold at brought back a greater difference to the livelihood of Nigerians at large - I do hope that the poverty statistics that have become the epilogue to any Western commentary about Nigeria and the violence that plagues the Niger Delta would subside as fairness allows for these revenues to prosper the people of Nigeria.

Gorilla in the midst

Who let the ape out?

This might appear crazy if not outrageous for speculation, but as parents and children visited Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, an alpha male gorilla that had been kept in an enclosure for one wonders how long scaled the fence, crossed a moat and went on a rampage successfully attacking and biting a woman and invading the restaurant refuge that people ran to for safety.

The gorilla was finally subdued with a sedation dart to the relief of many.

However, this represents an interesting lesson from the animal kingdom, we can enjoy the pleasures of zoos by seizing animals from their natural habitat and place then in fancy enclosures as we satisfy our curiosities with realities that are hardly viewed on the National Geographic Channel, but those specimens might just have wised up to the fact that this is just no more good fun for them.

Ass of you and me - Ass-u-me

There was the assumption that a moat representing the fear of water and inability to swim is an adequate deterrent - we now know better.

Animal enclosures utilise knowledge of fears, phobias and boundaries to offer comfortable views whilst keeping the contact between animals and human-beings at a minimum.

Governments make use of laws, the punishment of crime, the use of untrammelled police force and many other tools of sovereign purvey to marshal and encage people in some orderly sense of serious unease. As the Economist notes, the military or military-backed governments are often good at micro-managing the citizenry - basically they turn the country into an over-scaled barrack and everyone should fall in.

Paying with arse-wipes

Zimbabwe becomes another case in point as inflation hits 3,731.9%, this is outrageous, and it means one ply of one sheet of my nicely scented arse-wipe can get a lot more than $10,000 Zimbabwean and probably a lot more.

When I learnt of hyperinflation in Economics class, none of these kinds of figures ever featured, it is criminal to the extreme, and how can anyone continue to preside with any dignity on a state so savaged by irresponsible stewardship and megalomania?

It is time for the gorilla in the people to break free from the constraints of unnatural societal cohesion where freedoms are curtailed and rights are trampled upon, enough is enough, in all these places.

Meanwhile, the sedative dart to put a gorilla back in the cage to hit those leaders such that they should face justice maybe from raping the country or destroying the efficacy of democracy.

As the Economist notes again with poignancy, it is not the lack of money that keeps people poor, it is misgovernment; this should be the aim of the UN Millennium Development Goals, good government would lead to achieving the goals.

The gorillas in our midst should return to where they belong.

Is Nigeria a model for Africa?

The prevailing international opinion

The Economist is an international affairs magazine published weekly with a circulation of over a million of which 53% are American.

We have seen justifiable outrage in the blog world about ways in which Nigeria is portrayed negatively and sometimes unfairly.

However, we can agree on the point that the elections conducted last month left much to be desired for the democratic progress of Nigeria and set a poor example of the exercise of universal suffrage in Africa.

Nigeria is losing respect

The Economist published a good few articles about Nigeria and the elections making some incontrovertible assertions that could only heap shame on the process.

In a leader, last week, Will Africa Ever Get It Right? (Subscription might be required to read articles in The Economist) I excerpt a number of statements verbatim.

"And yet their rotten leaders presume they have some kind of right, by virtue of their country's size and natural wealth, to strut the global stage as leaders of the continent. How wrong they are."

This simply indicates that Nigeria is losing respect globally by virtue of its inability to safeguard the sanctity of a democratic process with free and fair elections.

"Any notion that Nigeria should be taken seriously as a continental spokesman, let alone a model, should be laughed out of court."

I think this speaks for itself, this is difficult to read but we can only improve international commentary by improving things at home.

Nigeria is not Africa

It goes on to say that the events that happened in Nigeria should not be viewed as an African malaise, Nigeria is NOT Africa, it states categorically.

A lesson in contemporary history shows that the excuse we have given about not being able to conduct elections to the standard of the West still leaves the obvious progress of a once poorer and less organised Asia overtaking Africa like a horse to a tortoise, in a flat race.

"The killer comparison is with Asia, where many countries suffered from the same colonial humiliations and rapacity that independent Africa customarily blamed for its early failings.

According to the World Bank, real income per head in the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa between 1960 and 2005 rose on average by 25%, while it leapt 34 times faster in East Asia; countries like South Korea and Malaysia were once as poor as Ghana and Kenya.

The excuse of colonialism wore out at least a generation ago-and Africans know it."

The throwback to colonialism can not more hold water, the Asians also had the same problems, how did they get out of those problems?

The integrity of the poor

That concludes with "In the end, Africa must help itself, just as Asia has."

Then in this week's edition under the title - Swathes of desert but oases of progress - they highlight how dirt-poor Mali and Mauritania, have for the 5^th and 1^st time respectively conducted democratic elections which observers have called fair.

The world order is changing, as might without honour is losing value and poor with integrity is turning into the right currency for aid and investment.

Newspapers - Is it still my country?

Internet Renewal Pains

I was having a chat to one of my colleagues after having renewed my subscription to The Economist over the phone. I could have easily done this over the Internet but it appears this service had been out-sourced as capitalists do to some outfit that made the job of renewal quite fraught, all sorts of errors that would make Einstein rethink the Theory of Relativity.

I then wrote to the Economist's Subscription office complaining about the problem and rather than resolve it and consequently invite me to use the service again, they automatically extended my subscription for a year without checking if that was what I wanted to do.

In fact, I was fed up of the yearly routine that I had decided to go for the 2-year deal; a second email upbraided them first and then requested an amendment to the subscription details, this elicited an apology, but I still had to arrange to pay for the deal.

Movable times

When I called at 09:10 yesterday morning, the call centre should have been running for at least 10 minutes in the UK, but I got the overnight message still running on the outgoing message system, I also realised that international calls were still barred on my home phone as a result of Bacchus's visit in March.

Anyway, my colleague was of the opinion that the Economist was quite left-leaning, though I can understand that they have attacked a few right-leaning people not so much for being right-wing but for their actions which could be inimical to progress and justice in their countries - Berlusconi and the twin brothers of Polish politics come to mind.

It was however interesting to note that I read the weekly Economist which my colleague considered left-leaning and read The Daily Telegraph which is quite conservative in its copy and opinion.

What do you read?

It reminded me of an analysis of readers of British newspapers in the 1980s as opined in the political satire drama of that time called Yes, Prime Minister.

In the A Conflict of Interest episode, the Prime Minister had this to say of the papers. "Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: The Times is read by the people who run the country. The Daily Mirror is read by the people who think they run the country.

The Guardian is read by the people who think they ought to run the country. The Morning Star is read by the people who think the country ought to be run by another country. The Independent is read by people who don't know who runs the country but are sure they're doing it wrong.

The Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country. The Financial Times is read by the people who own the country. The Daily Express is read by the people who think the country ought to be run as it used to be run. The Daily Telegraph is read by the people who still think it is their country". And The Sun's readers don't care who runs the country providing she has big tits.

Hmmm, I do wonder if this still fetches true 20 years on, mind you, we did not have the Internet then.