Africans living in voluntary and compelled exile

ByMoyo Okediji

Africans living in voluntary and compelled exile:

Do we deserve the “comfort” of exile, if we are only concerned about the comfort of our immediate families?

We all realize that a country like Nigeria has become a lion’s den, and many of the citizens feel trapped inside it.

We realize that many of us escaped with nothing in our pockets. I left with only $98 in my pocket in 1992.

We realize that many countries, especially Nigeria, treated us badly, and continues to treat its citizens without care, deprived of the basic amenities of life.

But: when we reach the land of exile, should we not reach back and do something for those who are trapped in the country?

When I left, I swore I would never return to Nigeria. I know of people who tore their Nigerian passports after reaching the land of exile.

But do we have a responsibility to those who are unable to leave?

I am not speaking of distributing money and material things to the beggars: do we have any responsibility to salvage Nigeria from the leeches?

And if so, what can we do?

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VISUAL PROVERBS: ABO

ByMoyo Okediji

VISUAL PROVERBS: ABO

Let’s play with words.

Let’s play with images.

Let’s construct figures of speech.

Let’s do òwé, and ride it down the lane of memory.

Let’s break things all down; then pack them all back together.

Let’s see what will fall out, what will fall in.

Let us now begin to speak in proverbs.

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Like a bird

ByMoyo Okediji

Like a bird, I mostly live on seeds and fruits these days.

The seeds last long, and I can easily store them in my self-isolated den.

But the fruits, I prefer them “fresh.” I, therefore, buy only enough to last for about a week whenever I visit the grocery store near my house.

So, I put on my Koro hijab and went to the grocery store.

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Ẹyẹ: Bird

ByMoyo Okediji

Ẹyẹ: Bird I told Iya Oyo that I was scared when a couple of birds perched on top of the large tree in front of the house and were making loud sounds, one calling and the other responding.“You are afraid of birds?” Iya Oyo asked me.“Yes,” I said. “My playmates told me they are witches, àjẹ́.”

Zoom classroom

Zoom classroom

ByMoyo Okediji

In the United States, the Zoom classroom is becoming the norm in an abnormal world.

It’s unbelievable that the death toll in the United States is nearing the 250,000 number.

That sort of figure is beyond imagination—one-quarter of a million people dead.

How does one wrap one’s mind around that sort of number, in terms of fallen heroes in a single war that has not yet even lasted one year?.

Whereas in Africa, hardly anyone is dying.

When last week the press reported the fall of Jerry Rawlings to the pandemic, it was so shocking, because in Nigeria, everybody is wining, dining, partying, and marketing as if nothing is going on, and everything is honky-dory.

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