Drama of two Africans in Hyde Park
By Nzinga Nzinga
When African from the East meets African from the West, ole fiah tick easy fi ketch!
(It is easy to ignite old fire sticks.)
♪♪ I want you beside me all of the time…
Holding hands together… All in the same boat.
Rocking on the same road…We got to get together. ♪♪
Rocking on the same road…We got to get together. ♪♪
-- Bob Marley…Satisfy My Soul
Part 8
“I knew you must be a prophet! I will do my utmost to fulfil your wishes as far as possible. Trust me, my Prophet of Africa. Will you repatriate to the continent?”
“There are traps set for me on the African continent in the eventuality of my appearing there, to have me killed by one of our own people. As much as I would love to even touch down on African soil, I need to stay alive to do the work to which I am committed.”
“You can be killed over here just as well.”
“That is true and we have taken that into consideration. However, since I know for a fact that there is a price on my head over there, I won't risk it. In these times, mine is to be but a voice crying in the wilderness of our confusion to show and prepare the way to make the continent of Africa a fitting place for Africans at home and abroad . There is still a lot of work to be done in the West to rouse the consciousness of our people to our African race and the concerns of our continent. Even after I am gone, there will be a lot of ground to cover. This is but the tip of the iceberg. I love Africa too much for me to be excluded from it so one day I will take my place in it.”
“Will we recognise you?”
“If you know where to look. Look for me in every man, woman or child of African ancestry who cries thus with his or her whole heart:
‘Africa
for Africans at home and abroad.’ ‘Put our African race first!’ ‘Africa unite!’
‘Africa must unite or perish!’
‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. Only we ourselves can free
our minds!’ ‘Ole pirates, yes, they rob I, sold I to the merchant ships...’ 'Hello, Mama Africa, how are you? Long time I don't see you, Mama Africa.'
'No matter your identity, no matter your nationality, as long as you are a black man you are an African'.
‘The peoples of Africa are determined that not one inch of African soil shall remain in the hands of the colonialists!’ ‘We must be ever mindful that our greatest weapon is the oneness we share as Africans.’ ‘Black Power!’ ‘If you know your history then you should know where you're coming from.’ ’Only the best is good enough for us Africans.’ ‘I think that much insecurity and unhappiness must come from denying one’s own ancestors.’ ‘Africans a liberate Zimbabwe!’ ‘We gonna chase those crazy Baldheads out of town.’
‘The hegemony of the African spirit must remain on the continent of Africa which is the only place where it can be retained.’ ‘Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned…Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, That until the basic human rights Are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained. Until that day, the African continent will not know peace.’ ‘One Africa, one God, one aim, one destiny. Africa yesterday, today and forever!’”
'No matter your identity, no matter your nationality, as long as you are a black man you are an African'.
‘The peoples of Africa are determined that not one inch of African soil shall remain in the hands of the colonialists!’ ‘We must be ever mindful that our greatest weapon is the oneness we share as Africans.’ ‘Black Power!’ ‘If you know your history then you should know where you're coming from.’ ’Only the best is good enough for us Africans.’ ‘I think that much insecurity and unhappiness must come from denying one’s own ancestors.’ ‘Africans a liberate Zimbabwe!’ ‘We gonna chase those crazy Baldheads out of town.’
‘The hegemony of the African spirit must remain on the continent of Africa which is the only place where it can be retained.’ ‘Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned…Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, That until the basic human rights Are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained. Until that day, the African continent will not know peace.’ ‘One Africa, one God, one aim, one destiny. Africa yesterday, today and forever!’”
“Amen. Exciting forecast! But surely there must be a personality that I can tell my people to expect.”
 |
| The Black Tiger |
“Before you go, tell me, do you hate the white race?”
“I am not opposed to the White race as charged by my enemies. I have no time to hate anyone. All my time is devoted to the building up and development of the Negro Race. Let them stay in their corner and I in mine. I must go.”
“I keep delaying you but I feel so close to you. Tell me, pray, what is your ultimate vision for our people?”
“I can see in my mind’s eye now twelve million black citizens of America, with those of the islands of the sea and from Central and South America, from all over the world, educated, uplifted, discovered, proud, prideful, loyal, and royal – and I can see the flag of the green and the black and the red floating in the breeze upon the seven seas, and I can see upon yonder hill the beautiful flag waving in the land of Africa, the home of the gods, the place where liberty first sprang for the black men of the earth.”
“Ayeeko! I hope your dream will be fulfilled. How wonderful that would be! I hate to see you go though. Say something else. Give me a sign of how to recognize you.”
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| Look for me in the whirlwind |
“Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm, look for me all around you, for, with God’s grace, I shall come and bring with me countless millions of black slaves who have died in America and the West Indies and the millions in Africa to aid you in the fight for Liberty, Freedom and Life.”
“May the God of Africa go with you.”
“And may He stay with you.”
