Dr. Abimbola Lagunju’s article “South Africa: A Land Of Thugs And
Cutthroats” (2017) is a great piece of intellectual work, which provokes strong
‘ideological’ connotation, for the Black South Africans, who have been deceived
and cheated by illogical political elites and their cronies. On the other hand,
a ‘revolutionary thought’ for the rest of the Sub-Saharan Africans, who need to
adopt ‘aggressive’ drive to respond to the actions and inactions of the South
African people and government. Abimbola consciously employs the flashback
technique in his article to deliberately inform Black South Africans of the
sacrifices Africans made, either as individuals or collectively, as states in
the liberation of South Africa. Black South Africans should not forget these
efforts in a hurry, otherwise posterity will not forgive them.
The article paints a grim picture of South Africa, as a country
occupied by crooks, state operatives, inept political elites characterised by
blurry political ideals, who have secretly re-invented themselves through
manipulating and carefully converting ordinary Black South Africans into thugs
and blood thirsty human vampires. The result, Xenophobia.
As the South Africa leadership continue to play deaf ears and pay
lip serves to the destructive nature of Black South Africans, bigotry and
prejudices in the guise of nationalism have become the order of the day. Thus,
sporadic outrage, organised attacks and inhuman attitude of Black South
Africans towards people of their own colour, invoke a nostalgia for the Era of
European imperialism: the bastardization of African men, women and children;
and the devastation of the African Continent in the name of civilization and
development by Europeans and some Black Africans dressed in ‘Western Clothes’.
While poverty and unemployment may have been, a causative factor used for
killing other Africans in South Africa, such behaviours have no disconnection
between the previous White rule and the present Black rule in the country.
The reality is, South Africa is still mentally colonised: hence,
they still need freedom from that absurdity. But decolonisation will be
difficult, since Black South Africans are a typical representation of JAY
GATSBY in F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’. They will continue to
blame and kill their fellow Africans for their laziness to stand up against the
very culprits that marginalised and refused them access to the resources of
their country.
Black South Africans are, of course, afraid of confronting the
real demons; instead, they point their angers and frustrations towards other
Africans by marring and decapitating them.
But, even as they continue to maim and kill others, ‘for robbing
them of their jobs’ there is a sense of daily confusion emanating from the lack
of identity, strength and self-realisation amongst these vampires as in
Abimbola’s article. Their subjugation to the narratives of White Minority South
Africans, of other Africans, as thieves, Trojans and a good for nothing people,
have made Black South Africans very cynical and doubtful of their own
existence; particularly when interacting with people of their own colour.
This manifestation of Xenophobia, summary killings and destruction
of other Africans as evident, raises two questions: (a) Are Black South
Africans really confused about their identity? (b) Are they living in a dream
world of illusiveness?. But the reality is, Black South Africans are ‘something
that evokes xenophobia, semi-literate thugs, violence, corrupt leadership, carjacking,
rape, inferiority complex and ingrates in the minds of other Africans’ writes
Dr Abimbola. For such, they have neither the social connections nor the
confidence to move freely among other Africans who have made their fortunes
through hard work and resilience.
To dismiss this spell of Western rhetoric and ideology vibes that
have held Black South African vampires’ hostage in their own country, there is
need for social and political revolution. This revolution will require Sub
Saharan African governments to reinvent the wheel, like it happened in the
1930s with the emergence of the ‘Negritude Movement’ against European
domination in Africa. Black South Africans need more education, this time, it
will be rooted in African autography, coin from Africa ideology, taught in
African Languages and led by African Teachers. May be this will bring back
their Africaness!
Although Black South Africans “…aren’t Caucasians neither are they
Asians’ (Abimbola Lagunju, 2017) they still live and feed on the land that
belongs to Africans. If the premise therefore, is true, then they will need to
understand and respect our values and traditions; and have a sense of our
friendliness to strangers. Through this exposition to our values and believe in
the Africa unionism, I hope, Black South Africans will regain consciousness and
accept their ‘Africaness’. Otherwise, ‘we will cut diplomatic ties with South
Africa…expel South Africa from the African Union…reduce all trade links to the
barest minimum and, lastly cut all sports ties with South Africa. (Abimbola Lagunju,
2017). We will not continue to hold back, and allow other Africans, once again
behave like colonial masters whose single hate for Africans subjected us to
slavery in our Continent.
Shame on you Black South Africans. Or be the change our people
died for.
April 1, 2017
Thank you Abu Bakarr for this great contribution. AL
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