In conflict and disaster, children suffer first and suffer most. From humanitarian perspective, children are especially vulnerable to disease, malnutrition and violence. Children living in conflict areas are worst off as they are more likely to be living in extreme poverty, sickness, depression or not enrolled in primary school.

 

The chaos and insecurity of war threatens or destroys access to food, shelter, social support and health care, and results in increased vulnerability in communities, especially for children. Many humanitarian bodies like UNICEF and Save the Children focuses on these children and their families to provide them with the essential interventions required for protection, to save lives and to ensure the rights of all children, everywhere.

 

Hence, the need for sustainable interventions are important because crises are not one-time shocks; their impact can last for years.

 

Global Reports of Children in Emergency

Save the children recently published the War on Children report, which shows that the number of children living in conflict zones have increased by 75% in the last 20 years.

Save the Children concludes: “One in six children across the world are living in areas impacted by conflict, and children are more at risk in conflict now than at any time in the last 20 years. From Syria to South Sudan, Yemen to Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan to Ukraine, children are caught up in violence, which is not of their making. Children are being killed and maimed, raped and recruited, and being denied aid and medical care. Warring parties are bombing schools and hospitals on a scale not seen for decades.”

 

 

 

 

Findings from the mappings reveal the following:

• In 2016, approximately 1.35 billion children under the age of 18 (59% of all children) were living in a conflict-affected country.
• In 2016, approximately 357 million children (that is, one in six) were living in a conflict zone.
• In 2016, approximately 165 million children were living in high intensity conflict zones, i.e. conflicts with more than 1,000 battle-related deaths.
• The number of children living in conflict zones has been steadily increasing since the year 2000, although the number of countries with armed conflicts has remained quite stable during the same period.
• Asia is the world region with the highest total number of children living in conflict zones.
• The Middle East is the world region in which a child has the highest probability of living in a conflict zone.

 

A Peep into the Long-term Effect

Failure to end crisis especially as it affects the health and overall growth of the young child would lead to years of negative impact resulting in;

• Illiteracy
• Effect of malnutrition
• Depression
• Long term psychological need
• Unsafe society
• Unproductivity
• Over dependence
• Increase in crime rate
• Breakdown in Governance
• Economic burden

 

 

Addressing the Needs

The mapping of children in conflict-affected areas has several implications for policy and further research.

 

First, the agencies who are actively working to mitigate the impact of war on children need to support the generation of more systematic knowledge on the various ways in which children are affected by armed conflict, both directly – through killing and maiming, child soldier recruitment, and sexual exploitation, and indirectly – through adverse health effects. In short, more resources should be invested in generating and managing data related to children and armed conflict across time and space.

Second, there is of course an urgent need to protect the more than 350 million children that live in conflict zones today. Concrete recommendations in this regard include the following:

• Providing access to quality continuing education, healthcare, food, clothing and shelter.
• Increasing aid to conflict-ridden countries in order to rebuild infrastructure and health systems
• Supporting peacekeeping operations in conflict-affected areas.
• Designing and upholding credible sanctions against armed groups in conflicts.

 

Rights for every child

• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation
• Every child has an equitable chance in life
• Every child learns
• Every child lives in a clean and safe environment
• Every child survives and thrives

 

 

In our world today, I have discovered many of our Youths don’t really know the distinction between these two words i.e, Education and Academics, I used to be ignorant anyways. Truth is, we can’t blame most of these people and as a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have blamed myself ,some were ignorant due to the culture or say, way in which we were brought up (this African Parenting and all), while we can actually blame some due to the things they were told or saw on social media, whichever way, we have been ignorant and we are still ignorant. How?

Many of us think Education is just about going to school, getting good grades through any means and graduating at the end before entering the labour market. Many think both Education and Academics mean the same thing. Of course, in a sense, they do because if one says one is educated, it’s more or less like saying one went to school! This ignorance has led many to saying the popular saying ‘School is scam’. The problem is that if most of these people knew what education is all about they would not have said that. Most of them think it’s just about displaying intelligence ,getting good grades, going for competitions and all, whereas, it is more than just that. You will hear them say things like; there are many people who did not go to school or did not finish their education and are occupying very important places in the world today, as true as this is, they still don’t really know what they are saying. Most people go as far as intentionally not being serious and focus on other things rather than their academics. I am not against that solely; I am just against the fact that they don’t really know what being educated really is. So without wasting much of our time, let us talk about what Education in itself means.

