- All Muslims are terrorists.
- All Ibos are money conscious traders.
- All Yorubas are a party-loving species.
- All Kalabari young ladies have their babies outside the conventions of matrimony.
- Every lady with beards on her chin is wicked.
- All persons wearing spectacles possess superior intelligence.
You probably laughed at one or more of the above lines and were enraged at another- most likely the one mentioning your tribe. Now, you're reading with annoyance to see what more ignorance this 'writing idiot' wants to tag your tribe with. Relax and add the following to the list and try to decipher what I'm actually saying:
- All American policies and laws (abortion laws inclusive) are made in heaven and endorsed by God.
- All Ikwerre men are Landlords.
- All males in the Niger Delta region, aged 18-35years are angry militants.
- Every fine girl is either possessed by Ariel or working for queen of the coast. This list is inexhaustive.
Are you still angry?
These maxims, though some are obviously exaggerated, are pervasive in one form or the other in our society today. They are often unspoken in the open because of the civil expectations of society from it's members yet they're deeply etched at the core of our personalities; controlling & underlying our actions, reactions and choices.
Almost any of us can easily point at the perceived faults of others, all the while we being too blinded in selfishness, to see our own failings. Let me show you an example and one attitude we need to change.
Here you are; educated, polished, refined, a sound intellect. A trained mind that can compete with your colleagues from anywhere around the globe.
Imagine meeting a white man who stereotypes you in bad light or in anyway suggests that you are inferior to him. Chances are before he says 'IPhone' you would have dropped your M.Sc or PhD degree tush mannerisms, and given the guy an agbero-ish punch aimed straight at his throat-the kind that dries all the water in one's head and torso region within seconds of delivery.
You can easily label him as bias, a bigot, a myopic RACIST and incorrigible bastard! The error of the man would be, him judging you by your skin color or ethnographic sect instead of a unique consideration based on some other parameters that really mattered.
In the same way that all racist tendencies are generally frowned upon, tribalism should also be condemned. Tribalism is the younger brother of racism- it is the exact same evil only that it works on a smaller scale-that is, among tribes instead of races.
This tribalistic prejudice is not innate in humans as is evidenced in interaction among kids-whom we could learn from-unlearning our bitterness. This baseless hatred for others usually filters in from our environment during upbringing. Poisoning our perception of people with negative preconceptions.
Just look at the on going saga involving Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Lady Bianca Ojukwu, the matter has degenerated to an Ibo-Yoruba war of words for some internet users. Lately it seems more of this absurd, vile tribal sentiment has seeped out of it's recess.
Just recently, I was reading through the comments on an article posted on Linda Ikeji's blog: "Female armed robbery leader & her gang members arrested in Lagos." Rather than comment on the incident, many readers delved into tribe bashing; condemning and abusing the members of the tribe of the female gang leader, with the vilest gutter language. Of course, members of the ethnic group fired back with equal venom. Why should the demerits of a few bad eggs caught among the robbers be used to rope in all her tribesmen. How sad!
It is true that tribe members do have similarities occasioned by cultural similarities, values and prevalent practices amongst it's people but humans don't loose their individuality in all these shared similarities.
Humans are unique and each individual should be judged as such. For example, to assume, according to the commonly quoted expression, that the best place to hide something from a black man is a book would be to act on an erroneous assumption. [Black people, just as every other race, have folks among them, whose natural bent puts them in the group described as 'book worms']
The good, bad, immoral, just, kind, wicked, greedy, generous and all kinds of people exist in every race, tribe and people group! We all have one color of blood-red; there are no purple bloods! Environment and culture might modify the expression of these qualities but they don't eliminate their existence. So, you shouldn't say 'Yoruba people are dirty' No. If mama Iyabo is dirty, ok, she is just one person-don't put the whole tribe in that mould. Tribe is not a quality of the human spirit. It points to our earthly roots and possible influences. It is NOT who we are or criteria by which people should be judged.
If Abdul commits terrorist acts. He should be judged and classed accordingly not ALL his tribesmen or brothers in religion. Except they ALL committed same offense-which is unlikely. Even if a large percentage of his people join in the vice, let's say 90%. It still wouldn't be enough reason to brand ALL of them with same tag. The 10% good guys are precious enough to stay our prejudices from running wild [God would have spared the whole of two cities: Sodom and Gomorrah just for 10 people! That's our cue.]
