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Friday 5 September 2008

Are We Crazy In Africa?

Let me start by saying some of the pictures you're about to view aren't nice...so please note.

I'm going to write something a few of you might find offensive. It's kinda anti-Africa. I feel a little uncomfortable writing it but I can't help myself. Hopefully some of you will reason with me.

See I love Nigeria, I love Africa. I doubt if there's anyone who's more in love with this continent than I am. I've had many opportunities to live outside of this continent and I've always refused. In fact it's one of the reasons I haven't gotten married...YET...(that's a story for another day lol), so believe me I love Africa...

BUT sometimes I'm so angry with it's people. Are we out of our minds? Are some of us mentally deranged?



If we are not deranged, then how do we explain Xenophobia? Why would we set a human being on fire just because he is a foreigner in our land? Why not deport them? Look at that police officer in the middle smiling while an innocent soul burns to death. And is that a woman in the picture?

Are we insane?



If we are sane, then please explain Genocide to me. We kill people who are our country men just because they belong to another tribe? We are from the same country but I deserve to die because I speak another language?

Are we alright in the head?



If we are alright in the head, then how do we explain students beating a teacher to death just because she unknowingly threw the Quran to the ground?

Are we mad in Africa?



If we are not mad, then please explain why a court in Africa will decree that a 16 year old boy stab to death, a man who killed his father, in a public execution? The picture of the boy stabbing the man you see tied to this tree is too gruesome that I can't even upload it.

Why my people? Why do we act like animals?



If we are not animals, then why would we kidnap little children, cut them up and sell their body parts for ritual purposes or sell them into child slavery?

Don't we have a conscience in Africa?


If we have a conscience, then why do we make wives and mothers out of our 12 year old daughters?



And killers and rapists out of 13 year old sons? How can we put guns in the hands of our children and make soldiers of them? Don't they have a right to grow up first?
What's our problem in Africa?

Don't we get it?


If we get it, then why would we set ourselves on fire just to protest racism? If they are treating us like second class citizens in a foreign land then why don't we just pack our bags and go back home?

Why are we so unreasonable?


If we reason well, then why strip a woman naked because she was unfaithful. Why not just divorce her?

Why do we act stupid?


If we don't act stupid, then why do we lynch people for the smallest reasons? Why do we take justice into our own hands?

Don't we have value for human life?


If we have value for human life, then why gun down an African legend who has blessed millions with his music, just because we want to steal his car? Kill the owner, steal the car, sell the car and buy marijuana with the money. Then go back the next day looking for another person to kill, another car to steal?

What's wrong with us in Africa?


If there's nothing wrong with Africa, then explain why AIDS, which was discovered in Europe, is killing more people in Africa than any other continent in the world?
Why my people???

I ask again, are we cursed? Can someone answer me?
What can we do to make Africa great again? When will Africans unite again?
All through our history, it's people, it's beauty, it's wonders and despite our tragedies and sadness, outsiders have come to visit, some never even go back. That tells me there's something beautiful about Africa.

I love Africa and I will never give up on it. Despite our difficulties, Africa shall be at peace. We deserve peace because we are a beautiful people. But how do we find peace if we keep doing this to ourselves?

Someone please tell me we are not crazy in Africa. Or are we?

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful rendition ,well thought out and well delivered .
xenophobia is real ,so was genocide when the igbos in large numbers were killed in cold blood .

HUMANS ARE IN REAL FACT ANIMALS OF A HIGHER PEDIGREE
same nose ,eyes and four limbs
But must we alway stress it by being so rash?

Anonymous said...

Award winning article
You sure you wrote this linda?

The Activist said...

I was left sad after readign this. Some of this story I know b4.

We fight racism yet we are the racists. We shout no to killings but we kill... I have met a lot of unreasonable pple that made me think I am in a wrong continent. Cos they dont just reason.

