Lagos. One of the graduates was
Harold Smith who served with his
conscience and who almost paid the
price with his life.
As reported by Harold Smith, the
British loved the largely illiterate
and backward North and had
arranged for fifty percent of the
votes to be controlled by the
Northern Party, the NPC, which
was largely a creation of the British
and hardly a normal political party
in the accepted sense.
Harold Smith writes that Sir James,
by way of threat said “you may be
under a misapprehension, Smith,”
said Sir James forcefully.” I want
you to know that I personally gave
the orders regarding the elections
to which you objected. They were
necessary.” “Look here, Smith”, he
pleaded. “Be reasonable.Your work
has been brilliant and outstanding.
If you will keep your mouth shut, I
can promise rapid promotion and a
most distinguished career elsewhere
in government service overseas.” (I
was not to be allowed to work in
the United Kingdom.)” “You must
understand that you know too much
for your own good. If you do not
give me your word, means will be
found to shut you up. No one will
believe your story and the press will
not be allowed to print it … Now
be reasonable and we will forget the
whole thing. Just give me your word
and think of the brilliant career
which lies ahead.”[3] (from the
Book, This house of Odua must not
fall by Sir Olanihun Ajayi)
So yes indeed there was a very major
part that colonial rule played in
destroying Africa but we need to
move from that argument. It’s been
too long so it no longer passes. I
certainly agree that time does not
wash injustices clean but it is also
true that as long as the wronged stay
in the place of the wrong committed,
they will not move.
It is better to move from that place
to a more empowered state where
the injustice and its consequences
can be better fought. After all,
success is the sweetest form of
revenge. Also, we must never forget
that the Africans were already
destroying themselves even before
the Arab slave traders arrived.
We must also remember that other
parts of the world were colonized
– Canada, Australia and New
Zealand and are still part of the
British Empire and have the Queen
as their head of State. If colonial
rule was the root cause of the curse,
how come other nations did not get
destroyed by the curse?
One may argue that they are not
culturally different from their
colonizers and as such not much
damage was done vis-à-vis changing
the identity of the colonized. The
chief strategy for colonialism was
to strip people of their authentic
‘‘ Performance is a function of environment.
Some Countries in Africa have launched a war
against corruption but the truth is that no war
on corruption can work if the environment that
created the corruption has not been dealt with.
A society that does not allow originality and
authenticity will never transform.’’
identities and impose a new identity
on them. It was a forced identity
which was cemented by the fact that
there were rewards for those who
complied and grave consequences for
those who did not.
Then the era of independence came
but was the independence true?
Political independence alone is not
enough to take a people forward.
Political independence without
economic independence is a farce
but then economic independence
is not attainable without mental
independence.
A people who still live controlled by
the mentality of the slave trade era
in the post-independence era are
truly interesting people. Is the curse
that their thinking and mentality
was somehow locked up and frozen
in time so that they could not transit
in their minds?
Is the curse that they were so
destroyed by colonial rule that they
are locked up and cannot find a way
out of the injustices perpetuated by
colonial rule?
What Is The Way Forward Out
Of This So Called Curse?
Get our identity back – Celebrate
our own
Just take a look at many church
programs and you will see a lineup
of speakers and conspicuously placed
will be the fact that they are from
the USA. This is bound to attract
people. Similarly when a consultant
comes from abroad, he is paid
premium even if there are better
consultants domestically.
Somehow it is easier to celebrate
what we don’t have and despise what
we have. This is the starting point of
our transformation – the ability to
celebrate what we have.