Page 42 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 10

CULTURE

are scientists, medical doctors, tech as a cheap shot at Nigerians. I got than those we call out, is the nar-
gurus, CEOs, lawyers, artistes etc, all upset with his writing because he rative the globalists want to keep
doing great things all over the world. used words and statements that going concerning Afrika and we
were not only derogatory of the en- as Afrikans are handing them the
Personally, I think that a large tire nation of Nigeria as a people, very tools they need to do it with.
amount of the criminal narrative which is a mindless salvo at the very
about Nigerians is over-exaggerat- core of the united Afrika that all I am completely against Crime
ed. I will try and share a few things Pan-Afrikanists are working towards. I cannot say this enough. I am com-
here about my own personal expe- And mind you, this article is not pletely against any form of crime
rience at the hands of those who about Rutendo and whatever he in whatever form or shape. Among
think being Nigerian means crime. wrote, but about how to look Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Ken-
However, before I do that, I will cast into the Nigerian crime narra- yans, Somalis, South Afrikans or
some of the blame for the wrong tive and see just maybe something whatever other Afrikan nation. It
narrative about Nigerians on Nolly- very different can be attained. is a stench in the nostrils of God
wood and even the media for some and wickedness before humanity.
of these errors in mindset. Why? Personally, I am very ok with anyone And any Nigerian or Afrikan in-
As Nollywood and even local indi- calling out the Nigerians that are in- volved in crime both at home and
vidual content creators in Nigeria, volved in crime, whose criminal ac- abroad should be dealt with accord-
you cannot base most of your local tivities for me personally are a dirty ing to the law of the land in which
movies and content about Nigerians stain on the Afrikan Brand. And the crime was committed. This is
around internet fraud, money ritu- that's because I am game with anyone my stand on crime and criminality.
als, drugs, corruption, get-rich-quick who is bold enough to face evil head
schemes and then expect the world on and call it out, especially among What about the good Nigerians?
to see Nigerians differently from brothers. But one thing that puts When you hear people, media or
what you showed them. The ques- me off with such posts and which even the movies talk about Nigeri-
tion is this, when will the movies and many Afrikan writers still erroneous- ans in relation to criminal activities,
content you create be about the great ly do, is to make blanket statements you would think nothing good is
Nigerians that are doing great things just to justify what they think they happening with Nigerians wherev-
both within Nigeria and abroad? To knew about a person or a people. er they may be. The level of mis-
me, I think we have somehow per- conception about the Nigerian nar-
fected how to celebrate and reward And also, to call out the evil of your rative is so huge that sometimes
foolishness more than we celebrate Afrikan brothers and then not give it's hard to know where to begin
and reward integrity and hard- counsel about how to make chang- to dislodge those misconceptions.
work. But I will get to this shortly. es is for me the most mindless thing
to do. In fact, for me, it's not only I will not be able to give all that is
I was reading a post by an Afrikan shameful but useless for anyone to required to deal with this issue, but
called Rutendo Mantinyarare on call out the flaws of supposed broth- let me share a very few things here
Facebook. He is a Zimbabwean social ers or anyone else, close their eyes to about the beauty of Nigerians that
activist and we have featured a cou- the good things about them and then most people don't know or just
ple of his articles on this magazine also not counsel them on how to be don't want to know and accept.
and also have had a video interview better. Why is this an issue? We can- • According to the Mo Ibrahim
with him about the state of Afrika. not change in others what we our- Foundation, there are more than
selves are not ready to deal with both 4,000 Nigerian medical doctors
In his Facebook post, he was talking in ourselves and in the people we are in the US and about 5,000 in the
about Nigerians and crime. He trying to change. And most of the UK alone. I am not talking about
made mention of several instances time, what we passionately hate and Nigerians born in these coun-
where he was told about the crimes talk against in others are just the re- tries, but those who migrated
committed by Nigerians when he flection of the state of our own hearts. from Nigeria to these countries.
went overseas or something to that • According to imdiversity.com,
effect. Sincerely speaking, I am ok Pulling each other down, calling out Today, 29 percent of Nige-
with the call out which he did even each other without true correction rian-Americans over the age
though I do not consider his words and the intention to make change of 25 hold a graduate degree,
as wise rebuke for change, but more because we think we are more holy compared to 11 percent of the

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