I am not saying the whites have the right to call us APES but we behave like APES at times. Infact APES have better attitude. And some subjective pple will blame this on poverty (HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS)

Anonymous said...

no offence linda but this is ur most articulated write up yet.... well done

Anonymous said...

xenohobia, genocide, whatever...it all boils down to nothing more than hatred. so? y do we hate? this is a question i will like us all to ask ourselves. Y DO WE HATE?

ralph said...

the same crimes are committed all over the world,the difference is the execution of law.

here in texas you can kill whomever you want,but you would end up in huntsville(bridge to the devils *SS).

I had a classmate that was raped,and the guys that did it made her feel guilty(in lagos).

pro/critical about AFRICA only means that you love the land.

P.S.

if i'm offered $10 mil & 72 virgins,to live in northern nigeria,(my black *ss aint coming back)i'll probably say no.

Anonymous said...

Well done Linda. After reading this article, i went into deep thinking.
We Africans are the cause of our problems. We don't like ourselves. Just yesterday, I rebuked my yoruba friend who always say negative things about the Ibos. She so much dislike the Ibos. She is not the only one has i've to always tell them we are one Nigeria.
Infact she calls me omo Ibo.
The truth is that, there is no love in our heart. We should learn to tolerate one another.

Flourishing Florida said...

dis is too sad. am speechless 4 what 2 say

Anonymous said...

I've been visiting online forums and blogs for a while now but i've never been moved to drop a comment.
Linda, this is a great article. I couldn't have passed the message across better.
I know you are a true professional and you didn't plagiarize this.
Good job

Anonymous said...

You don't how many times the exact same thoughts has crossed my mind many times over. I think its a curse by our brothers and sisters that we sold into slavery at such expansive level because no one can explain to me why not even one country in sub-saharan Africa isn't as successful as a western or even asian country.

Anonymous said...

About all this African Hatred..who says it only happens here.....

How bout what the Russians did to Georgia (still are)?

How bout what happened with ethnic albanians?

How bout what happens to the Aborigenes in Australia?

How bout the ethnic cleansing with the Serbs in Kosovo.

How bout what the French did to Algerians and other North Africans living in thier country about 2 years ago?

How bout the what China is doing to Taiwan and people of Tibet...

How bout what Americans do to prisoners in Guantanamo Bay???

Lets not even talk about Hitler and the Jews...

I'm not saying i condone this dastardly acts by Africans but the whole world is sick, really sick and we would only find true happiness in the world to come...

Anonymous said...

LInda ur anger is understandable but I WANT U TO KNOW SOMETHING. these things happen all over the world. the only difference is that they are smart enough to COVER IT!!

anyways we are not CRAZY but alot of our people are dumb, ignorant and not enlightened. I mean how can that happen when we have an illiterate rate that is like 80% or more. What we need is a better education system. We need to teach our people to think about themselves and their world. We must stop acting like animals and learn to REASON.

also we must stop raising our kids in VIOLENCE. u can't beat a child senseless and then expect him to respect others.

There is alot of work that needs to be done, and it can only be done by those that care enough to do it. So please Linda I understand ur pissed but negativity does not bring out about anything good.

Instead of stating "ARE WE CRAZY in AFRICA" which any passerby to this blog will see and think ur insulting ur home continent, we can state "why psychological development is important in Africa"

It is up to us to BRING THE CHANGE we want to see in our state, country and CONTINENT.

God Bless.

Anonymous said...

Linda Linda,

"Africa" happens to have over 3000 unique languages and 50 countries. In that setup nobody can see eye to eye and "Africans" no matter the way the world brandishes it is not a race. It is not one people no matter how you spin it.

But it is not uniquely African. Different countries in Europe slaughtered each other for hundreds of years. For over 500 years in fact. Countries went from knee and fist to bows and arrows to sword and shield to tank and grenades to planes and missiles. In the last decade the story of Bosnia is like the story of Rwanda. The xenophobia of South Africa is like the xenophobia of countries like Germans, Italians, Spanish not that long ago (and who knows even now).

The Japanese when they took over china proceeded to murder over 1 million people and rape many Chinese women. Yet they are "Asians".

So one does not generalize incidents here and there as "African". Its about South African xenophobia, Rwandese genocide, Nigerian religious and tribalistic animosity.

Anonymous said...

