Over the past decades, America, and Americans have somehow provided inspiration and leadership to many people across the globe. Admiration for the American way in most parts of the world stems not only from the power of its military might, but by great global media penetration of a somewhat beautifully inviting, sophisticated and liberal culture, what I might call ‘the American swagger.’
For years now, since the fall of fascism, America has had to deal with intense hatred coming from the Middle East, majorly from Islam nations and Islamist terror groups. From the war against Iraq which began in 1990 and which is still ongoing, to the 9/11 incident which has drawn Afghanistan and Pakistan into the war, the major challenge that America has had to face in the past 25 years is that of Islamist terrorism. However, the war against America is not just that of a clash in government policies, or the occupation of some holy land, the war is against a larger, imperial American way of dominance, which seems to make America the beautiful bride amongst the peoples of several nations on the globe, and the superimposition of the American culture over that of other peoples.
When I took a cursory look at the reasons for America’s great popularity and the reason why her culture seems to be the envy of the world, I discovered a gradual, consistent outpour of captivating human talent, carried in super efficient media hype, oozing from the bowels of America which have kept the world stunned over the years. This fact alone accounts for much of the greatness of America, I dare say, even more than what guns and superior war power has achieved for the last standing world super power.
However, it is interesting to note that the exportation of the American way, which has been largely bought by the nations, was done largely by super talented African Americans who over the past century have captivated the world and lent credence and admiration for the United States of America. When I look back at the long centuries of suffering the black man has gone through before gaining his emancipation in America, it is sobering to note that America has gained far more from the African American than the African American will ever gain from the American system.
Let me give my pontifications human faces and chronological dates, and events to substantiate my argument.
Till today, the world holds in awe the almost supernatural talent of Mohammed Ali, the legendary boxer who is touted as the greatest of all time. Ali emerged in the nineteen sixties, with a pretty face, a fast and deadly punch and equally fast and naughty lips. His persona and charisma, plus his fighting skills not only promoted the game of boxing, and the man himself, he also unwittingly became an ambassador of the American swagger. Far away in distant lands, as Ali boxed his opponents to glory and created funny poems out of them, the world fell in love with him, and as the world admired Ali, the world admired America in the subconscious background. Even though Ali stopped fighting in the early seventies, I still remember clearly, growing up in Africa in the early eighties as a young boy, my father telling me fond stories of Ali, the boxer who danced while he boxed, the boxer who taunted his opponents as he beat them up. My father taught me his sayings ‘I sting like a bee, I dance like a butterfly’. My father taught me his pose, ‘I am the world’s greatest’. His fame took American boxing to the Asian nation of the Philippines, where he wrote the famous chant “Its gonna be a killer, a chiller, a thriller as I kill the gorilla in Manila” referring to his eventual defeat of Joe Frazier on that island. He also fought in the Congo, in a match dubbed ‘Rumble in the jungle’ against George Foreman where he equally emerged victorious. In fact, the slang “Ali-Bomaye” became popular in Congo in those days, it meant “Ali, Kill him”. Till today, Mohammed Ali remains loved and revered by many across the globe, and it is a fact that in his days in boxing, he brought glory and admiration to America.
About the same time that Ali lived, lived a clergy who fought against racial discrimination in America, the Revd. Martin Luther King Jnr. who became a global phenomenon through this struggle and the many inspirational speeches he gave while he was alive. His ‘I have a dream’ speech remains the most famous and sought after speech of the 20th century. He lived a life of sacrifice, giving up his many comforts and ultimately his life to see the end of racial discrimination in America. As MLK spoke his way into the hearts of millions of black Americans, he equally spoke his way into the hearts of millions of people across the world. And even though, he denounced the racism in the American system, he also unwittingly carried America’s greatness on his shoulders as he made his way onto the TV screens of families in far away Africa, Asia and the many parts of the world. His courage, and death, ultimately led to the fall of racial discrimination in America and many across the world today still listen and gain inspiration from the speeches and life of Martin Luther King. This man contributed in no small measure to America’s greatness and admiration from the peoples of the earth.
Perhaps the greatest and largest export America has ever given to the world, for which the world might never recover from in many years to come, was a man who single handedly carried America’s name and image to the glorious heights it is today amongst the nations of the earth. The man, Michael Jackson. A man who rose above greatness, he was bigger than legend. Words will fail to describe the fame and greatness of this entertainer. A singer with a rich soulful voice and extraordinary dance moves such as has not being beaten till today. Michael Jackson exploded on the scene in the seventies, eighties and remained a relevant figure till his passing, only a few years back. It is unlikely the world will see an entertainer rise to such levels ever again. He took the world by storm, the world adored him, and the people loved him, in America and beyond America. As he sang and danced his way in those glittering and shiny clothes and shoes, the peoples of the world looked unto him for inspiration; they looked unto America for leadership. It is funny how the talent of a man translates into increased glory for his nation, but really, it does.