The English dictionary gives it two meaning which I like; The process or art of imparting knowledge, skill and judgment. From the definition, it means Academics in itself is embedded in education (formally), it means you can’t remove academics from education but you can remove the education from academics!

Let’s see how Academics is defined in the same dictionary; Belonging to an academy or other higher institution of learning; also a scholarly society or organization. Theoretical, having no practical importance.

It specifically states that it is theoretical, that means it does not really have practical importance. So, I can teach you academically how to build houses and all and you would never be able to build it! I can teach you academically how to prevent pollution in the environment and it would still never reduce!  Of course, one might think since one has known the theory, then I can easily apply it. Well, you might be right in some sense but you can’t compare it to if I had practically educated you on that! Anything about academics must involve you going to school but education goes beyond that. Education covers all both formal and informal and this is a major distinction. Education goes beyond the school environment ,it involves the society at large. Let’s take two scenarios for example: the first person is A while the second person is B. A went to school just to make one or two friends and get distinctions alone, A does not attend to anything outside his academics and shuns every other thing away and keeps getting his good grades..

B went to school and initially, B planned to just go and be like A but he made some good friends and met some people that helped him to change his orientation and all, so B as much as he focused on his academics, strives to be involved in other things, learns a skill, built relationships that helped him later in life, attended conferences and seminars, engaged in extracurricular and read many books outside his discipline and though, he didn’t get as much distinctions as A but still had a good result…

Now the question is, who was actually educated between A&B? Who really got education and who really got academics? Now to the first question, I would choose both, because in the real sense, they were both educated, at least both went to school and have acquired knowledge. The second answer is B got education while A got only academics. B did not only acquire formal knowledge ,he also acquired Knowledge from different fields and tell me who will be of much relevance in the society but look at A, he didn’t get any informal education at all, he only got the formal one and this is what is really wrong with many of us today.

Yes, from the Primary level to Tertiary level. Most of us go to school just to acquire formal knowledge alone and all, we leave the place of; building relationships with others, engaging in extracurriculars, learning one or two skills, getting social education, attending some conferences and all and we claim we are educated, some have never even bothered to read books outside of their field or outside of their formal knowledge and we claim we are educated, this is why many of these so-called educated ones become mediocre in the society, there has to be a change. I believe at this juncture, I have been able to help us know the distinction between these two words. Like the saying, it is not over until it is over, whether you have been ignorant or not does not matter, what matters it you are no longer ignorant, so I would like to say one or two things to help us change.

Firstly, if we look closely, we would see that this burns out from the very young stage of growth and this is where I would really like to address our Parents and Parents-to-be, give good education to your children. Yes, emphasize on the fact that they have to put in their best and excel but also let them engage in extracurricular, during their breaks and holidays, let them learn one or two skills. Let them attend young conferences, know their talents and help them build it. Let them go for competitions outside their fields and all, don’t wait till they are waiting to gain admission to the University, right from their Primaries, they can start learning things, teach them personally at home.

Also to the schools too, create avenue for them to learn skills and Primary schools are not excluded, create time for them to engage in practical and entrepreneurial skills, create time for them to read books outside the academic world, don’t just restrict them to academics alone. Some schools organize things like social night, talent hunt, clubs and societies, these should be very much encouraged in schools especially the Secondary levels.

For the Tertiary Students, I would speak to us as individuals because I believe most of us have been exposed to some of the things I had mentioned about education in your Primary or Secondary levels, build on them and become better, otherwise, learn one or two skills while you are in the University, equip yourself. As much as you want to make good grades; attend Conferences, build relationships, read good books outside your field, get social education, learn good communication skills, mingle with not only your mates but also with people in higher levels, be inquisitive, know what your friends in others discipline do and learn one or two things from them, read news and know what is going on in the society etc. Don’t let school pass through you, ensure YOU PASS THROUGH SCHOOL TOO!

Get real Education and see yourself become relevant in the future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boredom kills an outcast, even gods!

Many more a times without a voice to reckon with,

He became God of the creations

He designed and reclaimed his works

He loves what he made, yes He loves!

