Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Travel Ban and a sad day

Nigerians have achieved so much in the US.

It should be possible for them to protest this as a collective and keep protesting until it is changed.

On a more positive note-the UK is now allowing students who graduate from their unis to have two years for a job search.

That means if they get the jobs they can stay in the UK.

This might be a response to the Brexit implications.

Generally, though, with particular reference to the character in the White House,  I wonder if these Western countries don't at times exaggerate their own significance.

thanks

toyin

On Fri, 31 Jan 2020 at 23:17, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

Today, President Trump is most likely to announce a travel ban on Nigeria.

It shows the extent to which "tribalism" has gone global; how mega-nationalisms have declined and nearing collapse; and also the extent to which Nigeria has lost respect.

I know for a fact that some universities are saying they should not admit Nigerians for PhDs as they may be denied visa. For the first time, Nigerians who finished their PhDs even in top programs are getting it difficult to get jobs—at least I know eleven who have no jobs.

To those in the Diaspora, it shows their powerlessness, how the exaggeration of what they do comes into clear focus. All the boastings do not equal the finger of Oprah Winfrey. All the numbers in the big cities cannot influence policy, how no one is afraid of the PhDs that they parade and the long CVs they build.

We cannot even complain! We cannot even mobilize protests.

Most human beings do not care about what we say or write—they care about what we do and how we transform their lives.

It is a sad day.

 

Toyin Falola

Department of History

The University of Texas at Austin

104 Inner Campus Drive

Austin, TX 78712-0220, USA

http://toyinfalolanetwork.org/

 

 

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