I remember in my secondary school days in Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria, it was during a weekend and my father had decided to go locate his farm somewhere in some hamlet distant into the bush. The farm was so far into the bush that we drove for hours without seeing anything except trees and thick forest. After crossing about three to four villages, we eventually got to the hamlet, Iloba, it was called then. I am talking about real, deep hinterland Africa. Eventually we got to the hamlet and came down from my father’s car, as we walked through the hamlet; we wondered how a people could be living this deep into the forest. My father explained to my brothers and me that all they did was farming, and hunting. Once in a week, a truck would come to purchase all their items and take them to the township where we lived for sale. That was all the people of the hamlet did. There was no school, no hospital, no cemented building, and no aluminum roofs, nothing to suggest the 21st century, for all I care we could as well have been in the pre medieval periods in that hamlet, yet before we left the village we discovered something funny. On the wall of a shed, which we suspect was the palm wine seller’s shed in the hamlet was a large poster, it was the picture of Michael Jackson, with his name clearly written on it and the appellation ‘King of Pop’ with the American flag somewhere on the poster. When we saw it, we laughed all the way to the city, at least someone in that hamlet has been to town before we bantered, but the lesson stuck with me through the years, the level of greatness achieved by this African American, known even in places his imagination would never have thought existed. Propagating the name of his nation alongside, giving America the great, wondrous and grand image it still has in many parts of the world till today.
Somewhere in the late eighties cum early nineties Mike Tyson came on the scene, a young and newly discovered boxing heavy weight champion of the world. In a short while, everyone was talking about Iron Mike Tyson, all across Africa, Asia, everywhere. He beat up professionals like himself in 91 seconds, while people were still queued up purchasing tickets at the gates. Television stations in Nigeria paused their paid programs to show his fights live. He possessed a murderous look and had a certain hairstyle which would eventually become the most popular fad at the time. He cut off all his hair and retained only those on the horizontal top of his cranium. Before long, every young man wanted to barb the ‘Tyson’ style. At a time he was reputed to have possessed over 80 cars, a reflection of his great wealth. Tyson’s reign was short lived as he soon fell in the hands of numerous court cases, an incidence resulting from his inability to control his temper. Successive jail terms sent him into near oblivion and his reign was unpredictably shorter than it should have been. However, it was great while it lasted, it was said that he was the only boxer whose fame had risen as high as that of Ali. Even though the same American system eventually gave him the bad boy tag, he had already championed a cause larger than him, that America is the land of possibilities, where talents happen.
In 2008, a hurricane happened to the entire world at the same time. Such a hurricane I have never seen in my short stay on this side of the planet. The whole world talking about one man at the same time for over a year as he campaigned and ran for the office of the President of the United States. When he laughed, the press carried it, when he smiled, the press carried it and a sigh would go across the nations. When he kissed his wife, the pictures went everywhere all at once; mothers gave birth to children in different nations and named their babies after him, people ignored happenings in their own nations and fixed their gaze steadfastly on the American election. People prayed that he might win the nomination of his party so we could see more of him. When he did, the whole world threw a party and happiness rolled across the peoples of the earth. He was handsome, beautiful to behold. He was a captivating speaker. He was black. Father of two beautiful daughters and husband to one woman. Barak Obama was an occurrence that happened to the world in 2008. He was an event unleashed on an international scene tired of war reports and pictures. His smile captivated the peoples. His fame rose so much within such a short time that before long certain men of faith began to dub him the anti Christ. His speeches were ‘sweeter’ than hip hop concerts. Even in faraway Germany, over 200,000 people defied the cold to listen to him speak. The world had never seen a black American politician like him. On the night of the American elections people across the world did not sleep, as CNN showed people in my country Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, even in the Middle Eastern bloc, all the peoples sat tense in their seats waiting for the outcome of the American elections. When the results came out and he won, the whole world exploded in celebrations all at once. I was mad with joy. It was as if he was running for the President of the world. When he spoke on podiums, ladies wept and fainted in their chairs. They called his name without meaning to. By that time, my personal laptop had tonnes of his speeches downloaded from YouTube. The election of Barack Obama as the US President was one of the greatest things to happen to America as her eroding admiration shot back to the heights with that singular event, and the global followership of the election clearly showed how great America was. For there is no other nation on earth, whose election could be as keenly followed like that of America, and with a handsome, young, black man running, the fame of that particular election campaign rose to the heights in global followership.
The analysis above has covered about half a century and clearly shows the contribution of Afro Americans to the greatness and great admiration America has amongst the nations. We might not have so many Afro Americans as astronauts who go to the moon, or who fly the lethal war planes during battles. We may not have many Afro Americans who discover the great scientific discoveries that have led to America’s dominance of the free world in the 21st century, but the truth is, all those things alone would not have been enough to give America the kind of admiration she enjoys across the globe today. What about Russia? Russia or the Soviet Union had as much scientific prowess as America and probably still does have as much till today. China does as well. But these nations do not have the' beauty' and 'celebrity' status of America, the contribution of Afro Americans over the years, albeit unconsciously has lent credence to the greatness of the nation.
This discovery equally underscores the fact that lies in the emancipation of the African continent herself. We have what it takes to emerge out of the ashes of the present day. We have huge human talent, and tremendous natural resources. A new generation of African leaders must emerge who can ingeniously channel our great potentials into real greatness for African nations. That is the challenge before my generation, and your generation. ‘A call on us to shape an uncertain destiny’ borrowing the words of Barack Obama. If these Afro Americans could achieve such greatness for themselves and for the United States of America, then if we get our acts together, here in Africa, the world would bow at our feet. For within the bowels of Africa, are many Mohammed Alis, Michael Jacksons, and Barack Obamas. In God’s name we will locate them, educate them, empower them and unleash them on the world to bring glory back to the motherland. This solemn promise I make on behalf of my generation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment