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. ♪♪
-- Bob Marley…Satisfy My Soul
Part 5
It was the Jamaican who was speaking again.
“There are some lines which are yet to be written by someone yet unborn, of a Nigerian father and English mother. He will sing them. Oh, if only my people would take them to heart,” said the man from the West.
“So you do have the gift of prophecy. I thought so. I am all ears. Can you recite them for me?”
“These lines reveal very clearly what I feel and have been so often trying to express to the enemies of African wholesale liberty:
♪♪ The higher you build your barriers, the taller I become.
The more that you take my rights away, the faster I will run.
You can deny me, you can decide to turn your face away
No matter ‘cause there’s something inside so strong.
I know that I can make it tho’ you’re doing me wrong, so wrong.
You thought that my pride was gone
O, no. Something inside so strong.
The more you refuse to hear my voice the louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho. Your lines will come tumbling.
Deny my place in time. You squander wealth that’s mine.
My light will shine so brightly, it will blind you
Because there’s something inside so strong…(to ‘pride was gone’)
Brothers and sisters, when they insist we’re just not good enough
But we know better. Just look ‘em in the eyes and say
Gonna do it anyway. Because there’s something inside so strong. ♪♪ - (Taken from Labi Siffre)
“What a memory! I am overwhelmed. I am overcome. That is it, isn’t it? You are definitely going to make it anyway because of that something inside so strong. My heart is in turmoil as is my head. You can look into the future and see those words. Why don’t you put it to music for the benefit of us all?”
"This is not the time for it to be aired. I was only giving you a preview to strengthen you. The time has not yet come for it to appear publicly. Moreover, I am no musician so I cannot put it to music. In time it will be put to music and sung for and by others of African ancestry, who have been battered and bruised, their pride assailed and assaulted by these same merchants of flesh and blood. He will be praised and blessed for it. Meanwhile, I will lean on the words of his song and as they are indelibly printed in my memory, I have access to them when the going gets really rough and tough.”
“I don’t know where you get this confidence to withstand your opponents.”
“One day you will learn when you find yourself taking on the Herculean task of freeing your country from the colonialists. I thrive on opposition so I’m gonna do it anyway. As long as I live I will strive to redeem our continent and our people from the foes of African liberty. I am not alone. There are many others alive, many who have passed on and others not yet born. There is an activist from Br. Guiana who will enlighten you in vivid, articulate and eloquent language ‘How Europe underdeveloped Africa’.
 |
| Walter Rodney |
“Go on, tell me your dreams. You wear the look of a man who could move mountains.”
“If I could, I would remove the mountains of ignorance, lethargy, beggy-beggy attitude and racial unconsciousness from the minds of our people. I dream that Africa will be great again. I dream that instead of Ethiopia and Liberia being the only two independent African states, that all African states, large and small, will be emancipated from their colonial enemies and be independent and sovereign, with their own sovereign governments, rulers, councils, ministers, diplomats and ambassadors, all black people."
"When I use the term black, I do not mean necessary as black as you or me, but of African ancestry. I dream of having our own armed forces, of flying our own flags, in possession of our own state buildings and manning them with staff from among our own people. I have visions of owning our own air lines and airports, our own shipping lines and our own institutions of leaning geared for African development of our own men and women. I dream of having industrial complexes with well-equipped and well-maintained facilities for processing our own mineral and agricultural resources, in short, our raw materials which we now allow these colonial imperialists to take out of our continent for free or extraordinarily cheap. Yes, I dream of cities and villages properly equipped with the appropriate infrastructures, amenities and modern conveniences. Am I boring you?”
“Of course not. How could you? I am all ears. Pray continue.”
 |
| Bob Marley |
“A great Jamaican singer will sing, “In the midst of water the fool is still thirsty.” Think of how rich the continent of Africa is with all its resources, yet in the midst of all this wealth its people are still in need. Yes, with all the abundance of water, African people are still thirsty. I dream of being in total control of our own mining resources. I dream of well-run farms, factories, large and small businesses, and our people gainfully employed. I envisage our lands and waters used to supply and satisfy the needs of our people without destroying the natural environment. I dream of factories manufacturing our own means of transportation and other goods that would cut down on imports and provide substantial exports. I dream of our old and our young not left to the mercy of charity."
"Oh that your dreams could materialise! These are my dreams too though not as wide-ranging and far-reaching. Please carry on."
"I dream of a people respecting their colour and hair and those of their own kith and kin. I dream of Africans from outside the continent returning and receiving meaningful welcome to help rebuild Africa and the souls of black people. I dream of places of recreation where our people can go and be entertained free or at minimal cost. I dream of clean, wholesome places where our children can safely play. I pray for societies where people resolve their differences in a peaceful manner and not in a belligerent way. I pray for societies where the artistic and creative talents of our people can develop, can find many righteous ways and outlets of expression. I dream of management of our resources, human and natural and of all our affairs being totally in the hands of our own people, our people of African ancestry."
"I dream of African unity for all Africans at home and abroad enshrined in the charter of our own organisations and constitutions uniting all African states and all African people outside of the continent. I dream of a different U.S.A from the one that is so hard on the dreams of the black man. The U.S.A that I dream of is the United States of Africa. I dream of a United States of Africa flying the red, green and black flag or whichever flag that symbolises the past, the present experiences and the future hopes of our people. I dream of all black men universally coming together in one concerted effort to redress, redeem, rebuild and rehabilitate our beloved continent of Africa. At this rate you will call me a Joseph, a dreamer.”
“Your dreams are what we Africans need to put into action. They say that dreams without action are useless and action without dreams is a nightmare. I’m sure you have more dreams to share with me.”
“I dream, yes, my brother, I dream of a time in the near future when my African race, my African people will understand the absolute necessity of putting race first and I don’t mean any other race, besides our race, our African race. Only when we put our race first, will we achieve blackman redemption, which in the final analysis, is what this entire struggle is about. Once blackman redemption is achieved by his own efforts and not by the noblesse oblige or charity of other races, the black race will stand tall and be free to carry out the destiny of which we can be proud."
"You are so articulate!" Exclaimed the Gold Coast man.
Thank you, my friend. Articulacy or eloquence
is a valuable asset. Liberty and independence are empty and ineffective
unless the people, who have gained the independence, have also emancipated
themselves from mental slavery and thus act to put their own people first with
respect and valuation. Then will we be free to carry out the programmes that
will rehabilitate our continent and ourselves.”
 |
| Non-colonial map of Africa |
He stopped, both wiping their eyes and staring out into
the distance as if they could see something. Maybe they were staring at a
non-colonial map of Africa.
His captive audience’s voice was gruff and teary as he managed to say: “Wonderful! Do you know that I used to dream of so many changes but to be perfectly honest, I must confess that I have never entertained such high hopes. However, now that you have revealed so many of your dreams and visions for our people and our continent, I promise that I too will serve my continent and my people with my last breath and even after, come what may.”
They shake hands on it. The man from the Gold Coast spoke again, “There are men and women in my country ready and
willing to die than continue to be humiliated this way, if in dying they can achieve
freedom for our people. I am so happy to have met you, my Jamaican
brother-with-no-name. May all your dreams, which are now mine, come true.”
The Jamaican
responded. “Yes, may all our dreams and those we haven’t articulated or yet
thought of, come true. It’s up to us. We can do it anyway. We can make them come
true. Whatever man has done, man can do. Men who are in
earnest are not afraid of consequences.”
To be continued.
All
the images were taken from the Internet and I claim no copyright.
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