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| The Black Tiger will be watching you. |
The Black Tiger clasps the continental’s hand and piercing him with his brilliantly fierce eyes, said, “Remember, I will be watching you. Read Isaiah 65: 21-24.”
The words were scarcely out of his mouth than he walked away. The man from the Gold Coast, a smile on his lips, stood there transfixed, watching the direction in which the Jamaican was disappearing. He sits there for another 15 minutes, long after losing sight of the Jamaican.
A Jamaican friend of his comes up to greet him.
“Hi, man, I was over there talking to a friend. I see you have been honoured by the Black Tiger himself.”
“Do you know him? What’s his name? Who is he?”
 |
| Marcus Moziah Garvey |
 |
| Marcus Garvey |
“My God! You mean you have been talking to the great Marcus Moziah Garvey all dis time and you didn't know? I don’t believe you!”
“Oh,
my God. Do you mean to say that that was the Marcus Garvey? Oh, how could I not
have known? He gave me all the clues. Oh, what a pity. He is as inspiring as
they say he is. The seamen carry back papers and messages from him and the
UNIA. I am ashamed of myself. What must he be thinking? Imagine I was with the
great Marcus Garvey all by myself for hours and I didn't even pick up. What
could he be thinking?”
“He is probably thinking that one day you will be a great African leader and that he helped to make you. He said when he looked about him he could not find any black men of big affairs so he decided to help make them. You never know, my friend. He most likely saw that you will help to bring about the liberation and rehabilitation of Africa and thus be a man of big affairs and that he helped to make you. Some say he is a prophet. Others say he is just psychic.”
“And you, what do you say?”
“I say that for the Black Tiger to spend so much time talking to you, an unknown, he must have seen you as one of the chief architects of the future liberation of Africa, Kwame.”
The
continental African from the Old African Great House gave thanks to his
Jamaican friend and taking a hasty leave of him, rushed to his room to search
the Scriptures for the passage Marcus Garvey had recommended. He read:
“And they
shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat
the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not
plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people,
and my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in
vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the
Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before
they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
Kwame,
his African heart full of hope and promise, made a silent pledge to
unrelentingly serve not only his country the Gold Coast, but also his God, his African continent
in toto and his kith and kin at home and abroad. He closed the Bible,
scratched his receding forehead and with a broad smile lighting up his strong
black face with its receding hairline, got ready to write as he would for the rest of his life, for his African continent, especially for its unity, for his Gold Coast and for all Africans at home and abroad.
Epilogue
Unfortunately,
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah never met Marcus Garvey. However, many years after this alleged and imaginary conversation took place in London, England, Kwame Nkrumah had occasion to orate
the following famous words on the day of the Ghanaian Independence in Ghana,
West Africa, where I now reside:
 |
| Marcus Garvey |
Believe
me, Sons and Daughters of Africa, if Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the new Ghana-man but
knew where to look among his ancestors, he would see his Black Tiger Jamaican-man
from St. Ann, smiling and shaking his head, sadly murmuring, “I've been watching you, little brother. You did it, little
brother, you did it, but our people, tho they hear you they will not heed you.
Our people have a history of not appreciating those who are sent to guide
them.”
 |
| Marcus Garvey |
Sons & Daughters of Africa at home and abroad, how do I, Nzinga Nzinga know all this? Simple. I was there when the old and new fire tick dem ketch fire in Hyde Park, London. I was also there in Ghana, the former Gold Coast, when on 6th March, 1957, Dr.Kwame Nkrumah made that unforgettable Ghana independence speech:
"At
long last, the battle has ended! And thus Ghana, your beloved country is free
forever...And as I pointed out… I made it quite clear that from now on – today
– we must change our attitudes, our minds, we must realise that from now on, we
are no more a colonial but a free and independent people....That new African is
ready to fight his own battles and show that after all, the black man is
capable of managing his own affairs... Today, from now on, there is a new African
in the world! That new African is ready to fight his own battles and show that
after all, the black man is capable of managing his own affairs...”
“The
independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the liberation of
the African continent". True, true wud, Dr. Nkrumah!
P.
S. When Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah came into his Ghanaian kingdom, did he pay homage to
his Jamaican mentor, Marcus Moziah Garvey of Jamaica? Did he give credit to him?
Yes, indeed! He even invited
Mrs. Garvey to visit Ghana, the new name for the Gold Coast. Have you seen the
national flag? Do you know that there was a Black Star Line Shipping Company? Have
you seen the Black Star in the centre of the flag? Do you know the name of Ghana’s
national football teams?
Well done, Dr. Nkrumah! That’s gratitude, real gratitude. That’s an attitude of gratitude. I admire you and Prophet Uncle Marcus.
However, Osagyefo, what of the promise to take care of Uncle Marcus’ people who repatriate here, people like me? That has not been done except for only some four or five VVIPs. The human commodity which was shipped out of this land into slavery was not made up only of VIPs. Your successors have not done anything about it either. What a pity. We wait hopefully.