Without references, he loves

Whispering words of care and no more tears to his creations

 

He makes the world a place of free choice!

A swift hand, the passing of choice

A command of Love

Manifesting in darkness to produce great light.

No principle or direction for loving

He just loves haphazardly.

Even as a blameless highpriest, he still symphatise with our infirmities.

 

Funny! How love died for love

To know love cares soothes the heart

Giving strength to hold on for the feebling in heart.

Refiners fire, who descends to purifies

Just like the wind douses the candle and rouses the wildfire

His love cuddles and chatises too

His abode of love, a reward for the good

Breathe in the very air, he does too.

 

We show others love, then his kingdom we shall abide,

When his palace of beauty I see,

When he choose noble writers to read out their content of writings

May I not be found wanting at my duty post nor my writings not being fit to soothe the Creator’s sore

Never will I be cast away!

God is love this I know!

 

 

I’ve been at home waiting for the university strike in Nigeria to end so I can resume school. The “holiday” seems to be long and I want to use this period to get myself a good skill i can help myself with. My uncle used to tell me, “Nowadays, formal education is becoming the basics” plus the fact that my country has unemployment issues. What’s my chance of getting a good job right after school?

I think I’m becoming worried.

What else can I do then, to aid studies?

I thought of a Tech skill. I’ve always wanted to be a Techie girl.

So, I went in for an ADVENTURE in finding myself something I can do and look the treasures I found!

CODING!

 

So far coding is becoming the most sort after skill worldwide. Imagine that. It serves a varaity of purposes that is applied in almost ANY JOB!!! Experts argue it might become a Basic life skill. Wow! Did I say something about BASICS?

Coding might take time to learn and there are different computer languages . I can start with the easiest, HTML and Java Script. I can create apps and sites and more! You want to know about the whopping earning that follows suit?

UX DESIGN!

 

User Experience Design.

Oh I love designs.

UX designs are essential to keeping users on a website. I can do that. Wait, do you know what that means? If I’m good, a lot of companies would want me to help make customers stick to them. Do you still know what that means??? I just need to know the target, what they want, and let creativity take me to the top! Why don’t I start taking UX courses. Oh, I’m so loving this adventure. More? More!!!

SEO/SEM MARKETING!

 

Another awesome tech skill. Find me a company that wouldn’t want more site traffic. None? None!

Digital marketing is important because strong Search Engine Optimising (SEO) skills increases a company’s visibility and Web presence, leading to more site traffic, increased conversations, customers and revenue.

Can I also do this at home? It’s a tech skill. Yes!

 

GRAPHIC DESIGNING!

Where did my creativity go again?

In graphic designing, good illustrative skills can come on handy and I can also start with my phone!

I would work on websites, books, posters, games, displays!.. and I’ll get to earn too. I’ll need to create eye catching Visuals so people would turn up!

Really sound like fun to me.

 

EDITING!

 

Mother says I’m some sort of a perfectionist, maybe this is where I find out if it’s true.

Editing is planning, co-ordinating and revising materials for publications. Easy?

Can I do that? Of course, I can! Sounds like fun and a good source of revenue for a student like me.

 

So…

What do you think? Which one do I start with?

You have a skill? No? Hop in then. There’s no time to waste. Go grab yourself a skill right now. Grab yourself a treasure!

 

Sometime ago, I went to fetch water, I had to carry the water up because I stayed at the topmost floor. At the last step, I heard a crack from the bucket, I overlooked it thinking that I will soon get to my room where I will check it. While debating about it, just about three doors to my room, the bucket handle removed, fell on the floor. I picked up the bucket and saw that it has broken, not just broken but from the top to bottom.

When I carried this bucket to fetch, it was intact, looking durable but one thing was significant as I carried the bucket up with water, the crack, I heard of it, but instead of me to pause and check out the crack, see if there is any other way(s) I could carry the bucket, I neglected the sound until it was broken from top to bottom with all my effort and energy wasted. I didn’t want to wait, but was forced to, looked on as the water spread.

So many times, we behave like this, and often time we neglect it. We see the crack, heard and notice it, yet still forge ahead because we want to get to where we are going on time or achieve whatever it is we are doing.

