Chinua Achebe wrote a seminal essay called "The Trouble With Nigeria." In it he blamed the dysfunction in the country on the political leaders. I am not sure whether he also blamed intellectual leaders.
Okay Ndibe's piece "My Suffering Is Worse Than Yours" to me, approaches something like the first step towards seriously diagnosing the seeming defeatist mentality of most Nigerians. It has to do with a low, or nonexistent self-esteem, the understanding that you really worth nothing, and therefore it made no difference if you are oppressed. This is cultural; it is also the first place for any African intellectual worth the name to begin. A people that never heard they had dignity will not suddenly begin to think that they deserve to be respected.
Thanks, Okey.
ENJOY
No comments:
Post a Comment