THE LAST KNOWN DINOSAUR (MADIBA ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA) GOES : IS THERE ANY TRACE OF THE LAST UNKNOWN? As an a student of philosophical anthropology,a course I so much loved and embraced perhaps due to the inspiring lectures of my professor-distinguished Rev.Fr.Prof.George Ekwuru (CMF) who pours out intellection like a libation to the gods. During one of the classes on Paleontology I came more closer to appreciate the awesomness of antique creatures that one inhabited this planet earth. One of such is Dinosaur whose last of its kind was seen about 66million years ago having first appeared 231.4million years ago. A creature so endowed with 190 feet horizontal measurement and 30feet height. Am sure if there is a single dinosaur left on this planet,it will be legislated by United Nation that it be globally conserved and people will fly from across the globe to behold its awesomness. There is actually one down in South Africa and 60 world leaders are on their way to pay last respect. While this piece? The last African dinosaur Madiba is gone, the sun in the skies of Africa dims in mourning,flags are hoisted at half mast in different countries of the world,nothing less than 60 world leaders finds their way to south Africa from today, the first citizen of the world is gone and only his demise has the capacity to converge who is who in the world. I feel personally emotional doing this piece due to the fact I followed Madiba in his long walk to freedom from first page to last page and as such I understand what his demise mean to Africa aside the hullabaloo that most of our leaders who barely know anything about his struggles,values and ideals talk and write the past four days to the point of identifying their breed with Madibas. Absolute ontological mismatch! On the 18th of July this year, I wrote a piece in comemoration of a day set aside by UN to celebrate the NO.1 citizen of the world (politically). In that piece I nostalgically took a trip down historical lane to recount the tortuous road Africa has passed since the inception of human civilization. Africa descended from the lofty position of being the first son of human race(Kenya Peticus and blameless Ethiopians) that set the wheels of human civilization into motion to the present unimaginable status of servants of the world who goes about with a begging bowel that licks which we call foreign Aid. Africa a begging continent! Nevertheless, For the past four days now the world mourns Madiba whom in his days as a mortal embodied the values of love,humanity,forgiveness,contentment and social justice. Madibas demise continues to receive outpour of condolences,tributes,eulogies,odes,encomiums from across the globe mostly through social media. Only a person of his stand could poll such having demonstrated his love for racial equality and egaliterian world by spending 27 years 11months and 4days in prison. Confined in solitude in a prison that became the world he knew for such long number of years, a world that was shrinked down to a space just big enough to contain his body but could not confine his spirit. Hence his asserts: In the end we must remember that no amount of rules or their enforcement will defeat those who struggle with justice on their side. The convergence of over 60 world leaders in SA to pay last respect to the humanitarian field Marshall of no yet rival is a culmination of honour and respect that have poured in from the ends of the world this last four days even ironically from the very people and race that incacerated him. Funny enough Mandela died just five years only after his name was delisted from US terror list,he was a terrorist indeed to those that opposed justice. Madiba stood for Justice,Equality of race, and respect for human dignity, all this virtues now rise to indict you and I who honour him but lack these virtues,it will indict the African leaders as well as other leaders from across the globe who have defiled the virtues on the avaricious altar of greed and lust for power. Mostly African leaders whom up till date have not been able to evolve any meaningful competitive philosophical ideology and template for our continental self assertion. All they have done so far is cosmetics leadership that could not penetrate the very essence of our continental enigma and plight. They however have distinguished themselves in the art of Begging! Begging!! Begging!!!. As soon as the get the alms from their begging bonanza they steal right away from their own begging bowel.This is the very reason why Africa recieves avaragely $30 billion annually foreign Aid and at the same time looses about $142billion to corruption annually. HOW CAN SUCH A CONTINENT SURVIVE? . Permit me add that bulk of the stealing is from Nigeria the giant of Africa, the first son who is chief bandit. Yes Chief bandit. Onye isi Ekperima! Oga Olosha! As Madiba enters the ancestral world whose gate has flung open with Nyerere, Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah,Awolowo, Senghor, Martin Luther king, Ken Saro Wiwa, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Aimier Cesaire, Frantz Fanon, Maria Makeba, Bobb Marley and other African heroes file up to salute him, I challenge us here to rekindle the sacred political,musical and Literally ideologies they left for us. Those ideologies embodies our African mode of thought that professes egaliterianism and collective empowerment. We should stop groping in the dark as a continent because the world is not waiting for us. These men and women who have poured out their humanity in sacrifice and now rest as ancestors left for us (Africa) a compass for direction. Nyerere gave us Ujamaa, Nkruma gave us Consciencism, Senghor left Negritude, Azikiwe and Awolowo left welfarism, Maria Makeba left environmental conservatism, Achebe, Aimier Cesaire, Frantz Fanon left Literally Afrizealotic empowerment, Bobb Marley and Lucky Dube left for us Reggea music with its prophetic and transcendental rhythms of liberation and Now Mandela has left us with Humanitarian love, contentment and forgiveness. What else do we need! Are we not going to be better off rekindling these ideologies instead of disjointed self serving agenda of our present leaders (including you and I)? However, in as much as the last visible Dinosaur goes extinct there is hope that young ones are buried in egg shell around the coners of our continent. Africa still have you and I who can still find reason to be human I mean truly human. What made Mandela great was nothing outside his humanity. Lets live out our humanity. Celestine Chidozie Writes from Ibadan.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:34:24 +0000
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