MY EXPERIENCE OF A SINGLE STORY* Amin Maalouf, a Lebanesse-born French novelist in his masterstroke titled On Identity captured this truth; Taking the line of least resistance, we lump the most different people together under the same heading. Taking the line of least resistance, we ascribe to them collective crimes, collective acts, and opinions.... We blithely express sweepy judgement on whole people, calling them Hardworking and Ingenious or Lazy or Obstinate and sometimes, this ends in bloodshed It has been difficult to forget this terrible experience i had as a sophomore in the university over a year ago. It was past 3 0 clock in the afternoon, the sky was a bit cloudy and the students who were already seated in class were gisting, expecting that the lecturer would not come to class because of the weather. In a short while, a handsome looking man walked gently into the class. The man, i believe should be in his late 40s. He is dark-complexioned and he wore a black suit with a long tie like that of Pep Guardiola. A great silent enveloped as everyone prepared for a serious business. He started with his baritone voice Good afternoon students. Good afternoon, sir we responded appropriately. He introduced the topic of the day, and started teaching. Mid way into the lecture, he used the huge limestone deposit in Nkalagu, Ebonyi state for an illustration. As if a force pushed him, he immediately digressed and beamed his light on Ebonyi state. He took quality time to say everything bad, negative, and backwards about the state. He illustrated how bellicose, cruel, timid, primitive, obstinate, disputatious, pugnacious, malevolent, vindictive, and uncivilsed they are. He went on to list all the known negatives of this world and associated them with the Ebonyi man. I dared not frown my face because i have never hidden that the timid state he is talking about is my state. I was visibly drizzled with consternation. At a point i was tempted to stand up and challenge him, but i quickly thought of the implication. The Nigerian university system as it is presently structured, makes lecturers to be seen as demi-gods and it is highly unthinkable to challenge the verdicts and standpoints of the men in the academic cassock, notwithstanding the validity and strength of your argument. I held my peace. The experience i had after the class through the banterings, hasslings, and jonsings of my classmates is better imagined. I battled to correct their impression about my state but they were bent on taking the position of the lecturer. That is by the way. Chimamanda Adichie in his The dangers of a single story said; The single story creates stereotype, and the problem of stereotypes is not that they are intrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story This is true. Over the years, the single story people have about my state is violence, armed robbery, vacuousness, illiteracy, rituals, rape, ring worm, Ezza/Ezillo crisis, oldest governor in Nigeria, and recently lassa disease. The above culminated into the seemingly low-self worth, lack of confidence, widespread apathy, low-self-esteem, inferiority complex and all the Lows that are now associated with some Ebonyi people. Anyway, i do not blame them for accumulating such images, but the problem with it is, according to Adichie is, one story becomes the only story. Simply telling someone you are from Ebonyi state evokes a strong feeling of shock, dismay and sometimes fear and even disbelief (In situations where someones dispositions does not correlate with the mental image.) Ive often wondered, if i would have had a different view about Ebonyi state if i was to be an Imolite, an Anambarian or even an Abian. The truth i found out is, i may not have had a more positive view about Ebonyi state because unverifiable stories and even the media have contributed in no small way to building the stereotype. Media reports about Ebonyi state in the national dailies is always within the circle of armed robbery, rituals, murder, rape, conflicts, kidnapping, and other heinous crimes. On a more realistic note, the crime rate in the state is not higher than any other state in the south East zone but the media and its agencies have decided to paint the state in bad light. They highlight the negatives and relegate the positives about the state. I am not in any way trying to exonerate the Ebonyi man because he has contributed in a thousand and one ways to the stereotype against them. Against all odds, i still believe in Ebonyi state and her people. I saw a record of the 2012 internally generated revenue in Nigeria published by National bureau of statistics and Ebonyi state was ranked ahead of Enugu, Abia, Imo and Anambra. If such record is anything to go by, then there is a visible flame at the end of the current tunnel. Theoritically, reputable political economy scholars like professors Okwudiba Nnoli and Claude Ake have in their separate contributions conceptualised development as Man-centred instead of develpment of artefacts. Subscription to their argument shows that, with the battallion of human capitals in Ebonyi state, we are on the path to development. Consequently, as the 2015 general elections draw nearer, Ebonyians should be on their guard and ensure the enthronement of a vibrant and selfless leader who will look beyond the negatives of the state and project her into limelight. C. I. O. OSUU-IBIAM
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 18:17:20 +0000
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