If Chinedu out of greed turns kidnapping into a lucrative business, Chinedu should be caught and treated accordingly; leaving out his tribe and religion. If a Catholic priest is discovered to have abused some boys, he should be treated as necessitated by Ecclesiastical authority, as an individual, without rubbishing the whole church structure. If some preacher had been discovered to have misappropriated funds, the proper authority can handle him without us villainizing every other 'preacher' thereafter as a fraud.
If you wouldn't count it fair if foreigners grouped you, me and ALL other Nigerians as advance fee fraudsters, aka 419 ninjas, just because of a few of our 'yahoo-yahoo' compatriots; you should also strive to avoid judging people with such biased criteria as ethnicity.
Dump the hatred, take leave of the bitterness and give room for the healing from past hurts. Tribalism is petty and myopic. 'I will never marry an Ogoni man!' What if your only suitor at 45 turns out an Ogoni man? 'Here, take a rope. Go and hang! The glorious wedding of the Lamb awaits you in heaven.'
With tribalism aside you're in a position to judge people by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin or tribe of origin as espoused by Martin Luther King Jnr.
No, every Muslim is NOT a terrorist and it's the same for other maxim mentioned at the onset of this writing.
Love may seem weak but it's the greatest virtue with which we win with God and man. Those who tried to fight the tyrants and beasts of history with hatred ended up as beasts themselves; Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi being quintessential examples. It's an ironic case of the hate, that hate produces.
Malcolm X in response to the hatred and oppression of blacks, predominant in the 1950s and 1960s white racist society in the US, tolled the path of radicalism. He advocated Black Supremacy doctrine that blacks are superior to whites. Towards the end of his short life, his travels around the world helped him to see better that men of all races had nobility in them. Sadly, his new views were not articulated well enough before his assassination on February 21, 1965.
No tribe is superior, no tribe is inferior. Given the right 'conditions' both great good and great evils could be made of any human irrespective of their tribe. Delight in your heritage. Celebrate your tribe's uniqueness if you want to but don't get into stupid comparisons.
Hate may appear to have bluff, bravado and velocity in it's actions but Love will always win. Let's love one another.
Before we judge the racists, let us be cured of our negative tribal sentiments.
"So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer's eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?"
Matthew 7:3
(GOD'S WORD® Translation)
Dave Nwajiuba
September 13, 2013.
Port Harcourt.
- All Ibos are money conscious traders.
- All Yorubas are a party-loving species.
- All Kalabari young ladies have their babies outside the conventions of matrimony.
- Every lady with beards on her chin is wicked.
- All persons wearing spectacles possess superior intelligence.
You probably laughed at one or more of the above lines and were enraged at another- most likely the one mentioning your tribe. Now, you're reading with annoyance to see what more ignorance this 'writing idiot' wants to tag your tribe with. Relax and add the following to the list and try to decipher what I'm actually saying:
- All American policies and laws (abortion laws inclusive) are made in heaven and endorsed by God.
- All Ikwerre men are Landlords.
- All males in the Niger Delta region, aged 18-35years are angry militants.
- Every fine girl is either possessed by Ariel or working for queen of the coast. This list is inexhaustive.
Are you still angry?
These maxims, though some are obviously exaggerated, are pervasive in one form or the other in our society today. They are often unspoken in the open because of the civil expectations of society from it's members yet they're deeply etched at the core of our personalities; controlling & underlying our actions, reactions and choices.
Almost any of us can easily point at the perceived faults of others, all the while we being too blinded in selfishness, to see our own failings. Let me show you an example and one attitude we need to change.
Here you are; educated, polished, refined, a sound intellect. A trained mind that can compete with your colleagues from anywhere around the globe.
Imagine meeting a white man who stereotypes you in bad light or in anyway suggests that you are inferior to him. Chances are before he says 'IPhone' you would have dropped your M.Sc or PhD degree tush mannerisms, and given the guy an agbero-ish punch aimed straight at his throat-the kind that dries all the water in one's head and torso region within seconds of delivery.
You can easily label him as bias, a bigot, a myopic RACIST and incorrigible bastard! The error of the man would be, him judging you by your skin color or ethnographic sect instead of a unique consideration based on some other parameters that really mattered.
In the same way that all racist tendencies are generally frowned upon, tribalism should also be condemned. Tribalism is the younger brother of racism- it is the exact same evil only that it works on a smaller scale-that is, among tribes instead of races.
This tribalistic prejudice is not innate in humans as is evidenced in interaction among kids-whom we could learn from-unlearning our bitterness. This baseless hatred for others usually filters in from our environment during upbringing. Poisoning our perception of people with negative preconceptions.
