PROBLEMS 101

My dearest  Yemmie recently drew our attention to 2 'posts' about Naija that have been making the rounds and she asked the question .....'Is Nigeria Really This Bad?'. Please go to her lovely blog to read.

I have to say that I didnt watch the video but I read through Tim's write up and I can honestly say that there is nothing he said that I found untrue.

Granted, if we only focus on the negatives, we might become blind to the positives within Nigeria BUT I am not one to shirk from the truth and the truth is that we have serious problems in Nigeria.

We like to deceive ourselves that Nigeria is fantastic but we need to realise that the system we have in place is just not right. We have problems ...

- There is a problem when people feel they have a right to LOOT the coffers of a nation...

- There is a problem when an intelligent person is born into poverty and there are NO institutional routes for him/her to advance educationally.....

- There is a problem when faced with a new law or regulation; the average Nigerian's first thought is 'HOW DO I AVOID THIS LAW/ REGULATION?'


- There is a problem when dirty old men feel it is their right to SLEEP with every female job applicant they come across?

- There is a problem when young girls feel it is normal to BED HOP with men older than their fathers.........

- There is a problem when our young men would rather cross a DESERT than stay in their own country.........

- There is a problem when RELIGION is used to manipulate people into becoming cash machines and murderers.....

- There is a problem when politicians are seen as 'EXCEPTIONAL' just because they tarred one stretch of road.....

- There is a problem when children value MONEY over and above all things....

- There is a problem when contracts are AWARDED, RE-AWARDED, RE-RE AWARDED & RE-RE-RE AWARDED ............without any accountability....

- There is a problem when provision of education has become so poor that we send our children to Ghana...Togo....Poland....India.......JUST ANYWHERE........

- There is a problem when the LOVE FOR MONEY has made kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual murders and extortion the norm............

- There is a problem when we need to fly out of the country for BASIC health care.........

- There is a problem when a DOCTOR can let anyone...but especially...a child or pregnant woman die because the relatives dont have the means to pay for their treatment..........

- There is a problem when our LEADERS are happy to say they are 'flying abroad' for medical treatment......

- There is a problem when the brothers/ sisters we supported through APARTHEID (South Africa) now wish they had fewer numbers of us in their country.....

There is a problem when a country can go from being the LEADING PRODUCER of a product (Palm Oil) to an importer of the same product........

- The BIGGEST PROBLEM is not acknowledging we actually have these problems. Self awareness is teh first step towards growth. I know it hurts to hear but like a parent with a deviant child....sometimes, one has to face the truth before things can change.

We need to stop pretending all is well. ALL IS NOT WELL.

Yes, there is nothing like home......BUT....It sure would be great if we acknowledged that 'Home' is not perfect and we are part of the imperfections.

A Mess All Round

I am always humbled when I meet people who make a difference to other people's lives.

Similarly, I am always given a jolt when I read/ hear something that shows how much this world is messed up.

I don't know how many of you have heard of Dr Kermit Gosnell - the Philadelphia based doctor who aborted/ murdered foetuses over 32 weeks old and caused the death of at least one woman.

I read the Grand Jury Report on this case here with a mixture of nausea and dismay. If you can, please read up what this man is accused of. It makes for gruesome reading

Questions are now being asked about why he got away with it for so long ..........?

While I cannot generalise, I can suggest that perhaps he got away with it for so long, for the same reasons why.........
- Spousal Abuse is ignored until it turns to Mariticide/ Uxoricide
- Racism/ Tribalism is ignored until it turns to Genocide
- Post Natal Depression is ignored until it turns into Filicide
- Sibling Rivalry is ignored until it becomes Fratricide/ Sororicide................

Because we (as a society) are too busy worrying/ arguing about...
- Who is the slimmest
- Who is the richest
- Who has the most 'authentic' hair/ skin
- Who is 'doing well' and who is 'not doing well'
- Who has/ hasn't got married/ had children/ got a job/ graduated etc etc
- Who is the smartest etc etc

This world is messed up enough, please don't contribute to making it worse.....

