By Ogunjimi James Taiwo
"The
philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point
however, is to change it." - Karl Marx
"The
role of the revolutionary writer is to embolden the masses, not to depress them
with social diagnosis after social diagnosis."
As
I sit in the corner of my room and think of this nation called Nigeria, I pick
up my pen to write a few words of the ills that have been done to this nation,
of the injustice that flows on a daily basis, of the impunity with which the
ruling class loots the treasury, of the flagrant disregard for the rule of law,
and of the carefree attitude of the ruling class towards safe-guarding of lives
and properties of the citizens.
As my pen continues to graze the surface of the
paper before me, I think to myself, why on earth do I even need to write
anything? What do I want to write that has not been written? What will I say
that hasn't been said?
You
see, the problem with us is not that we don't know what's wrong; it's that we
know what's wrong, but our knowledge has failed to transform into action. So
many social commentators cum writers today have always done justice to words when
it comes to analysing the problems of this nation, but what they have failed to
do over time, is to so write that though their words lack that poetic
agreement, it does more than satisfy the poetic craving of the masses; it
emboldens them and builds a consciousness within them of the urgent need for
change.
In
countries that have attained a certain level of development and stability, the
writers may be forgiven if they dwell on frivolities, such as daily analysing of
problems without proffering, but in a nation like ours that stands dangerously
at the edge of abyss and sits dangerously on a keg of gunpowder, we cannot
allow ourselves that luxury.
Our writing must serve a purpose. Our words must
not be written to merely satisfy the inner craving of some people for poetic
agreement. Our words must serve as a gong that sounds calling for change. Our
writing must be like a signpost that shows the masses the way.
We
know the problems. We want the solutions. We no longer need to be reminded of
the extent of the damage that has been done or be reminded of the havoc that
has been wreaked on our land; we know all that.
What Nigeria needs are people
that can make it their life's work to awaken the consciousness of the people.
Nigeria needs writers who will not continue to plague us with tales of how deep
the rot has eaten, but will point out to us the way we need to go.
Nigeria
needs you! Nigeria needs me! This is a trying time for Nigeria and She needs us
to lead her out of the wilderness our evil rulers have led her.
Enough of the
diagnosis; give us cure!
Ogunjimi
James Taiwo, Twitter: @hullerj
No comments:
Post a Comment