“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor” Desmond TuTu
We are now in June, and for the last week of May, I have woken up every day with the hope that everything I see on the news and online was just a nightmare, but alas, they are genuine.
Every video, photo and gory headline is real.
It is no news of what is happening in America right now.
Police Brutality among others has led to the breaking point of the pent up frustration of the Black Community.
I know you are probably thinking but you are not American what does this have to do with you?
I am Nigerian.
I am black and I live in the most populous black nation in the world.
It has EVERYTHING to do with me.
These are the signs of the end times just as the Bible says.
Like a book when you flip a page, what is going on the U.S has been going on in Nigeria for far too long.
What is worse is ours is not racism because it is black on black crime. (Tribalism and I daresay unspoken genocide).
Police/SARS killing our brothers. The annexation of innocent communities by terrorists, girls being raped, killed and kidnapped, and so much more devastating news.
My heart breaks. (Lord Jesus, Help us)…
Overtime, I have learnt that there is no such thing that happens to ‘them’.
What happens to ‘them’ happens to all of us.
History unfortunately keeps repeating itself due to those of us who choose not to love others as we love ourselves.
There is so much wickedness being exposed now due to this age of social media and I thank God for it and pray that these wicked people may be brought to justice.
I know it is easy to read this and say well not all of us can be vocal about social issues because not all of us know the right words to say without triggering more anger and hate but remember you are only giving yourself excuses.
Speaking out against those who are oppressed is Biblical (Proverbs 31:8-9) and if you have the power to make something right, do it. Even if you may be uncomfortable.
There are always many ways to help a cause without being complacent and I am here to encourage you like I would encourage myself.
There is so much to say and yes, You matter and I matter but right now it is Black Lives Matter.
Speak up for the oppressed, support using the resources below and educate yourselves too.
In a world that seems like it is falling apart, it is increasingly important that we stand together against the wicked that come against us especially in prayer.
If you are lost on what to do and what information you need to know especially if you are white, you can start here http://antiracismforbeginners.com/
You can also help support the black lives matter cause following the instructions in the photo below.
My heart is with each and every family who have lost a loved one from this brutality…
Here is my prayer for you. You can say it aloud with your family and friends to comfort you and many others that are hurting like us.
Sovereign Lord, you said in your word that you will comfort and be with your children in our hour of need. Through this time of darkness in our neighbourhood, communities and cities, we cry to you Father to answer us. Protect us from the wicked deeds and plans of the enemy. Give us justice, open our mouths to speak when we have no words, give us courage, strengthen us. Lord Jesus, you said in this world we will have trouble but we should not worry because you have overcome the world. We Thank you in advance Father for giving us peace and restoring our homes. Comfort everyone that has lost a loved one in this time. Thank you, Lord Jesus. In Jesus most Holy and Wonderful name I pray, Amen.
2 comments
It starts with developing national pride. Next, they need to clean up the trash off the streets. If we treat Nigeria like one large trash dump, then our youth will believe their country is trash and agree with others who label their country as trashy. No one will respect people who come from a filthy place – your home is a reflection of you. Next, we need good leaders who can hire the right people to turn the economy around and work on systems to increase accountability. We then need to look across the globe and see if there are countries who succeeded in solving tribalism without forcing people to lose their identity. My hunch is that it starts by making it mandatory to have representatives from every tribe in the government. We need to force all students to learn and speak at least 2 other Nigerian tongues.
The situation in the US is deep. Things like this happen all the time, but there is no video footage so the cop can claim “he felt threatened”. It is purposely done to subjugate and scare blacks into submission because whites, while they won’t admit it, are afraid of BM. If they wanted to fix this issue, they would have fixed it a long time ago, but they don’t. President Obama even outlined measures police departments can take (body cameras) to bring accountability to the process, but they purposely resisted. Most of these police departments elevate puppets – in other words, they put black women in charge and make them the face of the police department – to quell concerns of prejudice, but the woman is actually powerless inside the organization and can’t even get the department to institute body cameras. Honestly, the police officer needs to be put to death, for cold blooded murder, but they will find a way to prevent that for the reasons I just mentioned.
Nigerians are oblivious to the dog whistle rhetoric of American politicians so blantant insults like “your country is a ***hole” fly straight over their head and they chalk it up under playful banter not understanding he is literally talking about the people. I shake my head therefore when I see Nigerians blindly follow and trust a man simply because he legitimatized Israel, which btw, Israelis treat Ethiopians bad, so how much better do you think they will treat Nigerians? Why support people who don’t support you?
America’s immigration policy is not related to security, as they would like you to believe. Otherwise, Saudi Arabia, where most of the external terrorist have come from (Osama bin Laden who brought down the twin towers) would have been banned.
I can’t say it’s completely stupidity, because I looked at Buhari as an Igbo living in America and thought he seemed like a nice guy. I obviously didn’t understand the true history of Nigeria enough to understand what he is doing or failing to do to support Igbo people.
And that’s the danger of trying to cast judgement or follow someone without proper cultural context. You think their words are innocuous and people are just making a big deal of things until you see Fulani raids within Igbo land and request from relatives to send money to protect themselves with guns. However, I understand this enmity was cultivated back in British colonial times where the Fulani were favored over the other tribes.
Such divide and conquer strategies are still pulling us apart. We need to come together as Nigerians from all ethnic groups and realize we are stronger together and stop falling for colonizer tactics that keep us weak and dependent. Rwanda gets it.
Thanks for your words and talking about the subject. This issue, like you said, affects all Africans of the diaspora. My condolences to this man and his family.
You make really good points Chichi. Thank you for leaving your comment.