Corrections.
In this Trump/ anti-Trump era ( not to be conflated with the sin of being un-American - not agreeing with some of his America First policies is not the same as being anti-American - nor is criticism of Netanyahu his brother-in-arms, tantamount to anti-Semitism, or is it? In that frame of mind, the most atrocious error of all and with due apologies to the patriotic Nathan Hale who was executed for spying for his fellow Americans and not for the Brits as was so wrongfully reported earlier.
"We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape" - not exactly claustrophobia, and the insecurity situation in the Nigeria of the diaspora imagination must be generating this kind of frustration :
“Oh, why can't we roam
This open country? (open country)
Oh, why can't we be what we wanna be?
We want to be free, yeah (wanna be free) “
You could say there's the positive outlook and optimism in “When one door is closed , don’t you know, the other is open”. It’s a very thoughtful motto, a handy, comforting, practical raison d'etre, more or less the practical philosophy of the philander, the opportunist, some so-called politicians, carpet-crossing grassshoppers, some of the political harlots and butterflies that Baba Kadiri has been talking about. When it comes to that special category of latter day Nigerian saints and politicians, one can’t help thinking of Obi & Atiku - either as birds of the same feather or as separate entities; some of their critics would say “of no fixed ideological abode”, hopping from one party to another. Rumour has it that some of these heavyweight saints,hopefully hopping around in the Naija political heaven are even buying political parties, literally taking possession , proprietorship / ownership through lawful or unlawful, legal or illegal economic clout…
In the world of realpolitik, how true is the beautiful metaphorical idea being proposed to Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso , that he can't run away from himself (or indeed his shadow) ?
I suppose that if Kwankwaso the presidential wannabe had a fixed ideological abode - as the late great Mallam Aminu Kano ((https://www.bing.com/search?q=Mallam+Aminu+Kano))
had, then Polonius’advice to his son Laertes would also ring true for Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso too:
“This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
On Tuesday, 5 May 2026 at 07:17:12 UTC+2 Cornelius Hamelberg wrote:
On the Sunny Side of the Street
Stockholm,
Sweden
Peoples’ Planet
4th May, 2026.
Sinners
Yesterday, after reading Salihu Moh. Lukman’s momentous Open Letter giving us all plenty of room for thought and no room for escape, his main message to the Hon. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso echoing that Bob Marley refrain that applies to all of us - nowhere to escape, because you - yes, you too professor can’t jump out of your skin and can't run away from yourself - your learned international self, and that refrain means that wherever we may be at this very present moment it’s incumbent on us all to do the required, critical & necessary self-examination since some of us can be said to have already run away or escaped, not necessarily from self but from deified (idolatry) or vilified country, and I’m referring to diaspora Nigerians and other Diaspora Africans, some of whom are currently domiciled in e.g. the United States, some of us united by racism, like a live wire, some of the victims of racism currently trembling in fear lest as a result of one of Trump's unforeseeable, spectacular and unpredictable - but for those who know him well, one of his to be anticipated, imminent tantrums - on the spur of the moment - maybe to cause some diversion from his woebegone woes - no place to run, and no place like home he decrees by an imperial executive order that all illegal aliens should be summarily deported back to wherever they came from, back to their various s-hole countries, at which point how many of us are going to say like Nathan Hale who just before being executed for spying for the British said, ”I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”, and how many of us have ever seriously engaged JFK’s perennial question which also equally applies to us all: “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” ?
I am happy to learn that among many others, one Okeke-Agulu Chika has been doing handsomely for himself, his country and humanity, for all of which he deserves our hearty congratulations for his contributions to making some of us extra black & proud…
Re - Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (one love)
There is one question I'd really love to ask (one heart)
Is there a place for them hopeless sinners
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
One more question, in the department of the judgemental, concerning the relativity theory and practice of politics - Trump’s Department of War : Who do you think history will remember as the better president, John F. Kennedy or enfant terrible, Donald J, the wannabe emperor?
Unfair question?
Which would you prefer to materially possess - have as your proprietary possession, Trump Towers in New York or Buckingham Palace in Eliot’s unreal city, or one of the fabulous skyscrapers in the Gulf Sheikhdoms ?
Everybody knows the answer.
If His Imperial Majesty the self-adoring & self-deluding Trump in one of his greatest fits of self-anointed glory were to begin imagining himself as the Almighty in person - at least in this vale of tears - most mighty army, greatest economy etc, imagine himself as armed with the omnipotent power of life over death - pang - you’re fired - just like that - pang pang from his panger - you die - how many people would he not be translating live and direct to the everlasting hellfire ? At this stage there would be no need for “ negotiations” - reminiscent of this tale about the transcendental Almighty - that He offered the Torah to all the other nations - but they would only accept it conditionally - another version goes that Hashem lifted the mountain over the Jewish people and threatened to kill them if they did not accept the Torah - just as Trump ( delusions of grandeur) - without any regard for International Law, if he had a mountain to lift over the Iranian regime would most probably threaten to wipe them off the surface of the earth if they don't accept his “deal”.
What remains to be seen ? As the New Testament tells us about another prefiguration, the man of lawlessness - he will ultimately want to install himself in the temple and be worshipped as Hashem, the God Almighty….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuIMjC7V3c
Yesterday, as per arrangement I met my Jewish friend, strong, non-religious Jewish identity, which does not mean that when it comes to the issue of Israel’s right to exist - in some quarters such as Radio Islam, coterminous with the term Zionism - as in the 23rd Psalm he too wouldn't be brim-full, his cup running over with the fervour usually associated with religious Zionism - perhaps a fever or fervour that’s also uniquely peculiar to the so called Secular Zionism - don’t forget there are many kinds of Zionism , the one with the most adherents possibly what’s known as Christian Zionism , the sort that animates Nigerian Pentecostals, the lesson to be learned from the latter, namely, that we should never underestimate the power of religion as a force in shaping some people's identity and taking into consideration the implications of replacement theology, is it any wonder that Nigerian Pentecostals (among others) believe themselves to be the “ real” or the “New Israel” ?
Well, yesterday we -i.e. he, another Frenchman and I chatted amicably, peacefully and personably for circa 90 minutes without ever veering to the troubled waters of what the devil is doing in the Middle East, although before saying à bientôt with reference to his 12th published novel SANGRIA, le bourreau et son apprenti ( about executioners ) I did mention that Israel has just passed the death penalty into law
Israeli Media :The Death Penalty
BBC : Anne Boleyn
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at
http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/7d62ae0d-94d2-4c42-ba8a-85653ec0b5a8n%40googlegroups.com.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=996953402686998&set=a.210224641359882