"xenophobia is real ,so was genocide when the igbos in large numbers were killed in cold blood"


"if i'm offered $10 mil & 72 virgins,to live in northern nigeria,(my black *ss aint coming back)i'll probably say no."


As much as i would love to say we are crazy in Africa i know we arent, but i think its unverified issues and stories we hear about each other that lead us to doing such stupid things, such statements like the ones quoted above are not the right things to say if we really must change the ways of the Black man.

We sure can change things, but no amount of running away will change Africa for us.

Anonymous said...

Honey..you hit the nail on the head, pls, keep on writing and may God bless you.

Anonymous said...

To answer the question- We are not crazy, but 'Africans' just as all humans are capable of perpetuating dastardly acts upon one another.

The Holy book tells us that - quote "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked who can know it?- unquote. Clearly we have the tendency to behave as desired and as it pleases our nuances.

Our natural instincts as animals is to defend our territory and regard any other as an enemy. This unfortunately or maybe by design has been the developmental path every continent (country) has followed to date and ours can be no different (Take the history of Great Britain for example).

What rather frustrates me though is the lack of wise counsel and Leadership in African governments, because through conscious education and easy access to basic 'existence' needs such as jobs, homes, social infrastructure, this developmental phase can be hastened. We do not have to repeat the history of killing and conquer as was practiced in the prior western world, when we know the only way forward is through mutual respect and coexistence.

By my reckoning, education , not lip service, not talking shop and 'ACCESS TO LIFE', because as it is right now, a lot of Africans exist but have no access to life as we know it in the western hemisphere.

John Obi

Tyra!!! said...

My sister...i am speechless.... Some of the things that go on in our continent is really sad. What we need is re-orientation.
Our country, Nigeria, is VERY WEALTHY (note that i didn't say rich) yet, so many Nigerians live in abject poverty, while only about 1% of the population enjoy the wealth of the nation. It's a shame. Again i say, we need RE-ORIENTATION!!!

Kemberly said...

Very well said Linda.

Anonymous said...

I just have to say something...It is funny some posters are trying to justify the wicked behavior of some africans by saying the rest of the world does the same. We as africans should know better and stay above that even if white, green or purple people commit the same acts or not. I am sick of people saying "X and Y do it not just africans", so does that make it okay or even tolerable? Just admit we are fucked up and lets do something about it first by working on boosting our economy, infrastructure (schools,roads etc), employment, check population growth especially in Nigeria (it puts a strain on limited resources), and eradicate CORRUPTION especially. Hell, Africa is the last continent on planet earth in terms of economic growth which is why there is so many of us in the diaspora just trying to make it. Thanks Linda for this article because it would wake some people up and make us take a hard good look at ourselves. At least SHAME has the power of sparking some motivation among us to do the right thing.
JO

Anonymous said...

Nice write-up,..am speechless all i can say is may almighty come to our aid, some ppl says it happens all over the world, but we can be diffrent and better! Kudos to u Linda.

ralph said...

The truth is the truth.If we cannot be honest with one another,there is absolutely no way we can move forward.

Linda is just a messenger(don't kill her),and what she put up here are all facts.Beating an innocent woman to death,for knocking down a Quran.Religion is part of the problem as well.God is good though.
The world is a very sick place sometimes.

Everyone has evil in them,some people know how to check theirs.
There's no such thing as sub-saharan Africa,there's only one
Africa(east,west,north,south).

black people
black sheep of the family
black magic(voodoo)
black heart
black market
black hole(actually quite good)lol.

nothing but love yall.

AustynZOGS said...

Weep not child!Touching piece.

Dith said...

*speechless*

Dith said...

linda i would like for u 2 leave this post up 4 a while but then again that may be 2much 2 ask.

really i have asked myself that question sooooo many times. Y DOES IT ALWAYS BOIL DOWN 2 JUNGLE JUSTICE IN MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES??? SETTIN PPLE ON FIRE, CUTTING OFF PPLE'S HEAD, KILLING EACH OTHER OVER TRIVIAL ISSUES, etc. IT IS SO DISGUSTING AND BARBARIC 2 SAY D LEAST.

Honestly i think comparing these lunatic behaviors of humans to that of animals is an INSULT 2 animals b'cos even THEY do not behave like this.

