Independence Day: a Sahelian commentary

An Interlude

Independence Day You Said. 

Did they not say let the lions tell their story? 

I am using this old video which was produced by Northern Nigeria Information Service: GIANT IN THE SUN produced by Victor M Gover with Sidney Samuelson directing.

The video is about the Sahel people, Nigeria side of the Sahel to be precise.

The video is testimony showing how communities and markets were striving in Sahel, with markets especially connected through interrelation with Saharan trade routes. A golden bloodline then, which was cut off by border-border restrictions due to colonialism. In effect many remote places continued to suffer such as villages in many parts of Kanem Borno Empire that are dependent on this merchant route were suddenly cut off from other communities.

Watch this video: 

Most of the readers may know by now that the Sahel has been rife with Boko Haram insurgency and political struggles where those that are 'taught' leadership (by the colonials) were put in positions of herd-in political wheels.

I raised this point deliberately, to exacerbate debates and ask you the reader to question what good leadership is, can it be taught actually, can it be obtained via schools such as those of Barewa College of Nigeria or Eton of UK, where hegemony is built on some handful of people taught how to play leadership cards.

Not A good comparison you may think - but actually, we couldn't deny the preconditions the Brits set in Nigeria that somewhat predispose things still working in their favour. 

 

Discussion of the effect of some political parameters have not always been easy, especially while the desire to hold to power will cause many to jump and deny their puppeteering actions, but fair enough. At least it’s time we start calling them out especially those that haven’t a clue how to lead the masses.

Year 2020 have been a season of rection brought about by forces of CoV, we’ve learned from this some positives and negatives. Some prospects of reshaping our positions and actions to reconnect and be in harmony with our community and the enviroment. We've witness bewildering lies of the political class coming out under the sun: the chaos and lack of good leaderships, lack of undertanding stragetic concepts where it does not entail research and extensive paperwork, but pure critical thoughts. 

 

We can't help knowing that the democracy and economy on which many counties in the West are built on is evidently not looking well for the future. So the West may be rethinking of the future of it's economy. But partly also willing to keep the dying engine going and as such, the Sahel people need to be aware of how this may impact them and how to protect our land an people. 

Phew, that's some topic requiring further discussions. Perhaps you can use the commentary section to tell us what you think. I am encouraging you to remain critically upbeat about your surroundings and keep informed on what the UK and US are doing, most of the time this predetermine how that translates for many counties.

Apart from the question of human leadership - we must analyse human conditions and the appropriateness of keeping in harmony with the environment and circumstances. An example will be; at what level do we care for industrial toxins that affect our health and existence. 

Did you pick up some clues in the video about industrialisation? 

This opens the question towards science and technology; what science is important and at what stage do we stir it without over doing it as did capitalism? Take for example the concept of large industrial farming vs subsistence farming - (a careful considerations and research shows that subsistence farming provides better balance both environmentally and better for economics) or an industrial farming using GM crops that are dependant on particular pesticide production - a capitalist way of keeping the farmers 'hooked' (look up documentaries for Indian farmer caught in the traps of the company like Monsanto).

 

These are frontline capitalist tactics where farmers and also governments that are not in-tune to the impacts of GM cropping monopoly are coax and not usually told of the consequences of adopting such method. In a capitalist ecomomy, you need to remain informed. Therefore we must use all resources to keep our farmers up-to-date. 

Farmers are easy targets to capitalist and large organisations... A tale-tale in the video.

From the video I implore you to think again shin what is education and what is appropriate leadership do you say, should we continue to follow colonial injuctions?

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