A West Africa Zoom Gather-in
An RC West Africa Webinar Zoom Gather-in was held in June. Thirty-five participants from different West African countries attended. It was great having interpretation into French as well as scribing to ensure that everyone was carried along as much as possible.
“Mummy Chioma” [Chioma Okonkwo, the Apprentice Regional Reference Person for Nigeria and West Africa] gave us the direction to notice how our usual way of life has been affected by the recent social disruptions and maladies. We cannot afford to be indifferent about what is going on. The world is dealing with three major pandemics: COVID-19 (the newest), racism (the oldest), and climate change (the most drastic). This is a time to notice the early distresses that are being restimulated due to current events, and discharge on them. These distresses could be related to sexism, inequality in economic life, loneliness, boredom, powerlessness, discouragement about one’s nation or government, and so on.
If capitalism, nationalism, sexism, classism, and ethnic and religious intolerance are allowed to continue disrupting genuine development, society as we know it will soon be unworkable. In RC we sum this up as the “collapsing society.” The situation calls for a new world order in which justice, fair play, equity, and empathy will rule.
Mummy Chioma urged us to keep having sessions because with our re-emerged and intelligent minds, each of us could play a decisive role in creating a more rational and humane society. We RCers are few in number compared to the world population, but our understanding of discharge as the way to heal from hurts, our theory on liberation, and our ability to organize are invaluable resources for creating wide world change.
We heard a talk on how COVID-19 has affected the environment positively and negatively and things we can do to care for our environment. The floor was then open for group sessions. Topics included the following: the international Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the police murder of George Floyd; police brutality in Nigeria; ethnic and religious polarization due to the repeated attacks by fanatic militia; ethno-religious massacres in Southern Kaduna [Nigeria]; the epidemic of rape and kidnapping, amongst other violent crimes; discouragement with government’s handling of security issues; the COVID-19 scare in the family; amongst others.
My highlight was getting to discharge on police brutality and the countless unremarked-on traumas and deaths caused by this in Nigeria. It broke my heart to hear George Floyd calling out for his late mother in his dying minutes. It reminded me of my little boy who thinks his mom is a superhero who can save him from any and every danger in the world. It reminded me of myself and how when I’m sad or confused I often cry for my mom who passed on last year. It reminded me that no matter how tough we look, inside each of us is a little boy or girl that just needs to be loved, to be heard.
We ended on a positive note by affirming the benign reality that being African is a privilege, that our lives matter, that our natural resources fuel the Western economies, so they need us and not the other way around. It was a lively and inspiring meeting.
Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
(Present Time 201, October 2020)