Just look at the on going saga involving Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Lady Bianca Ojukwu, the matter has degenerated to an Ibo-Yoruba war of words for some internet users. Lately it seems more of this absurd, vile tribal sentiment has seeped out of it's recess.
Just recently, I was reading through the comments on an article posted on Linda Ikeji's blog: "Female armed robbery leader & her gang members arrested in Lagos." Rather than comment on the incident, many readers delved into tribe bashing; condemning and abusing the members of the tribe of the female gang leader, with the vilest gutter language. Of course, members of the ethnic group fired back with equal venom. Why should the demerits of a few bad eggs caught among the robbers be used to rope in all her tribesmen. How sad!
It is true that tribe members do have similarities occasioned by cultural similarities, values and prevalent practices amongst it's people but humans don't loose their individuality in all these shared similarities.
Humans are unique and each individual should be judged as such. For example, to assume, according to the commonly quoted expression, that the best place to hide something from a black man is a book would be to act on an erroneous assumption. [Black people, just as every other race, have folks among them, whose natural bent puts them in the group described as 'book worms']
The good, bad, immoral, just, kind, wicked, greedy, generous and all kinds of people exist in every race, tribe and people group! We all have one color of blood-red; there are no purple bloods! Environment and culture might modify the expression of these qualities but they don't eliminate their existence. So, you shouldn't say 'Yoruba people are dirty' No. If mama Iyabo is dirty, ok, she is just one person-don't put the whole tribe in that mould. Tribe is not a quality of the human spirit. It points to our earthly roots and possible influences. It is NOT who we are or criteria by which people should be judged.
If Abdul commits terrorist acts. He should be judged and classed accordingly not ALL his tribesmen or brothers in religion. Except they ALL committed same offense-which is unlikely. Even if a large percentage of his people join in the vice, let's say 90%. It still wouldn't be enough reason to brand ALL of them with same tag. The 10% good guys are precious enough to stay our prejudices from running wild [God would have spared the whole of two cities: Sodom and Gomorrah just for 10 people! That's our cue.]
If Chinedu out of greed turns kidnapping into a lucrative business, Chinedu should be caught and treated accordingly; leaving out his tribe and religion. If a Catholic priest is discovered to have abused some boys, he should be treated as necessitated by Ecclesiastical authority, as an individual, without rubbishing the whole church structure. If some preacher had been discovered to have misappropriated funds, the proper authority can handle him without us villainizing every other 'preacher' thereafter as a fraud.
If you wouldn't count it fair if foreigners grouped you, me and ALL other Nigerians as advance fee fraudsters, aka 419 ninjas, just because of a few of our 'yahoo-yahoo' compatriots; you should also strive to avoid judging people with such biased criteria as ethnicity.
Dump the hatred, take leave of the bitterness and give room for the healing from past hurts. Tribalism is petty and myopic. 'I will never marry an Ogoni man!' What if your only suitor at 45 turns out an Ogoni man? 'Here, take a rope. Go and hang! The glorious wedding of the Lamb awaits you in heaven.'
With tribalism aside you're in a position to judge people by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin or tribe of origin as espoused by Martin Luther King Jnr.
No, every Muslim is NOT a terrorist and it's the same for other maxim mentioned at the onset of this writing.
Love may seem weak but it's the greatest virtue with which we win with God and man. Those who tried to fight the tyrants and beasts of history with hatred ended up as beasts themselves; Fidel Castro and Muammar Gaddafi being quintessential examples. It's an ironic case of the hate, that hate produces.
Malcolm X in response to the hatred and oppression of blacks, predominant in the 1950s and 1960s white racist society in the US, tolled the path of radicalism. He advocated Black Supremacy doctrine that blacks are superior to whites. Towards the end of his short life, his travels around the world helped him to see better that men of all races had nobility in them. Sadly, his new views were not articulated well enough before his assassination on February 21, 1965.
No tribe is superior, no tribe is inferior. Given the right 'conditions' both great good and great evils could be made of any human irrespective of their tribe. Delight in your heritage. Celebrate your tribe's uniqueness if you want to but don't get into stupid comparisons.
Hate may appear to have bluff, bravado and velocity in it's actions but Love will always win. Let's love one another.
Before we judge the racists, let us be cured of our negative tribal sentiments.
"So why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer's eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye?"
Matthew 7:3
(GOD'S WORD® Translation)
Dave Nwajiuba
September 13, 2013.
Port Harcourt.
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