Petty Bickering and Generational Shift
ANOSIKE WILSON
Singapore, Asia
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The
atavism of tribalism and ethnic-bigotry refuse to die. What started like a play
with Zik and Awolowo, sought consolidation with Nzeogwu and the military boys.
Though Aguiyi-Ironsi wanted to strangle it, it escaped and continued its
trajectory. The tribal-hate consumed over a million lives in the Nigerian civil
war. Forty years on and after ten tears of pseudo democracy, a generation has
emerged; a generation that is both techno-savvy and imbued with information.
Again, that Abiku—ogbanje—of
tribalism is raising its head from its hibernating grounds, not only in the
larger context of politics but in the anonymous world of the internet.
This enlightened generation has a moral task. It is, whether they make up their
minds and sever the umbilical-cord of tribalism and ethnic bigotry so that
tribalism will die or they end up in the catacombs of history. History has a
very wicked way of repeating itself. The muses of the past months have been
seriously pulling the strings of this atavism. Some people have dug into memory
and tried to refurbish the story of Tafawa Balewa; whether he was shot or he was
not. While others like Chief Mbazuluike Amechi, aka “The boy is good,” restored
the narrative of the attempt on Zik’s life by one of the boys from the North.
The story culminated in the famous or infamous carpet-crossing. That particular
story attracted rebuttals and counter-refutations.
The political arena remains charged with the issue of zoning—the North and the
South, East and West. Recently, the Internet has been awash with stories and
news lased with tribal poison and hatred. It’s either Emeagwali and the Igbo or
Toyin Falola and the Yoruba. Those with a sense of history must thread with
caution. After all, is this not how it all began?
The hideous game of history must be jettisoned. This generation must stand up
and proclaim, “History we reject this game of yours.” A game akin to what I
witnessed in my home town Owerri. A family whom most people branded
Osu (outcast) lost their father at a
very young age, all the pretty ladies of the family have grown nubile. Any
in-coming suitor is alerted on the danger of premature death associated with an
Osu. Suddenly the mother of the
family, a young woman, died. I shouted “myth why must you recreate yourself.”
Myth and history will continue to seek ways and avenues of recreating
themselves. But the demand we must make of them is “for whom are you attempting
this?” the recreation of history of course, is possible because of two
conditions.
(1) that history is characterized by movement and in movement there is a
surfeit; something which remains and of course another which changes.
(2) Because the past is not extraneous to us. Memory as an intrinsic part of the
human species will continue to play its game of amnesia and retrieval. However,
we must chart a clear course where we project any history that tries to restore
itself. We must appropriate such history for our own service.
The nation-state can never be a finished product; each generation contributes
its quota. It is like the chain-novel allusion made by the American Jurist
Ronald Dworkin. Every successive generation must give a new flavour or tune to
that story while being mindful of what past or earlier generations have said or
penned-down. Therefore, each generation must determine what they think the
nation-state ought to look like. In this regard, I think that the will of this
generation has been forged in a furnace. It will no longer be enervated but
continue to affirm itself boldly in rejection of that destructive myth and
history of tribalism.
It is on this note that I take off my cap for Goodluck Jonathan, aka GEJ, who
looked straight into the eyes of those ethnic and zoning jingoist and affirmed,
“This time must be different.” GEJ, we must continue to remind you that most of
us—the internet and info-com generation—did not see Awo personally. I had a
glimpse of Zik from afar; I only came close to his hearse. We have heard stories
and read our history books. We are aware of what happened but we insist that our
generation will have to be different. And you must know that any task of the
will has never been easy. The atavism of sentiments and the passions will
continue to strike in order to deflect the will. But a resolute and tenacious
will always prevail.
The agents of repulsive history and their info-age servants will continue to
call you names. They may call you a dullard or even an outright moron; just
remember as you once said “you must keep faith with this generation of
Nigerians.” Doesn’t the good book say that the humble are raised to shame the
proud? We have seen governance by frenzy, all movement and no action. We have
also seen governance by those who think that they are omniscient and wiser than
all. We have also seen that of the somnolent spider. They led us nowhere. Just
remain steadfast and steer us on.
Our generation resolutely insist that this time must be different. It is a “do
or die,” not the kind associated with OBJ rather that kind which insists that we
must get it right or implode. We must quarantine the remaining agents who want
to recreate the repugnant myth of tribalism. Our nation must be an open society;
you will be called names and be threatened. In all, we hope that the
“lion-hearted cedar forest” become the “gonads for [your] thunder.” May it “hide
[you] and deliver [you] from your nakedness.” And then in turn become “exile for
our laughter.” Completely rest assured and keep focus despite the envious, given
the fact that:
In time of race, no beauty slights the duiker’s
In time of strength, the elephant stands alone
In time of hunt, the lion’s grace is holy
In time of flight, the egret mocks the envious...
In my own language we say “O si na Chi, Onyinye Chi, Iké Chukwu.”