₦airaland Forum

Na lie!

Read carefully, I am sure the guy assumed everyone who read this article, would have some historical knowledge. He is perfeectly correct, we do live in coexistence- it is impossible to find a country which has the muslim/christian ration that we have which is not in turmoil. Infact one would be hard pressed to find a country with two major religions

Having lived in Lagos for almost 20 years

, I must say I never observed this character in Nigerians I came by. I was always proud of the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos that ensured that I could meet anyone form any part of Nigeria in Lagos and not feel like that person does not belong in Lagos. Indeed, one of the defining qualities of Lagos is the fact that it is highly diversified. Even if ethnic and religious bigotry existed, it was usually semi-jocular and not as acidic as the ones I see here. So I ask, is the average nigerian an ethnic/religious bigot or are people just posing for what they are not on NL just for the fun of it

yeah thats the problem. Also one ethnic group seems to shine and display their tribalism on NL Its sad really

We don suffer

Pan-Africanism is an unnatural ideology that developed as a response to the white racism these men experienced abroad. Pan-Africanism as it stands is unnatural as it is reactionary and not wholly thought out. The problem with Pan-Africanism is that it could be argued that it is a white colonial constructed that is reductionist in nature. Meaning: Why bother learning the intricacy, history, and context with which cultures and nations sprung from formed when it is standing in the way of your exploitation of a region. Why acknowledge whole nations as individuals when you can pit them against one another in an artificial construct which make up the whole of the African continent. I reject Pan-Africanism as it stands, we need to reaffirm our own identity first before we decide that we are all Africans.

I am not referring to the afrocentric type of pan-africanism. I am talking about economic pan-africanism. Agreed the first wave of pan africanism was a reaction, but isn't how all social movements begin? Moreover attributing pan-africanism to a white colonial construct is a bit of a misconception. I think you really dont get what type of pan-africanism I am talking about. I am not talking about afrocentrism or cultural/social pan-africanism, seems you are mixing bother term up. When I talk of afro-centrism, I mean one in which the whole AU would be collectively criticizing and alienating dictatorial leaders in Africa. I mean a pan-africanism in which Nigerian would try and improve trade and realtions with its neighbors Benin, cameroon and cote d'ivoire as well as have a benevolent interest in their affairs. I am not asking for a United States of Africa, just  a United African front to tackle a global economy in which they are strongly disadvantaged in .

^ yeah that is exactly what I am thinking too

From my knowledge of history, I noticed that most of the early African leaders were pan-Africanist especially those who schooled in the countries of their colonialists and then came back home to lead the nationalist movements in their country. From Azikiwe, to Lumumba, to Nkrumah, these were the pan-Africans of old who felt that we were one in this struggle to gain an identity in the global order.

In our case, the most notable pan-africanist was Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. However, does Pan-Africanism still exist in our society today? I find it disturbing that we feel no allegiance towards are our other African brothers and neither are we really interested in their affairs. If you talk to most Nigerians and tell them Ghana is succeeding, instead of being happy, they just start frowning (immediately the competitive nature of Nigerians rears its ugly head). I really would like to see more Pan-African ideas in Nigeria. Like ECOWAS for example, do west Africans usually utilize the business opportunities outside the shores of their countries? How many of us can actually nae the heads of states of our neighbors? However, most of us can name the president of US, the prime minister of Uk and the German chancellor. Real African history is never really taught in schools per se.

Basically is there any modern pan-African out there? Or has pan-Africanism died with the older generation?