BLACK LIVES WILL MATTER ONLY WHEN AFRICA PROVIDES A MODEL HOMELAND FOR BLACK PEOPLE
Black people all over the world outside Africa are subjected to one form of discrimination, profiling or the other. Black people inside Africa also grapple with all kinds of self inflicted discrimination or the other. Both scenarios are related and it’s understanding and resolution may solve the Blackman’s problem globally. Most people are always interested in what happened to blacks outside Africa, more so, that even where they are granted natural citizenship by birth, naturalizations or migration, the law still fails to protect them.It appeared as if other races loves everything black, until its human.
Black people will start earning respect when a model black homeland emerges in Africa or a couple of Black Nations emerge that are doing well politically, socially and economically. Until then, black life will never matter anywhere in the world. The perception in the public domain is that being black or “a person of color” already is a disadvantage and will be treated with condescension, disdain or outright hatred by people of other races, color may not have much to do with this. Rather, this may be the political consequences of failure of the African continent to evolve decently in all measurement index of human developmental endeavors. Racism against blacks is also most times viewed from superordinate and subordinate prism. Yes, also, the whiteman projects his superiority complex as can be seen in all his contributions to the human race. Blackman has nothing to offer mankind or may have offered nothing to humanity. The Blackman may be suffering from “bottom man’s dilemma”
I personally have no serious problem with white people choosing to denigrate, hate, disrespect or racially profile black people, my issue is majorly with black people refusing to create a homeland for themselves by developing Africa. Instead, we engage in profiling, hating, killing fellow blacks under the guise of tribalism, religion, social class or even slavery.
The Blackman has made Africa so unlivable that the only place to run to and be assured of some measure of a good life is the western world where he is barely welcomed and tolerated. Black people are different from white people; so, if white people look down on us curiously and try to discriminate, dominate, disrespect, degrade or kill us, it is our job to pick ourselves up and assert our humanity and responsibility to each other by loving ourselves and doing something with our lives by rebuilding our motherland in Africa.The Chinese were once in our shoes, faced with rejection and hatred by the world, they locked themselves in and rebuilt their country with home grown strategies. Today, they are a world power. They are even trying to retrieve colonies forcefully taken away from them in Hongkong, Taiwan, etc. Today, they are allegedly spreading coronavirus all over the world and the best the world could do is pamper them in a subdued respectful manner.
The remaining bottom man in the global developmental power calculus is the Blackman. Racism against blacks in America may never abate because they are still being seen as former slaves. They know the Blackman has no where to run back to. So, it’s either he continues to accept his fate in America or be killed. Some rich and influential black people in America have traced their ancestry to Africa and what have they done with it? Why can’t they invest in schools and businesses in africa? The diasporas nko? Yet, it’s not only white people that still seek to enslave blacks. The Arabs were there before the whites and still nurse slavish emotions towards blacks. Arabs have Dubai, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. Whenever Europe wants immigrants to come, they go for Arabs instead of blacks who are more willing to work; respect is reciprocal.
Discrimination against black will only come to an end when a black homeland emerges, at the moment, there’s currently no “developed” black nation anywhere in the world. African countries and black Caribbean nations are all struggling and grappling with economic and political instability. Most Asian countries like China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, et al that were previously classified with African Nations and even shared similar history of colonialism, domination, et al as “developing” countries have all moved into “developed “ countries status,even Arab nations like Egypt, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, et all have all leapfrogged into development and in the process created a “homeland “ and respect for Asians and Arabs alike :THIS IS THE CRUX OF THE MATTER
There’s nothing to celebrate about the Blackman in Africa other than endless crisis, voodoo and clear lack of leadership in political governance. Africa failed the Blackman, especially Nigeria which showed initial promise but self destructed at noon. Even South Africa is slowly sliding into political abyss because of corruption, (notice the depreciation in quality of leadership since Mandela ), xenophobia, uninspiring political leadership and governance. Ironically, South Africa’s (3rd world country with first world infrastructure built by apartheid whiteman is chasing away other blacks from coming). Xenophobic violence is not even against former apartheid lords but against fellow blacks from other African nations. It may just be a matter of time before SA joins Zimbabwe in the league of failed African states like Nigeria where a citizen can also be a “non indigene”
Meanwhile, as most continents like Europe is integrating more and collapsing its entire political, economic and social formations to form a single “country “,African nations are emphasizing more political diversity by closing their borders to non nationals. The most difficult place to travel across is within Africa.
Black people all over the world have a duty to focus on and help develop Africa by investing in africa and insisting on good governance from political office holders all over africa. Africa is home of black people, when Africa starts doing well politically and economically, black people will then gain the respect they deserve in the world.This is the way it worked for Isreal, Arabs, Asians, European etc; respect is earned. Africa hopes on her black children all over the world for her development; we must root out bad governance in African at all levels first.
Emeka Ezekwe
16/6/20