The crack could be in your spiritual life, business, career, marital etc, that needs to be checked. The warnings signs are there, it’s seen on the wall calling for something to be done. It isn’t the time to overlook, it is the time to take action and see to the crack, doing what needs to be done. Don’t be in a rush or in haste, don’t say I will check it later, as the later might be too late.

The little action that could have patched up the crack was overlooked, until it gets to the point that it was totally broken. Assuming I had stopped, the damage to the bucket would have been minimal and my effort, energy conserved, yet I didn’t until I was forced to.

The action of not wanting to stop to check it out, might be the one to stop you. Before you are forced to stop, check out the crack.

I often wonder at the antipathy in the world that seems to seize one individual after the other on a daily basis. Of course, antipathy is not exactly a strange term to mankind, we’ve been through many forms of it: bullying, apartheid, racism, slavery, genocides, terrorism, even full blown civil wars and world wars. But what really strikes me about this particular form is the fact that it is perpetrated by man not against his fellow man- though that is worrisome enough- but against himself. The fact that man makes himself a target for himself is what bothers me. But what bothers me even more, is that I also find myself guilty of it.

 

Perhaps it is because I don’t have that beauteous body that I think the sleek black leather jacket that I saw at the mall won’t look good on me. Perhaps that is also why I eat once in three days and wear only baggy clothes. Perhaps it is because I got a D on my last test that I don’t think I’m worthy of achieving my dream of becoming the first pilot from my town. Perhaps that is also why I steer clear of the smart kids in my class and avoid talking to them, since I probably won’t understand a word they say. Perhaps it is because my smile is nowhere near mesmerizing that I don’t have a love interest. Perhaps that is also why I spend hours on the internet looking for the cheapest plastic surgeon around. Perhaps it’s because…

 

Sigh.

 

To be honest, I’m not perfect. I’m not the type that’ll ever get asked to model for a clothing line, I’ve never come in top 5 in my class and my parents say I’ll never get married. I’m not happy with that, I wish I was different. I wish I could be the me of my dreams. But who is the me of my dreams? The person with the hot body and genius brains who’s got tens of people drooping saliva? Is that the me I want to be? Again, to be honest, yes. Why? Because I’ve never been that way before and I’m sure it feels good. How do I know that? I just do.

 

But now, I choose to ask myself, why is that the me of my dreams? Why do I want to ‘feel good’ that way so badly? Fine, feeling good in itself isn’t a bad thing; but should that be a good enough reason for me to choose who I want to be and make my decisions? Should that image be the blueprint for my life?

 

True, I only live once. Since that’s the case, how should I play out the only chance I have at life? Should I aim to do what I want and keep myself feeling good? Or aim to be a person of value and virtue? I have only one shot at life. This means I have only one chance to excel at life and do all the things I want to. So what do I really want for myself? Who do I really want to be? Perhaps it’s something I need to take time to think about.

 

Yes! I have it; the image of who I want to be. I want to be a person of value and virtue and feel good while I’m at it. But then I can’t change my face or outfit just to impress others and call myself someone of value, can I? I can’t avoid being involved in intellectual discussions and expect myself to be valued as possibly the first pilot from here, can I? Because that’s simply me not valuing myself. If I don’t value myself, how can I expect others to value me? How will they even know who to value? I’m too busy hiding the real me anyway. But then, if I don’t have an alluring face and dress to impress, I won’t hang out with the popular crowd or go on dates. And if I have neither the popular crowd nor the dating escapades, how do I feel good? What exactly does feeling good mean anyway? It means to be happy, right? Well, what makes me happy? What should make me happy?

 

Right now, I’ll definitely be happy if someone walks up to me and says I’m the smartest, most talented, alluring youngster they’ve ever seen. No one has ever said that to me before, so maybe I do need to change a bit. But then, do I have to change just because no one compliments me? Do I need anyone to compliment me? Should I lose myself just because they don’t compliment me? No, never!

 

What then?

 

I compliment myself. I tell myself I look great even I have a cold and there’s mucus dripping from my nose. I eat when I’m hungry. I talk with who I want and ask questions about things I’m curious about whether people find me ignorant or not. I study. I wear what I love. I refuse to get myself in a relationship with someone interested only in how I look and not who I am. I forget about plastic surgeons and crazy diets. I take care of me.