Book Reviews

I have been fortunate to read two books by two bloggers recently and here are my reviews (I dont like it when book/ film reviewers give the whole plot away so I will keep my reviews as 'cryptic' as possible):

1. The Officer's Bride by Lara Daniels

This is a romantic tale set in Northern Nigeria and the backdrop is the twilight days of Nigeria's General Sanni Abacha's military rule. The two main characters are Colonel Edward (Eddy) and Nafisah. 

I liked Lara's ability to weave Nigerian history into a romantic story. While the story is all about the romance between two people, one can learn something about a time in Nigeria's history that held so many secrets.
Again, when Lara writes about her characters making love, she displays maturity that keeps the 'love making' within the confines of 'romance' and well away from the 'soft porn' boundaries.

However, I felt that some of the conversations in English were a bit 'stilted' and did not sound like how Nigerians would naturally converse with each other. 

I do accept that translating colloquial  language into print can be difficult but whenever I read a story with a 'cultural setting'; one of the things that makes the 'cultural angle' authentic to me is the use of realistic language / conversations. That is why I loved the touches of Hausa Lara throws in here and there. Beautiful....

Overall, I really enjoyed this novella and I couldnt wait to find out how it would end. I am now eagerly waiting a longer story from this author. Great job!


2. Antonyms of a Mirage by Atilola Moronfolu

This book consists of  prose, drama and poetry - with different personalities commenting on societal issues. 

 I liked Atilola's use of different personalities as I feel most people have different personalities and view-points.This use of different personalities was very creative and allows Atilola examine Nigeria's unique challenges through the eyes of different people. Her ability to use this writing form displays great maturity and insight. 

My favourite piece has to be 'Prayers of Mediocrity' because it exposes the hypocrisy that lies beneath the burgeoning religious hysteria that grips our beloved Nigeria.

However, I felt the mixture of  prose, drama and poetry was distracting to me. I am an especially impatient reader and I prefer to read poetry seperately from prose....Poetry requires a different mindset for me. 

Overall, I enjoyed Atilola's take on societal ills and I do believe she will make a great playwright. I am looking forward to going to the theatre to watch a play written by Atilola one day. For me, that is a natural progression for her.  In the meantime, Great Job Atilola...I now await my complementary tickets!!

An Ode to Achebe

I was a voracious reader as a child .....

It was my way of escaping......

Escaping the drudgery of chores.......

Escaping the  pain of school politics......

Escaping the weight of parental expectations......

Escaping the helplessness of being a child.....

Escaping the frustrations that came with being a daughter.....

Escaping the hopelessness of wanting the unobtainable....

Just escaping!

I read good books... I read bad books.....

I read books every child should read...

I read books no child should read...

I just read.... until the day I picked up 'Things Fall Apart'

Here was an author, who used words......

Like a hungry lover devours his woman - voraciously.

Here was an author, who created characters........

That took up residence in one's brain - indefinitely.

Here was an author, who used words....

I could taste and smell -  completely.

Here was an author, who painted stories.......

That would rival any masterpiece - absolutely.

I have read good books, I have read bad books...

I have read books everyone should read

I have read books that frankly, should not have been written

But nothing has moved me as much as the words that came from him.

Today, I shed a tear

For the passing of an icon

I shed a tear because he is gone

I shed a tear because he died far from home

I shed a tear because his beloved country is still a 'potential great'

I shed a tear because we have lost a great man

I shed a tear because yet 'another great' has left us

Rest in peace, Chinua Achebe

You live forever......

Your Okonkwo lives...

Your Obi lives...

Your Ezeulu lives...

Your Beatrice lives...

Your Chike lives...

Your legacy lives..............

Thank you for coming into my life..

I know you live!

Picture Credit:  Chinua Achebe in 1960 Photograph: Eliot Elisofon/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Source:Guardian 
Chinua Achebe: 'grandfather of African fiction'. Photograph: Craig Ruttle/AP. Source: Guardian

Hello and Amen

Hello to all

Apologies for the long absence

I have been busy...then travelling ......and internet access was a challenge

I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year?

May 2013 bring us all lots of blessings, laughter and good health

May 2013 also see our dreams come true

Amen
xxxx