IBRAHIM BIKABA: Black lives matter, not only  in FOREIGN LAND but also IN AFRICA

But the question is; WHERE SHOULD THE BLACK LIVES MATTER FROM?  In Africa or in the foreign land.

When a white police officer/soldier kills a black man in the foreign land, the foreign government takes charge of the case; Arrests the officer, charges him/her for the crime committed. Other whites around the world go on streets protesting against the act shouting “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” They print those words everywhere to show us how much black lives matter in their homelands, foreign football clubs go on printing such words on their t-shirts a sign of respect to African blood. The slogan goes on and on.

When it comes to Africa; “DO BLACK LIVES REALLY MATTER TO US?” In Africa, people and governments fight to protect their interests like; power, wealth, health.  “HOW MANY BLACK LIVES ARE LOST IN AFRICA EVERY YEAR? Probably 100s or 1000s. And “WHO KILLS THEM?” Probably fellow Africans and “WHO IS HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH CLAIMED LIVES?” Probably no one.

Looking at the current situations of the pandemic Coronavirus and the loans governments have been taking from foreign countries over the years, “HOW MANY BLACK LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED TILL TODAY?” Probably a few family’s lives have been saved and the entire mass is left suffering from diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS and many other diseases with no medicines in hospitals. I wonder; when governments talk about wealth creation, “WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY THIS STATEMENT?”  Wealth of the entire mass or of a group amongst themselves. Wars have been the order of the day since the white man gave Africa independence; Africans killing Africans for power and wealth.

Let us stop blaming whites for our suffering because since independence, its our grand parents who have been in control of Africa; selling it back to the whites in form loans and “WHAT DO ELITES CALL THIS?” Recolonization of Africa. But “WHO IS COLONISING AFRICA AGAIN?” Our African leaders are colonising Africa for their selfish gains aiming at helping themselves and their families. The wealth they accumulated is again taken away from Africa and invested in the foreign countries thus developing foreign countries rather than Africa and remember those are the Patriots of Africa. It’s what our leaders call patriotism and these are the lessons being taught to the young mass.

Drawing another picture of Africans is; apart from the top government officials who swindle money and stand in every way that can change African countries,  Lets take a look at the downer person i.e. PEOPLE LIVING IN THE SLAMS OF AFRICA or THE COMMON MAN OF THE LAND; theft is the act of the day, imagine an African killing and wounding a fellow African just to take his phone, motorcycle, bicycle, money etc. All this for their selfish gains and desires. “WHO IS TO BLAME HERE FOR SUCH CLAIMED LIVES?” The whites, the government, you or me.    “WHERE IS THE CONCIENCE OF HUMANITY?” Conflicts emerging every day in Africa, fighting each other due to the differences in ideas, tribes, races and enthenicity with in Africa.

“WHERE IS THE HAND OF THE WHITE MAN IN ALL THIS?”  If there is an invisible hand of the white man in our suffering; “DON’T YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMANITY THAT MAKES YOU THINK ON THE EFFECTS OF WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO?”  Let me say that whites fund these wars in Africa; “WHO FIGHTS THESE WARS AND AGAINST WHO?” Take a look at what is happening in the lands of Nigeria, Libya, Congo and the war that claimed many lives in northern Uganda. “WHERE IS THE WHITE MAN IN THESE WARS?” It’s probably Africans fighting fellow Africans. If I may force myself to believe like how others believe, then the white man finds us when we are already the bad boys and girls of the land. If not “WHO IS FUNDING THE FAMILY CONFLICTS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS WITH IN THE COMMUNITY?” These fights that even result into killing of one another.

All we say is “we need prayers” but “WHAT FOR?” And “WHOSE PRAYERS DO WE NEED?”

In a nutshell, conviction of the white man in his own country for killing an African living in the foreign country won’t do any good if Africans are killing fellow Africans from their own land yet they live freely after committing such crimes. This only shows that the whites really care about African blood living in their countries than how Africans care about their own blood living in Africa. Not until we see other African lives as our own, our lives won’t matter to any one if it doesn’t matter to us.

 BIKABA IBRAHIM can be reached on email; ibrahimbikaba@yahoo.com