 

The me of my dreams should be confident and bold, not looking to others for self-validation, or following trends just because they’re trending. The me of my dreams studies and works hard to achieve long-held dreams. That me is selfless and doesn’t just live in the moment for the moment, but looks ahead and makes plans. The me of my dreams is awesome and smart because that’s simply the truth. The me of my dreams feels good because self-care is prioritized and is a person of value and virtue because self-love is practised. That me positively impacts everyone I come in contact with.

 

The me of my dreams; that’s who I want to be. That’s who I’m going to be.

 

The gray hair shone

 

Attitude still cold

 

All bad habits sold

 

She said kill any foe

 

That step on her toe

 

Many truths unfold

 

Life secrets she told

 

Shooting stars break the mold

 

There’s beauty in fire and coal

 

Gleaming with joy when retired

 

Grandma said build me an Empire

 

Cuz that is what the heart desires

 

She taught mom how to inquire

 

All the skill full needs to inspire

 

And set our youthful age on fire

 

Knowing that this generation entire

 

Will make the feelings of love expire

 

She said let’s sit round the campfire

 

And watch till when the sky’s Sapphire

 

Too much wisdom the aged acquires

 

Like a lifetime of a vampire

 

That same wisdom the young Requires

 

For the journey ahead is hotter than fire

 

Some say experience is legendary

 

But you must do what is necessary

 

The less you show, the less they know

 

The less you speak the more you think

 

We all are in the same game

 

Just different levels

 

Dealing with the same hell

 

Just different devils

 

If people looked just like their personalities

 

Then there will be no trace of any abnormalities

 

No nice in me, left with vulnerabilities

 

We all want to live in luxuries just like celebrities

 

Cutting people out with no hesitation

 

Doing your own thing owing no explanation

 

Play the victim role control every situation

 

If you sell by the roadside you will see many things

 

Watching other people, you will get many dreams

 

Wishing you had a life so full of luxuries

 

But in this case you can’t even stay away from enemies

 

You see some girls try to play hard to get

 

But some lessons are not meant to forget

 

If you go to the market

 

And break a person’s bucket

 

Then you put hand in your Pocket

 

But you can’t find your wallet

 

Stop that nonsense you tell your conscience

 

But rugged is he that took the content

 

A young boy of seven

 

Not scared to hold the AK47

 

But may not live long

 

Die at twenty seven

 

The high man be flexing

 

His colleagues not minding

 

Whatever is happening

 

Because they are already planning

 

For their next generations

 

The low guys no see light

 

They go still use generator

 

That is how it always has been

 

A tradition gone back generations

 

We don’t get to talk so much about our failures, do we?

 

I mean, who wants to read about how you failed and did something that wasn’t winning?

 

Who cares about how your business idea was a huge fail or how you had to sit for an external examination seven times in a row or how you got heartbroken or how you applied for a job and got rejected or how you auditioned for a role and didn’t get selected?

 

Our world is so into success stories to the extent that we’ve neglected failures and progress stories (that are not entirely about how you excelled all the time) as one of those things that count.

 

But speaking of failures, here’s a failure episode from my life you might want to read.

 

A tale of how I got an unforgettable but not-so-pleasant memory.

 

Of how I stood.

 

Mic in hand.

 

A myriad of bulging human eyes fixed on me.

 

The hall, placid and tranquil.

 

My being, tensed.

 

And all I had rehearsed for my presentation, forgotten.

 

Obviously, I felt so embarrassed.

 

Got home and couldn’t stop thinking about what all had happened and wishing I could take back the hands of time and do things a bit differently. But we just can’t do that, can we?

 

But here lies the crux of this tale:

 

Do not let the plethora of success stories you see online push you into thinking that if you don’t get it right and perfectly then your story doesn’t need to be heard.

 

It broke my heart when a friend of mine who writes so well told me he was waiting till he got really good at writing before he would begin putting out his works for the world to see. No doubt, this is the fate of so many other people out there.

 

Of you reading this, maybe.

 

You have a business idea and you’re waiting till you are convinced of zero risks.

 

You have a craft you’re good at and you’re waiting till you can deliver flawlessly before you start showing up.