PPS. That thing you said about the new African man, is not true, oh! He is still the same ole same ole man who cannot manage his own affairs. How can he, when he has not yet emancipated himself from mental slavery? And as for African unity, let's not go there. It' too painful.
Osagyefo, Africa in toto, in effet, en verite, de facto, is in dire straits, in dire crisis. I have to accept that you, who are in whatever place you maybe after your transition, are indeed powerless to help us here on Earth. For if you could, this our African crisis would have been resolved long ago, what with your passing and that of other dedicated Africans, the likes of Marcus Garvey, Sekou Toure, Queen Nzinga and Yaa Asantewaa.
We must include hundreds of memorable Reggae musicians like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Lucky Dube and Culture. How can we forget Africans like Steve Biko, Ken Saro-Wiwa and the rest of the executed Ogoni 9, Walter Rodney, Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Jomo Kenyatta, Malcolm X, Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Comrade Muammar Gaddafi, Kwame Toure (nee Stokely Carmichael), Nelson Mandela, Komla Dumor, Maya Angelou et al?
However, Osagyefo, regardless of what your people do with your beloved country, Ghana, you yourself played the most critical, crucial and pivotal role in its modern history. Don't cry so much, Osagyefo. When you cry, I also am reduced to tears. There are many of us Africans, at home and abroad, who will always love and honour you and give you the homage, admiration and respect you deserve. We will always remember that you lived among us, loved us and gave us your all. Thank you, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Nevertheless, Ghana’s beloved Osagyefo, if your tears can be accepted by Almighty Jah Rastafari, as a price for the redemption, emancipatpon and rehabilitation of Africa and Africans at home and abroad, then cry your heart out for your beloved country!
 |
| Amy Jacques Garvey |
Yes, indeed! He even invited
Mrs. Garvey to visit Ghana, the new name for the Gold Coast. Have you seen the
national flag? Do you know that there was a Black Star Line Shipping Company? Have
you seen the Black Star in the centre of the flag? Do you know the name of Ghana’s
national football teams? |
| Ghana's Black Stars |
Well done, Dr. Nkrumah! That’s gratitude, real gratitude. That’s an attitude of gratitude. I admire you and Prophet Uncle Marcus. However, Osagyefo, what of the promise to take care of Uncle Marcus’ people who repatriate here, people like me? That has not been done except for only some four or five VVIPs. The human commodity which was shipped out of this land into slavery was not made up only of VIPs. Your successors have not done anything about it either. What a pity. We wait hopefully.
PPS. That thing you said about the new African man, is not true, oh! He is still the same ole same ole man who cannot manage his own affairs. How can he, when he has not yet emancipated himself from mental slavery? And as for African unity, let's not go there. It' too painful.
Osagyefo, Africa in toto, in effet, en verite, de facto, is in dire straits, in dire crisis. I have to accept that you, who are in whatever place you maybe after your transition, are indeed powerless to help us here on Earth. For if you could, this our African crisis would have been resolved long ago, what with your passing and that of other dedicated Africans, the likes of Marcus Garvey, Sekou Toure, Queen Nzinga and Yaa Asantewaa.
 |
| Queen Nzinga |
 |
| Yaa Asantewaa et al |
 |
| Patrice Lumumba |
 |
| The Ogoni Nine |
 |
| Martin Luther King JR |
 |
| Maya Angelou |
 |
| Komla Dumor |
 |
| Eldridge Cleaver |
 |
| Lucky Dube |
 |
| Gaddafi & Mandela |
 |
| Bob Marley & Marcus Garvey |
 |
| Steve Biko |
However, Osagyefo, regardless of what your people do with your beloved country, Ghana, you yourself played the most critical, crucial and pivotal role in its modern history. Don't cry so much, Osagyefo. When you cry, I also am reduced to tears. There are many of us Africans, at home and abroad, who will always love and honour you and give you the homage, admiration and respect you deserve. We will always remember that you lived among us, loved us and gave us your all. Thank you, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Nevertheless, Ghana’s beloved Osagyefo, if your tears can be accepted by Almighty Jah Rastafari, as a price for the redemption, emancipatpon and rehabilitation of Africa and Africans at home and abroad, then cry your heart out for your beloved country!
Bye.
 |
| Independence of Ghana |
PPS. Let me leave with you,as my concluding words, these most salutary and relevant 'teachings of His Majesty' Haile Selassie I, the ending of that famous "Until the philosophy...' speech delivered at the UN, New York, on October 6, 1963 and made into the Reggae son 'War' by Bob Marley.
THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
“This then is the ultimate challenge. Where are we to look for our survival, for the answers to questions which have never before been posed? We must look first to Almighty God, Who has raised man above the animals and endowed him with intelligence and reason. We must put our faith in Him, that He will not desert us or permit us to destroy humanity which he created in His image. And we must look into ourselves, into the depths of our souls. We must become something we have never been and for which our education and our experience and environment have ill prepared us. We must become bigger than we have ever been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community.”
The End
All
the images were taken from the Internet and I claim no copyright.
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