In my head and around me said...

This behaviour is not limited to the geographical region or peoples of Africa. It happens everywhere.

Mr. Tee said...

My dear Linda! I feel ur pain, believe me i really do...i think the real cause of all this is pure illiteracy.When i say 'Illiteracy' i dont just mean going to school and getting a Bachelor's or a master's degree. I mean 'illiteracy in the true sense of d word. Many of us lack orientation and exposure, so that we get so many things twisted...Tell me why a rational human would feel cool in giving a child barely a teenager guns to carry about?

Well...the 'Holy Book' had already said stuffs like this were gonna happen as we edge closer to the last days!

Anonymous said...

I just had to comment on this piece...very well written!!! It brings tears to my eyes reading this and knowing it's all true but still having soo much love for this great continent.We need God to solve our problems because there is no plausible explanation for the wrongs that we commit against ourselves as a people.I think that we lack self-love and that is why we have no value for life.Change is however possible and it starts from one person and spreads to a generation. Recognising that we have a problem is the first step to making a change. GOD help us!!!

Anonymous said...

Linda, if this is your own analysis of the gruesome happenings in Mother Africa, then your head is trully made up of the right stuff. Who can beat this explicit presentation? Africa is really sick. I am in Berlin now but the few weeks I have been hear I have seen a lot of lessons for Africa. The appartment I am in has TV dishes at such lower heights that if it were back home thieves could have been going around flats stealing. How about the many bikes owners park on the park ways? In Africa this can not happen. Folks who take take their bikes even to the loo for fear of thieves. Mother Africa is cursing herself for sinking so low and thinking my personal(social, political, religious, economical etc) problems as an individual are because of the neighbour next door.

Anonymous said...

@ Standtall i cant even believe you are following the whites to call us APES!!!wow!!more grease to your elbow o....when we africans do stuff its called barbaric abi..The oyibos already call us d dark continent and some of us are further agreeing by calling ourselves APES!!standtall may you act like an APE i dont know!!!

Linda while i must applaud you for this write up and for shedding light on these insane and shameful acts i must say such acts are carried out everywhere and NOT limited to africa..a woman here in america put her baby in d microwave,recently in Canada an asian guy stabbed a young guy he was travelling with in a bus beheaded him and ate part of his flesh, there are crazy husbands here who kill their prganant wives(pls google scott peterson), there are crazy serial killers who rape girls and mutilate them,what about suicide bombings, what about GEorge bush going into iraq?lots of horrendous acts happen ALL over the world!!!!

@ joseph no one is justifying the way some AFRICANS behave!!and no one is saying because X & Y are doing it then it is right!!!it is totally horrendous(the acts that linda has highlighted) but it is not particular to Africa..period!!

Anonymous said...

Linda i wonder what you will say when you see the gruesome old photos of what Americans did to Africans during slavery...

The rapes, The murders, The lynchings...

My point is that, yes we are cursed as a continent, but so is everywhere else...

The only difference is that we dont have laws.

Google this name Emett Till, Google the Scottsboro Boys,

I am sorry i am not trying to say we are okay, all i am trying to say is that every continent/country has its sin.

I do agree with you on many levels...and may the Good Lord help us all.

Its saddening, its sickening...all we can do is pray. No where is safe.

The fire burning of humans was common during the civil rights.

What about the Nigeiran Girl (Medical Student) here in yankee whose body was found burnt and chopped into pieces...here in yankee...

We just cover things up nicely out here. Thats all.

Otherwise...great article.

Anonymous said...

your question would make sense if such atrocities weren't also commited in other.i would give examples but SIMON SEEZ seez has already.

BOTTOMLINE: THE WHOLE WORLD IS CRAZY.
''CRAZY'' ISNT CONTINENT SPECIFIC.

SASSYCASSIE

zara (my alter ego) said...

wow... i think we are indeed crazy..all what u rote about could onli be signs of craziness! at least the sane still outnumber the insane!

zara (my alter ego) said...

i think i change my prognosis.. we arent crazy.. everyone else is.. we were contaminated by the craziness of others.. just read the emett till and the scotsboro boys story, all i can say.. may God forgive the white people their sins!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone anywhere written:

ARE WE CRAZY in EUROPE?

