Ancient Words Ever True

“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” ― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart “When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land.” ― Desmond Tutu A lot has been written about the balkanization of the Nigerian state by “the white man” in the quest to conquer Africa for his own selfish interests. The role the white man’s Christianity played to catalyse this process is also well documented. Just to cite a few cases, the Church (missionaries and preachers) watched with glee as their white brothers engaged in slave trade, sometimes presenting the Christian God as a supporter of slave trade. The eco...

In the middle of Lagos- Benin expressway, before the Ore junction, sits a rusty disabled car with a partially burnt-out engine. It has been there for weeks, abandoned by the owner and by the state. There is no light where the car rests, yet thieves have managed to visit at night and extract anything of value in the car. Meanwhile, at their home in FESTAC, a patriarch and his family are preparing to travel to Onitsha. They have packed their luggage and taken them into their Honda Pilot Jeep. They pray for God to grant them safe trip. The parents speak in tongues and the children sing choruses. Their neighbours and friends come out and wish them journey mercies. As they drive, they play gospel music and sing more songs and praises. Near the site where the rusty car rests, the patriarch of the family swings the car to avoid a pothole. By the time he regains control of the car, he is face to face with the disabled car. The last thing that comes out of his mouth before the car slams into th...