Volume (UP): #NIGERIA@60
“One nation bound…”
S: Pirates of the Caribbean is among my all-time favorite movies. It is fun, interesting and deeply meaningful. I think it was brilliant how the writers captured the human society in that fantasy world. In the series is the character of Will Turner, a pirate of circumstance who is determined to save his father from eternal servitude on the magical ship of Davy Jones. In the second movie, Will’s crush meets his father and she tells him of the great plan to set him free. He cuts her off in solemn disdain, telling her to tell Will not to bother, “I am part of the ship now”. Later in that same instalment, Bill Turner would go on to report Will, who got himself captured so he could escape with his father off the ship. In this scene Bill chants “part of the crew, part of the ship”.
In my country, we are “celebrating ” independence today. Our countrymen, though diverse in tongues and ethnicities, have found a common ground and national heritage over these many years. Greed!! As a result, the giant of Africa has been developing for 60 years. In place of a thriving agricultural economy in the north-east, we have unending war. The north-central and west are currently experiencing a mix of genocidal “farmer/herder“ clashes interspersed with sprinkles of kidnappings amid extreme poverty. Down south, thick godfathers and healthy robber barons gyrate rhythmically on the backs of the overstressed and overworked masses, sating insatiable economic libidos. Megacities are basically traffic queues and cheating husbands, the once beautiful Niger Delta is soiled with oil spills to provide luxuries for people at the other end of the country while starving for fish. The country has actively become a bandit trying to kill everyone and everything associated with it. If inflation isn’t starving you, bandits (or the police) will shoot you for having enough. In the midst of all of this, civil freedoms (speech, religion etc) are continuously being thinned out. Nigerians are being bombarded with crises on every side.
Much to their credit, Nigerians have reacted in a uniform manner. Those that cannot join the propaganda death engine, jump ship to better countries or hop on every trend and new fad to distract themselves. Others are just too beaten down to react to the darkest of news. In all of this, is the pervasive all-important promotion and preservation of self.
Towards the end of the third part of the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Flying Dutchman suffers defeat from the Pirate coalition. Chanting together; the crew members, oppressors and victims alike, they swing into action trying to salvage their ship.
“To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign”
This episode is for those fortunate and unfortunate Nigerians, cursed with unending love for this toxic love affair, those that have no sponsor or desire to join the loot, those of us enriched and fattened by this brown ad treacherous system, those without the ability to escape the cold grip of the green passport, those too tired to know and care. I hope these songs serve as a reminder of the unending theme of our country’s existence. I hope it makes your blood boil with anger towards our situation. I hope they rouse some responsibility, to more than ourselves and loved ones. I hope they ignite passionate kindness for our neighbors and love for the idea of our country. And more than anything, I hope they remind us, that we all are and will remain “Part of the crew, Part of the ship.
T: I believe the idea of Countries/borders truly exists for the sole reason of the resources, businesses within them. Nothing else. Even though the people within them are the most valuable resources, this country doesn’t rate us. Yes, human beings are the most valuable resource on the planet. Any functioning country knows it, deep down. To love this country that exists for a few, you have to be brainwashed. You have to ignore a lot. The stage Nigeria is in right now is very delicate. A lot of really negative & positive things are bubbling underneath. Almost irreversible problems and paths to a nation that works for a large portion of its citizens, both exist at the same time. But we have to be careful. It seems the scales tip towards the former. But to believe in the latter is to remain positive, look for problems around your community and see if you can to fix or improve on them. The size of these problems are huge but you have to start from somewhere. I think this is how we’ll truly get to a place this country benefits a lot more people. We have to put in the work no matter how dirty or never-ending it may seem.
This week I have only one entry. It is Billionaire by Teni. I love this song. I think it is an anthem for what I believe is the Nigerian dream right now, which to me is to make as much money as possible so as not to experience the Nigerian reality, at the expense of everyone else.
Look, 60 is young for a country so I still believe. Happy Independence Day 🥳
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