Nigeria

So Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960. Three years later, also on 1 October, Nigeria was declared a republic. I could not have told you before now that Abuja is the capital, nor that it is the most populous country in Africa. (I do know the city of Lagos is in Nigeria—but only just learned that while it is the largest city, it is not the capital.)

I noticed some spectacular Nigerian objects when I visited the Smithsonian Museum of African Art a while ago. And you know what? People have been making art of various kinds in Nigeria for a few thousand years.

Europeans first arrived in the guise of the Portuguese, but it was the British who moved in later that left the greater mark. When the British were done with the Napoleonic Wars they expanded their trade with Nigeria, and later Britain’s relationship with Nigeria began to formalise so that, on 1 January 1901, Nigeria became a British protectorate. I suppose it is to Britain’s credit that, following the growing demand for Nigerian independence, after World War II the British Government legislated successive constitutions to move Nigeria toward self-government until full independence arrived.

It didn’t take long for disruption of the political process to occur. In 1966 alone there were a number of military coups, leading not just to political upheaval but, not surprisingly, ethnic tensions and violence. The Eastern Region declared itself an independent state (the Republic of Biafra) in 1967 leading to the Nigerian Civil War.

Following the end of the civil war came oil. Oil money came to the Nigerian state—but where did it go? Corruption meant that this oil-wealth didn’t really benefit the Nigerian people.

After a long time under military rule, 1979 saw Nigeria return to democracy—briefly. Unfortunately, Shehu Shagari’s civilian regime was seen as corrupt and incompetent, which lead to another military coup. However, after the new regime of Mohammahu Buhari promised reform but didn’t get much done in a hurry, there was yet another coup, placing Ibrahim Babangida. It took until 1993 for the next democratic elections to be held. The result? Babangida declared the results void. The population responded with mass protests and violence. A caretaker government took over briefly—and very victim to, yes, another coup. The dictator General Sani Abacha proved brutal, yet avoided coups through bribery on an impressive scale. He was fund dead in 1998.

Now Nigeria is back on the path to democracy—perhaps. The elections that have been held since 1999 have all been condemned as massively flawed. Meanwhile, the Niger Delta crisis continues.

Given the ongoing crisis, it’s perhaps appropriate that today’s poem comes from the anthology Against Forgetting, a collection edited by Carolyn Forché (disclosure: I know her, and she’s fantastic) of poetry of witness. This poem is by Wole Soyinka. Please read more of his work.


Civilian and Soldier

My apparition rose from the fall of lead,
Declared, ‘I’m a civilian.’ It only served
To aggravate your fright. For how could I 
Have risen, a being of this world, in that hour
Of impartial death! And I thought also: nor is
Your quarrel of this world.
                                          You stood still
For both eternities, and oh I heard the lesson
Of your training sessions, cautioning—
Scorch earth behind you, do not leave
A dubious neutral to the rear. Reiteration
Of my civilian quandary, burrowing earth
From the lead festival of your more eager friends
Worked the worse on your confusion, and when
You brought the gun to bear on me, and death
Twitched me gently in the eye, your plight
And all of you came clear to me.
                                           I hope some day
Intent upon my trade of living, to be checked
In stride by your apparition in a trench,
Signalling, I am a soldier. No hesitation then
But I shall shoot you clean and fair
With meat and bread, a gourd of wine
A bunch of breasts from either arm, and that
Lone question—do you friend, even now, know
What it is all about?

—Wole Soyinka
from Against Forgetting