What was at first the man's obstinate resistance now becomes the whole man, who is identified with and summed up in this resistance. The part of himself that he wanted to be respected he proceeds to place above everything else and proclaims it preferable to everything, even to life itself. It becomes for him the supreme good. Having up to now been willing to compromise, the slave suddenly adopts ("because this is how it must be . . .") an attitude of All or Nothing. With rebellion, awareness is born. Camus -The REBEL
{INTRO}
I am not talking of the kind of Niggahood that was spread as the word of God, not the one that they took our land, not the one because of neo-colonialism, I am talking of Nigga as free labour in a land that is predominantly white, The Nigga of the west, The nigga who was sold at the market that Nigga of the boat, That nigga Off the boat. Why does the suffering of this nigga feel so familiar yet where I am from I seldom see any white person or get shot with white police. (Yes, Cops kill the kids in Kenya too) .In this article, I am Going to share my thoughts on why we give two shits, why it is important and a simplistic solution for the problem.
I should perhaps approach this as delicate matter since we are all super sensitive on race issues and actually for valid reasons. The events that followed the 8 min and 46 seconds were refreshing if you only watched the daily shows if you live in an echo chamber but I listened to Candice Owens claiming that George Floyd was no Hero because he was not Candice Owen, as if his life was worthless because of his rap sheet As Dave Chapelle pointed out in his 8:46 special it is the Police that made him a hero when they killed him but people still agreed with her. Then I saw ben Shapiro put more value on property than human life and People supported him and at that point I got angry and I question why I was triggered in Kenya One could argue as an African, Colonisation is still Fresh on our collective minds, the people who survived are my grandparents it's still a first-hand narration of the Brutality of the White man no Broken telephone yet, no romanticising the suffering. It is being told as it is. One of my Grandfathers was a for lack of a better word because it's actually the word a collaborator. He once told me of How there is no Glory in being a hero because all the Heroes from Mau Mau are dead, but we will Circle back on this.
PART 1: WHY WE GIVE TWO SHITS ​Injustices were done to men whom we consider enemies can, actually, be profoundly repugnant to us. There is only identification of one's destiny with that of others and a choice of sides. Therefore the individual is not, in himself alone, the embodiment of the values he wishes to defend. It needs all humanity, at least, to comprise them, Camus-The Rebel
The most common argument made is the shared culture or a natural feeling of attraction because of familiarity,I am sure someone has written an excellent paper on this.I think its part of the truth but the familiarity is not just skin deep It is the parallels of violent social economic and political systems we share with the West. When we see George Floyd being knelt on the neck for 8 min and 46 seconds we immediately attach it To Mercy Cherono who was dragged by Three police Officers on the back of a motorbike. When We see American President Donald Trump Beating charges for elections Irregularities We see Mr Jayden, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta always struggling with legitimacy When a black person speaks in ebonics and they are perceived as not articulate in Kenya having your Vernacular accent has the same prejudice. Both the authorities are violent and highly sensitive, maintaining the status quo at the expense of the average So when we, The Neo colonised Niggas, See The nigga off the boat being shot and being knelt on, it arouses visceral anger in us because we can mirror the position .Its not just that they look like us it is because they are Us. PART 2:WHY IS IT IMPORTANT It is for the sake of everyone in the world that the slave asserts himself when he concludes that a command has infringed on something in him which does not belong to him alone, but which is a common ground where all men—even the man who insults and oppresses him—have a natural community CAMUS Remembering Ignorance is not hate and we had a lot more to do to make the world humane . Joining our voices together singing bullshit ,the systemic structure starts dancing to the tune of revolution shedding a little of its rigid inhumane weight and this serves us well since we share the same systemic issues with the Niggas of the West The social consciousness of the Kenyan people also benefits, It becomes more informed and more resistant to the obviously culturally and economically bankrupt political class that is looking to reverse years of progress for individual profits. And lastly and most important of all it is immoral to stand and do nothing at the face of injustice. In Nazi Germany, In Mao China and Stalinist Russia, Tens of Millions of People Died because The majority Did nothing. Even If you are here in Kenya it is more than Ok to feel the disgust and anger when you see suffering inflicted by another human being It is the most human thing you can do. Circling Back I think my Grandfather was wrong. Being a Hero has meaning, the death of a hero saves many more lives. The only thing that would cloud your Judgement would be overvaluing your individual importance forgetting you are part of a hive and your only purpose is improving the odds of survival for your species. Without the dead Mau Mau Heroes, Colonialism in its raw form would still be around at least for now I have a semblance of freedom. So yes #Niggalivesmatter Even if I am In Africa and my case Kenya.
