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Blacks all over the world share a common heritage. We have the same dark complexion, same physical features, same problems of bad leadership, same genes, same character traits, identical lifestyles, same culture but different languages, even though we’re all originally from Africa.
Africa is home to black people, it’s our continent of origin, even if we’re scattered around the world. That’s why Africa is the Black Continent. Sometimes, it is derogatorily referred to as the Dark Continent. And darkness is synonymous with anything evil, anything wrong or bad. It is our responsibility to change this narrative, this mindset and perception.
We have education now and we’re exposed to technology, civilization and knowledge. So, we have no excuse to remain second-class race because of our colour. The colour of skin does not in any way, determine intelligence, ability, mental, physical, emotional make-up. What could account for all of those is the state of evolution, how one has evolved through development, education, experience, interaction, technology and related issues.
That said, I believe the sorry state of the black man was caused by the foolishness of the black people and our wicked leaders over the centuries. Instead of struggling to better the lot of their own people, our leaders, over the centuries, oppressed their own people, killing innocent people for sacrifice, marrying wives, drinking and wasting precious time on useless festivities and rituals, never bothering to develop their own environment.
Our ancestors sold their own people into slavery for peanuts and gave themselves up to colonialists, when they should have resisted the European invaders and welcomed them instead as development partners. Anyway, all of that is history. The important thing is how to undo the damage of centuries that has created a low self-esteem, low mentality for black people. The first thing to do is to change this mindset and the narrative that goes with it.
Our black folks should begin to assert themselves like the Asiatic civilizations who have, through development, education and technology, challenged the superiority of the Western nations and forced the whole world to respect China, India and the Asian tigers. Most Asian countries are doing well.
The Japanese, Chinese and the Indians have continued to promote their cultures and traditions side by side advanced technology. They have not ceded to the West the notion of superiority of Caucasian cultures and lifestyle to the values of Asian ways of life. The Chinese eat with their chopsticks, the Japanese and Indians bow to greet, and speak their own languages.They develop their own environment and build homes and cities that reflect Asian cultures and styles. Agreed, there’s a blending of styles, but the Asians remain Asians in their ways of life. We, black people, need to assert our selves and project our culture, traditions and ways of life. That’s how to win respect. No copy can be better than the original.
We urgently need a World Black Congress (WBC) to spearhead a global black renaissance with the sole purpose of reclaiming our heritage, culture and traditions. We must insist on quality leadership in our countries. We need leaders who deliberately promote unity, peace and prosperity and technology-driven education. We need new leaders who are committed to the welfare of the people, true lovers of the masses, not evil men and women whose reason for seeking power is to plunder the wealth of the people, using ethnicity and religious bigotry and primordial concepts of ethnic superiority.
The WBC being advocated is like the Arab League, which the great Arab people set up as an umbrella organization for the promotion of the Arabs. I like the way Arabs have used their oil wealth to develop their countries. Of course, there were and still are wily Arab dictators who oppress their own people like most of our black leaders around the world, but they are few and far between.
Wealthy folks in the oil-rich Gulf kingdoms are buying up European football clubs, companies, iconic institutions. They don’t stash away their wealth in Western banks like our black leaders do. Blacks must wake up to hope and copy what’s good in other racial groups. I don’t hate whites. In fact, I admire their contribution to world civilization. In education and technology, social development, culture and in other spheres, the west has been the world’s pioneers and leaders. We cannot deny that. But I object to western attempts to force their ways, good and bad, down the throats of the entire world.
The west is promoting same-sex marriage, LGBTQ and sexual immorality, but rejects polygamy, which is a norm in many Third World nations. No, I reject such double standard outright! The west is no longer the world’s moral teacher. It has lost that privilege because of its moral decadence, corruption and double standard.
The WBC must bring all black people together and look into how to rescue black nations like Haiti from decent into chaos. Gang violence is destroying that country, causing untold suffering for its people, our brothers and sisters. South Sudan, the world’s newest nation, has not known peace since it gained independence from Sudan. The WBC has the responsibility to broker peace in black nations where crises reign.
Until we get this congress in place, the struggle continues.
•Ayodeji, author, pastor and life coach, can be reached on 09059243004 (SMS, WhatsApp and email: [email protected] only)
