Quantcast
Channel: Dialogues
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 54040

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Freedom to be our African selves

$
0
0
the germans gave us hitler, but they also gave us kant
the congolese gave us mobutu, but they also gave us mudimbe
the nigerians gave us abacha, but they also gave us fela
the americans gave us bush, but they also gave us toni morrison
let's see: the south africans gave us botha but they also gave us mandela

now, olu, i don't know what you are giving us, but it doesn't really seem to work in terms of rhetoric or logic. i think you want to give us museveni as a brave hero, but i ain't buying it.
ken

On 3/4/14 4:29 PM, Olu Abejide wrote:
I am a 28-year-old African male. well, this profiling may not sound relevant in our everyday lives in this part of the world; maybe elsewhere, too.
However, the profiling may help my interlocutors understand the background that colours my judgments and, chiefly, my writings, for better or for worse.
Of course, I did not choose to be born in, and belong to, Africa but do not consider it either a biological or geographical error or aberration, Lucifer Mandengu-style.

I am an African, as Thabo Mbeki would put it.

That is quite important especially when tackling issues relating to African existence as some people may probably get it twisted.

Writing is one of the simplest ways to court controversy.

Sometimes I court it inadvertently because of my being an African male, which condition predisposes me to certain worldviews which may not be an easy swallow for others.

That is why such issues as the recent Ugandan law that prohibits homosexuality, and in particular the defiance shown by President Yoweri Museveni, capture my imagination.

I cannot help but admire Museveni for his bravery and his moral uprightness in light of the bullying from Western countries that even threatened to withhold aid from this "poor African country".

The surfeiting love shown by the west to Africa in recent times on the issue of gay rights follows a well-worn trajectory.

They gave us slavery.

They gave us colonialism.

They gave us neo-colonialism.

Now it is gay rights and these kind people, in showing us the way, will not give us aid if we do not accept homosexuality! Read More


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.

--   kenneth w. harrow   faculty excellence advocate  professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 54040

Trending Articles