By
Obododimma
Oha
African
societies may have enormous problems, but the citizens still have the time to
watch the matches of European clubsides and celebrate their victories in a
special way. There was even a time one received a photograph of a middle aged
man who stripped stark naked and was celebrating the victory of his favourite
European clubside in Lagos, Nigeria. One thought the photograph was a photoshop
but there was a confirmation that it was real when commentators responded to it
on social media. There is no reason to be skeptical about the truth conveyed by the
photograph, for very strange situations have even occurred in Africa because of obvious
fanatical attachments to European clubsides, like spouses divorcing,
televisions sets broken or set ablaze, quarrels erupting between friends, etc.
Perhaps what is even very strange is that the clubsides or their managers are not
in any way acquainted with the fan or fanatic that is going mad or mad and nude in an interior
African society located thousands of miles away. Moreover, terrorist groups can
just invade a village, killing many innocent people (euphemized as "farmers-herders' clashes") and there could be mass
burials afterwards, but the soccer fan must look for an old television set (coming alive with a soccer programme), or
visit a viewing hideout, just to watch his or her favourite European clubside
play. So, I am asking: Is it a widespread madness or a symptom of colonial
mentality? Is it a new form cultural irresponsibility dispensed by the devil or what?
One once had
the misfortune of witnessing firsthand how soccer fanaticism can allow itself
to be seduced by the "prostitute" of religion in a church harvest. At the church
harvest, the announcer was calling groups to bring their harvests one after the
other. As you would imagine, this already created a basis for competition: let
us see which group would outshine the other! So, competition was present and
drinking the communion wine and watching and ready to try a strategy. I don’t know which spirit entered the
announcer and he called supporters of Manchester United! Hell then broke lose and
some people were dancing almost naked to the altar. They, of course, were
jeering at their major opponents, showing off their jerseys, and singing
victory songs. Chelsea was also watching and waiting. Immediately he called Chelsea supporters, there was a Rapture! The harvest was football and
sentiments associated with winning and losing. There was the other harvest in the church harvest. There were harvests! There were satirical dance moves
to the altar. The audience happened to be God almighty. Anyway, each supporter
gave mindlessly as a fan turned fanatic should and the harvest was handsome. As I said, the bottomline was
the shifting of the soccer pitch to the church worship and the offertory tray
told a good story about which supporter won the match on behalf of his or
clubside in cash! One watched this match in church service with great dismay,
but was aware that it was entertainment meeting entertainment, fan manifesting as fanaticism, fanaticism
meeting fanaticism, colonialism meeting colonialism, mental illness meeting
mental illness, etc.
The fact that
one has brought church worship into it is not a ridicule but is meant for the reader to just see how
one fanaticism cooperates with another or continues its tricksterhood and
exploitation through the other. These are obvious: birds of a feather flock
together! What is surprising is that one thinks that it is gaining, but
bringing the other in undermines the commitments it professes.
It is
particularly annoying that Africans would stay in Africa that battles with
numerous problems but have the time to queue up behind clubsides carrying
European identities and playing in Europe. It is a sign of irresponsibility in
managing recreation. Is it not in line with even technological advancement and annoying developments in consumption? African countries would sit back to buy vehicles and other items
of technology discarded in the West. The tokunbo culture is annoying and only signifies
a dependency syndrome. It is belittling that an African could sell tokunbo
underwears and towels to fellow citizens driven by poverty to dispense with
their integrity.
Is this
dependency syndrome not extended to the arena of production of knowledge?
Theories are manufactured in the West and African intellectuals have to
struggle to understand them and beat their chests for having access to and
understanding these theories. This paraphrase scholarship narrates nothing but
inequality and laughs at those who compete over the paraphrase, not
origination.
Now I know
that when Western clubsides are playing and Africans in Africa could break their
heads over the football and the net, they are narrating the extent they could
go in registering dependency. They have to go mad. They have to exhibit this madness. They have to live this madness. Whether in church business, technology, or
education generally, Africans also queue up to become lovers of tokunbo culture.
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