Recently, I watched a documentary on the history of slave
trade in Nigeria on TV. The emphasis of the historical account was on Bonny and
other oil-producing areas of the country. Quick mention was made of the culture
of the slave masters of Opobo, Igala and other riverine niches. The
interactions of their chiefs with slave masters from within Europe and its
environs were discussed, including the letters they wrote. The documentary
explained how certain ethnic rulers who benefitted from the trading of their
own kind stilled the anti-slavery efforts of enlightened cohabitants of Bonny
Kingdom from inception into the colonial era.
The enlightened ones mainly came into Bonny as foreign explorers,
itinerant humanitarians and pro-colony officers from England. Others were born
into the land as transcultural hybrids of unofficial Afro-British couples, an
outcome of copulations between some enlightened aliens and the original
dwellers of Bonny Kingdom (even when considered unpopular by the kinsmen of the
more enlightened). The minority were enslaved indigenes who became liberated
physically and intellectually after receiving freedom from various foreign
masters. The latter had the courage to support anti-slavery based on the
enlightenment that was acquired during their time with the foreigners. Altogether,
the three groups produced individuals that saw the need to fight for the cause
of enslaved Nigerian men, women and children during the pre-colonial.
The lesson learnt from the documentary is the value of
education.
Education is linguistically valued as one word. Yet, its
worth is huge enough to make the difference between slavery and freedom,
turmoil and consensus, dehumanization and development, raging terrorism and
coordinated inter-action, chaotic survival and hopeful living, leadership and
rulership and whatever extremes may result from the promotion of illiteracy. In
this case, illiteracy is not only the absence of education or knowledge but
also the presence of the will to quit informal and formal means of learning and
strongly support the existence of illiteracy in the society.
The pictures of enslaved persons as shown through vivid
graphics in the documentary revealed the depth of subjugation that innocent men
and women can experience, given the lack of power to physically and
intellectually request for freedom. Yet, there are human beings with the same
physiological makeup as you and I who do not have the simple benefit of knowing
that colour, race, religion and sex are secondary characteristics of human
existence; that whether or not we base our segregation on these things, new
beings will forever be borne into earth with the same template of human flesh
and skeleton.
It therefore appears to me that an educated mind will
benefit more from the availability and application of knowledge than it would
if it decides to embrace illiteracy in any its diversities. Only a person who
knows can reason why or why not. Sometimes, the limits of a person’s knowledge
are the constraints of his internal and external creativity. Educating a person
promotes him intellectually, increases his or her potential value and nurtures
a reasoning that is more beneficial to the society than otherwise. And what is
the society if not all that is external is to a person’s body but helps him
remain a cultured being?
Perhaps, that is why I continue to write words while
working. Some have likened me to Engineer Herbert Macaulay. Others have
recommended the published thoughts of Chief Awolowo. But to me, to grow is to
be enlightened. To be enlightened is to know no mental slavery. To read words
from good sources, even the Holy Bible. To feed my mind with what can cause me
to reason more on how my existence can benefit others and I. To understand the
meaning of life as a process that involves many choices and to attempt to
formally and informally educate myself on how to successfully balance the
differences that sex, religion, race and colour may harbour. That I may write
and yet work, without shame.