 

Come on, now.

 

Salem King would say: “Journey over Destination”.

 

It doesn’t matter when you get to where you’re going to, it is the progressive little steps you take that matters even more.

 

Imagine trying to cut down a tree with an axe.

 

Let’s say it takes 7 hits to cut down that tree. For the first six attempts you would look stupid and it would feel as though you’re wasting your time. But with the seventh hit, the tree comes falling down and it all makes sense.

 

Be aware that it is not the seventh hit that made the difference, but instead it is the six consistent hits before that.

 

So, dear young person,

 

As much as success stories are an interesting read, we want to watch you grow into that star we know you are.

Own your failures. Own your progress story. Own your six hits.

 

It may not look like you’re getting anywhere with it now. It may not be making much sense. But when that seventh hit comes, you’d be glad you persisted.

 

Just as Winston Churchill said, “success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

 

Remember, someone’s counting on you.

 

I’m counting on you.

 

We all are.

 

The Nigerian society is one that have gratified men dominance in all phase. This is further helped by the fact that most traditions relegates women to lesser beings thus, a restriction to explore their full potential. This cry-able fate did not just hinder the woman-fold from making exploits, but by extension has robbed the world of most of what the female gender has to offer. These all are true owing to the patriarchal society we live in.

Patriarchy originally defined puts regards to men (father) as the head of the family but this concept have been further stretchered into other sphere of life thus putting the men as the head in all cases. This ideology now means that women will have to fight much more than their male counterpart in order to be eligible for the same leadership position; sometimes requiring them to go against their standards.

Patriarchy is one of the major reason for the cry for gender equality as some level of marginalization befall women in their place of work, political sphere, business, societal recognition and most commonly, the family. Imagine the most basic ground for the formation of the society giving preference to the male child and in effect planting in the girl child the sense of defeat relative to a man as well as low self-worth and esteem. In some cases, this leads to hatred for the male gender thus an unhealthy relationship, another source of violence in families as well as in the society.

Looking majorly at the potentials and capabilities of individuals when leadership is spoken of, will go a long way in changing the patriarchal mindset.

The fact that ‘what a man can do, a woman can do and even better’ can be seen, take a look at one woman whom has time and again proven this fact, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala being the first female minister for finance under the Goodluck Jonathan led administration and currently Director general of World Trade. On the business front, we can see the like of Mrs. Folorunshuno Alakija, the Vice-Chairman of FAMFA Oil Ltd and Managing Director of Rose of Sharon Group whom in 2015 was ranked the second most powerful woman in Africa behind Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. Politically, Obiangeli Ezekwesili and Princess Stella Oduah are examples of women who have kept relevance in politics as they climbed the ladder of leadership. The list go on and on in different spheres of life as women are now carving a niche for themselves irrespective of what the society offers even against incredible odds.

Though it is important for women to know their place, it sure is not as second fiddle, true they ought to respect the man folks but society should not see it as opportunity to belittle them.

From Biblical narrative, we come to find out that it goes that the creation  of a woman was out of necessity that a man needs a helper “comparable” to him thus in relegating a woman to a help, the need to take note that it is of a magnitude comparable to the work of a man. It does not go without saying that “behind every successful man is a woman” so also it is for every unsuccessful man. This highlight the vast power in a woman which patriarchy has helped to keep untapped. It also shows the need for the voice of the woman to be heard and hearkened to at least for the benefit of doubt and truly we can know if when women are in leadership they can do what men can do and even better.

 

 

Ever stepped into a restaurant and suddenly felt conscious of your skin color? Or have you ever boarded a bus and you felt like you’re the wrong color?

 

Between 1525 and 1860, 12.5 million people were kidnapped from Africa and sent to America through the transatlantic slave trade. Only 10.7 million survived the harrowing two months journey. Up until the slave trade was abolished and the ‘Blacks’ were able to enjoy some rights, the prevailing narrative about African Americans was one of the model minority.

 

The model minority concept, developed during and after World War II, posits that African Americans were the ideal immigrants of color to the United States. In the United States, African Americans have long been considered as a threat to a nation that promoted a Whites-only immigration policy. They were called a “yellow-peril” unclean and unfit for citizenship in Africa. Even after almost 14 years after Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first ‘black’ President, Africans, far more than whites, say Africans are treated unfairly across different realms of life, from dealing with the police to applying for a loan or mortgage. And for many Africans, racial equality remains an elusive goal.