ARE WE CRAZY in ASIA?

ARE WE CRAZY in AMERICA?

ARE WE CRAZY IN ARABIA?

The Europeans dont call themselves as crazy or murderous for a few countries having slaughtered over 30 million people of each other in two world wars so why are Africans crazy?

The Asians dont see themselves as crazy for some countries having eliminated 100 million girls in the past 20 years by selective abortion so why are Africans crazy?

The Americans dont label themselves crazy for enslaving over 30 million Africans and keeping them in near-animal like conditions and as second-class people (along with women) for over 400 years so why are Africans crazy?

The Arabs dont view themselves as crazy for maiming people for even basic things like stealing, killing people for adultery and covering up their women like tent so why are Africans crazy?

We need to stop generalizing a few actions of backward and evil people as "African" and look deeper into issues.

Explore xenophobia in South Africa AND ask how it happened - APARTHEID => POVERTY + VIOLENCE + SELF-HATRED.

Yet the SAME PEOPLE in Botswana across the border (Tswana live in South Africa and Botswana) do not go around killing the millions of foreigners in their country?

Its the same thing about religious conflict in Nigeria. Go to Tanzania there you will find Christians and a HUGE muslim population living side-by-side with no wahala whatsoever. Why is Nigeria a cauldron and Tanzania not?

Because Nigeria we have fundamentalist islamic people roaming around in the north while you dont have that happening in Tanzania.

But look at the contrast and all these places are in Africa.

Anonymous said...

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Dulce said...

Nicely written Linda and very very thought provoking. I was mad and then sad and then I starting to ponder about everything. Some have commented that this happens all over the world, yes, true, but Linda is only focusing on where she knows and where she comes from, that is called taking a step. And this is what we ought to do be it in our community, neighbourhood, country, continent, etc. Now back to the question asked, Linda, it baffles me why we act like this in Africa. I am torn between ignorance and stupidity. We are so intelligent but yet we do such immoral and crazy acts that I cannot even begin to understand. I am keeping the faith though, because I believe that there will be a change, it has to be somewhere, someday. Us the young generation, have to keep the dream alive and it begins through the knowledge and spirit we instil in our children so they can pass that same knowledge and spirit to their children, and it goes from there...Look at the dream that Martin Luther King had, many years have passed and though Obama is not in the White House yet, he is a candidate and that is a great lesson to us of hope and believe. Let us therefore unite and believe and hope together, we will make it.

Anonymous said...

ok let me get this straight! so it is justification enough for Africans to behave this way b'cos it happens or rather has happened in other parts of the world??

yes it happens everywhere but atleast there are abiding laws in those places against them but in most of these african countries, it is "THE LAW" that orders for such atrocities to occur and that is why it is more sickening!

you would think by now with everything Africa has been thru and is goin thru, that such trivial issues wldnt be a problem.
oh well God dey sha!

adaeze said...

@taiwo,
are u even commenting on this post?

people kill each other because they hate each other. its got nothing to do with illiteracy!
d literate ones kill with more sophistication..nuclear weapons, missles, etc etc...abi? but death is death....and these things have been happening even from bible times...

the bottomline is hate and it aint peculiar to africans alone....
Africans might be barbaric about it...but like someone said earlier...the crux of the matter is


why do we hate?

Unknown said...

Linda, perhaps if you took up the opportunity to live in other parts of the world, you'd find that everything you're complaining about happens worldwide.

Xenophobia, racism, disease, lawlessness et. al. are universal issues and the worst incidences don't necessarily happen in Africa

Anonymous said...

@ Paris and co r u guys blind..did one here justify the acts because other people are committing the same atrocities?duh!!wat some of us are trying to say is that these acts are not peculair to Africa only!no one is jusfying them!!! Are we crazy in Africa?YES some people are crazy in Africa and so the rest of d world!!

