By Akintunde E. Akinade
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32
There is no future without forgiveness. – Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
– Mahatma Gandhi
The global political landscape is replete with intrepid political gladiators. In a jungle-like scenario, political engagement becomes a tale of survival-of-the-fittest. This landscape may often become saturated with venom and vengeance-ridden narratives. The murky waters of political participation is full of intrepid sharks. Indeed, they glide and gyrate with great gusto. The modus operandi of active politics is layered with variables that are unpredictable but yet maleable. They change all the time and they are subject to serious manipulations and magical maneuverings.Rebecca Gordon in her piece for TomDispatch fittingly compared the movements and moments within the political space to surfing. No one can predict the resurgence of tempestuous waves and currents. You must keep scanning the horizon, sometimes breathing very hard and keep paddling. Despite this precarious perspective, the sport is full of wonder, joy, and amazement. It fills the soul with tremendous bliss. This sentiment also applies to political leadership. Political governance provides the opportunity to transform individuals and communities. While political power is huge responsibility; it offers an auspicious platform for positive and transformative actions, initiatives, and programs.
These preliminary comments provide the segue for delving into the power of forgiveness and reconciliation in civil society and in political engagement. The impetus to write this short reflective piece was engendered by the column “Aregbesola’s ‘love letter’ to President Tinubu” written by Bolanle Bolawole and published in The Nigerian Tribune on November 17, 2024. My response is going to be on a more macro level and it is going to be tempered by someone who is very apprehensive about the porous state of solidarity among the Yoruba race. I am not really concerned about the catalogue of human fragilities and frailties listed in the article. It seems to me that is the responsibility of unrepentant and hardline political pundits. I am a theologian and an ordained Minister in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. I have both the credentials and the calling for advocating for sustainable shalom in Yorubaland with considerable confidence. Truly, my vocation empowers and energizes me to seek peace, amity, and goodwill. I come in peace. Amidst the cacophony of conflicts that unfortunately bestride different parts of the world; it is not an anathema to seek Alaafia (resounding wholeness) in Yorubaland. I have been summoned from the periphery to use both pen and pulpit to advocate for positive changes in civil societies. Fortunately, Bolawole quoted the Gospels of Matthew and Luke to underscore his thesis about betrayal. Needless to add that any sound discourse on the themes and tenets of forgiveness and reconciliation has adequate theological rationale. The copious toxic narratives about betrayal and conflicts in human encounters and experiences is analogous to carrying coals to Newcastle! The cornucopia and cocktails of past and present misdeeds only deepen deep-seated acrimonies and dissentions. It seems to me dwelling on past and present recriminations feed fantastic and humongous conspiracy theories that foster fissiparous tendencies. At this point, it is not out of place to use our intellectual acumen and moral will to create purposeful paradigms and processes that will heal the unfortunate conflict between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. It is both salutary and satisfactory to mention here that Kabiyesi Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi was vigorously working on a peaceful resolution of the conflict between President Tinubu and Ogbeni before he joined his ancestors. Eyin Kabiyesi o ni baje ni agbara Olodumare (In God’s mighty name, His Majesty’s legacy will not go to ruin). I am appealing to all the parties involved in the different stages of the conflict and misunderstanding between these two formidable political juggernauts that “Ti a ba ro didun ifon, a ho ara de egungun”(If we dwell on the pain associated with a skin infection, its constant scratching will penetrate very deep into the bones). We can affirm and conclude without mincing words that “A ja ma re kan ko si”(Friendship can be restored even after serious bickering). In this regard, the golden words of Confucius are also instructive: “Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass.”
In Yoruba weltanschauung, we do have a plethora of pithy proverbs for conflict resolution, peace, and holistic well-being. It seems to me that for the sake of posterity and to show the entire world the real character of an Omoluabi, it is crucial to heal broken relationships in Yorubaland. Baba Hubert Ogunde’s resounding plea: Yoruba roonu beckons with alarming urgency and importance! Reconciliation may be very difficult but is quite possible and doable. Reinhold Niebuhr’s notion of “impossible possibility” underscores love’s promise and perils in politics. It is indeed a good time to take the bull by the horns, sheathe the sword, and summon the monumental courage to stem the tide of repulsive acrimony within the rank and file of formidable Yoruba leaders. The quest for peace and understanding may tarry, but it will come to realization. As a Christian, I am a “prisoner of hope” to borrow a phrase by St. Augustine. In the process of reconciliation, a reckoning with the past is required, but so is the basis for reasonable future that is replete with calm and understanding.
I want to use the powerful story of Archbishop Desmond Tutu as the heuristic device for reflecting on the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in both personal and corporate healing. The redemptive power of forgiveness comforts the soul and heals broken hearts. It provides robust freedom and unequivocal peace. In his piece, “An Invitation to Forgive,” he narrated with uncanny zeal and pathos the unmitigated abuse unleashed on and him and his mother. He spent many nights watching hopelessly as his father verbally and physically abused his mother. He recalled the noxious smell of alcohol and the sullen fear in his mother’s eyes. He wrote about the hopeless despair that comes when we see people we love hurting each other in incomprehensive ways. Anger and bitterness do not just poison us, they poison our relationships. Thus, according to the venerable conscience of South Africa, it is okay to forgive. Forgiveness liberates us! According to him, “we are called to forgive each other time and time again; it is the nature of being in a relationship.” If we really think about it on a very deep level, we have the capacity to write a new story and to experience the stupendous healing and freedom that saturate our entire being when we forgive. In a similar vein, Professor Wole Soyinka has written a very persuasive and powerful book on forgiveness. His book, The Burden of Memory, The Muse of Forgiveness is loaded with personal anecdotes, poetic resonance, and convincing arguments that challenge the notions of simple forgiveness, of confession, and ablution, as strategies for personal and social healing. The Nobel Laureate and a prominent elder and statesman in Yorubaland talks about the “infinite possibilities of human options in the resolution of social crises.” Interestingly, Hegel’s political philosophy views reconciliation to be the central value that philosophical thinking can serve. Philosophy, according to Hegel, may serve the purpose and goal of reconciliation by demonstrating that the family, civil society, and state constitute the idea of freedom in and through which human self-consciousness comes to real actuality.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Peacemaking is not the absence of conflict or strife. Rather, the compound word “peacemaker” burst out with energy and it refers to getting the hands dirty and working aggressively and assiduously for peace that transcends all understanding. It becomes very imperative to work for peace and solidarity considering the various challenges that confront various communities in Yorubaland. We don’t have the luxury to act like the patriarch in Dostoyevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov, who destroys everything he touches. In the final scheme of things, we must be very intentional about creating safe spaces in which we can collectively work in solidarity and wage titanic battle against insecurity, inequality, and poverty in our dear nation.
May the Almighty God, our Alpha and Omega give us the will and energy to heal our deeply fractured and fragmented world.
Let’s take a deep breath and allow peace to reign.
May the Most Merciful One give us the courage and vision to engage in right actions at right times.
It is well indeed, Insha Allah!
•Akintunde E. Akinade is Professor of Comparative Theology, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Doha, Qatar.