 

In recent years, this centuries old divide has garnered renewed attention following the deaths of unarmed African Americans during encounters with the police, as well as a racially motivated shooting that killed nine black parishioners at a church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

 

 

Movements clamoring for the preservation of African lives have emerged, one of such is Black Lives Matter. BLM is an activist movement that first came to national prominence following the 2014 shooting death of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. “I Can’t Breathe” is a slogan associated with the movement in the United States. The phrase originates from the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed ‘black’ man who was killed in 2014 after being put in a chokehold by a New York City Police Officer.

 

 

George Perry Floyd JR. (October 14, 1973- May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill, on May 25, 2020. Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck and back for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. After his murder, protests against police brutality, especially towards Africans, quickly spread across the United States and globally. His dying words “I Can’t Breathe” became a rallying cry.

 

 

It’s ironically amusing how racism has spread from Whites-Blacks to Blacks-Blacks. In September 2020, thousands of South Africans marched along the streets with banners and placards demanding that Nigerians, Zimbabweans, and other foreigners leave their country. It is a bitter form of discrimination in a country that is proud of being a so-called rainbow nation itself, one that takes some of the old bigotries of apartheid and repurposed them against other Africans. The general feelings on the streets of South Africa towards foreigners is a mixture of antagonism and stereotypes. Now, an African not only from Whites, but also from his fellow African. Will it ever end?

 

Many Africans in their distress have written poems about the daily troubles they face just because they are Africans. One of them was Maya Angelou who wrote “The Caged Bird.” It is clear that this title had great significance to Angelou, as it was the title of her entire life story. In her autobiography, she talked about the struggle of being an African author and poet. She often felt that her words were not heard because of the color of her skin. She felt that in some ways, she was still experiencing slavery. Although African Americans were free people in Angelou’s time, there were still many restrictions on them in society, making it so that many African Americans did not feel free at all.

 

 

“The Caged Bird” is an extended metaphor for the African community in America and around the world. Angelou is alluding to the lived experience of millions of men, women, and children since the beginning of time and the variety of oppressive tactics, whether physical, mental or economic employed by those in power. ‘Black’ men, women, and children see “through…bars” while the free bird sores the sky. The caged bird sings from a place of sadness rather than joy, in order to convey a broader history of sorrow. While the free bird gets to enjoy the full sky, the caged bird rarely even gets a glimpse of the sky. She claims that “his wings are clipped and his feet are tied.” Text from her autobiography reveals that Angelou often felt this way in life. She felt restricted from enjoying the freedom that should have been her right as a human being. The speaker then reveals that these are the very reasons that the caged bird “opens his throat to sing.”

 

 

Another African who took up the pen to relay his dilemma and the dilemma of Africa was Agostinho Neto, who wrote “The Grieved Lands.” The poem presents the uniqueness of Africans’ race and their resistance to slavery and colonial rule. A part of the poem talks about the degradation of Africa by slavery, imperialism, colonialism and westernization. “The modern slave” refers to the present psychological and mental slavery in Africa and among Africans, where Africans depend on the west for aids and solutions. In the 3rd stanza, the poet bemoans the destruction of African dreams. All those ‘Blacks’ sold into slavery had their dreams in life but were stifled out by slavery while the Africans under the colonialist administration were exiled to prevent them from attaining their dreams in their father’s land, hence, the land grieves for her children.

 

The Poet was sent to Cape Verde for exile amidst his struggle for the liberation of Angola. This was the fate of most other African nationalists fighting for the liberation and independence of their countries from other parts of the continent. The poet concludes by presenting Africa as an imperishable race and African land as a land that can withstand anything – “Because we are living/ And are imperishable particles.”

 

We have a reputation. We’ve heard it all; arrogant, too loud, scammers, they made us so small. They refer to us as apes. We’re treated as second-class citizens, even in our own land. But they forget one thing. We are the generations of giants. No matter what it is we are labelled, we are Africans. It’s not about the color of our skin. In fact, Black is not a color, Black is every color all together. And we Blacks are imperishable.