Yewande Atanda said...

this is a nice post. keep it up Linda.

this is my opinion...

i think people are the same all over the world. we all have sentiments, passion, subjective views, and 'ego'. we are all intolerant (this however depends on the level of individual rationality), inflexible and usually feel that our opinions are the best. once this weakness of man continues to weigh him down, crimes will continue to dominate the world.

one thing i want us to know is that crimes committed in Europe is part greater than that of Africa; it is the media that blow them out of proportion.

it is all about change. Africa is currently experiencing change and that change will change our thinking and social development. remember that Europe and America once passed through this stage. i think a change that will REFORM Africans is already on the way. take Nigeria for example. can u compare the level of ethnic hostility of 2000-2003 with what is happening now. except for Niger-Delta, Nigeria is becoming more peaceful everyday.

i think we are not crazy, we are not cursed and we're not under any spell. we only need to wait for change to come naturally.

Anonymous said...

Linda alot of ur commenters like PARIS and co. NEED TO READ AN EFFIN BOOK!! my goodness people educate urself. TAKE effin WORLD HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS and see the ATROCITIIES!! that the so called "enlightened" westerners have committed in the past as well as they are about to commit now.

African people should feeling like there is something wrong withe THEM!!

READ A BOOK!! READ an effin BOOK!! do u know wat the WHITES did when they came to AFRICA???

DO U KNOW WHAT THEY DID ON THE BOAT on their way to america

WHAT about the holocuast where more than a million JEWS were BURNED to death like CHICKENS!! ONE OF THE WORST ATROCITIES IN THE world
in fact don't read a book, wikipedia HOLOCAUST.

what about the israli's, afghanistan and all these places that will not KNOW PEACE.

PEOPLE LOOK outside the world is full of CRAZY mad people.

Let us PRAISE our smart and forthcoming AFRICAN people and stop riveling in the west's view of who they think we are: savages.

STOP IT, it is up to us to do the right thing.

as for that are running. KEEP RUNNING..and read a book by a guy called modisane.

also people read "FATE OF AFRICA" so that next time when u have the impulse to write something ignorant, and limited in views and understanding. u will stop urself.


p.s most african countries are under 65yrs old. (food for thought)

Dith said...

Anonymous...hehehehe u just HAD 2 go there abi??

well u know what?? this chick is too darn busy 2 even get into any back and forth bullshit with sum anonymous mugu on the internet. BUT let me enlighten u a lil bit cos quite frankly u sound really lost and confused and dare i say FRUSTRATED!

sweetheart! just so u kno i have been living in the United states ever since i was a kid...so u can pretty much say i have got d U.S history down packed in my membrane.
i work with different organizations on my part time with regards 2 global matters so YOU the ALMIGHTY book reader can shove it......

like i said b4 it is not about what other countries are doing or have done. it is about what AFRICA is doing. this post was clearly abt Africa or wasn't it Linda?

LMAO! why o why! pple choose 2 pick on wittle old Pawis all d time,......i will never know.

Seriously tho, allowing some individual whom u know nothing of INTIMIDATE THE SHIT OUTTA U whenever she drops a comment screams LACK OF SELF ESTEEM my dear.

pple are simply pathetic u kno!!!JUSTIFYING THE ATROCITIES GOIN ON IN AFRICA B'COS OTHER PEOPLE DO IT?? ohhh! my bad! i guess it makes it sound less "crazier" per se??
hisssssssssssssssssss

Anonymous said...

@Paris

Well-said. Let's call a süade a spade

Anonymous said...

Linda ... there will always be Nigerians trapped by Naija mentality ...always find an excuse to act like swine !
After all oyibo sef do am ...tufiakwa for my people and their ready made excuses !!

Dan said...

Linda I feel your frustration.I love Africa but I am for the most part embarrassed by Africa.The degree of savagery expressed by Africans is unimaginable.
And I'll tell you where that emanates from.It comes from poverty ,lack of education and a non-functional criminal justice system.Everywhere in the world where these factors exist, you have these sorts animalistic brutality.
That's why we need sane leaders in Africa,not just in elected offices but men and women from without who are influential enough to steer Africa away from this madness and back to enlightenment and prosperity.
Don't wait for that messiah/martyr Linda, you and I are one.

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