Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Trials of Chris Abani and the Power of Empty Words

And, Kennedy, Western universities are fond of canonizing colored intellectuals who claim to have been persecuted in their barbaric homelands. The more severe the persecution, the more the patronage. Torture and death sentences are particularly rewarding in social and intellectual capital. Universities brag about having folks like Abani on their faculty (UC Riverside must have considered Abani's claims a source of potential institutional capital in taking the rare step of awarding him a tenured associate professorship while he was still a doctoral student). Western students who take courses with the Nigerian Professor who was sentenced to death for his art and fled to the safety and freedom of the West get instant cred on campus. Courses taught by such 'survivor' geniuses in the bosom of Western saviors fill up quickly. Plus, the professors bring the institutions enormous bragging rights, which translate to prestige and student recruitment successes. Then of course you have the Western human rights professionals and journalists whose careers thrive on retailing and pimping African stories of trauma. These are powerful investors in Abani's invented bio. That's why you can't win against his lies.

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 27, 2011, at 2:15 PM, Kennedy Emetulu <kemetulu@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

 

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Ikhide,

 

Neo-colonialism is not only perpetrated by the political right in the West and their business arm, but its cultural aspect are also subliminally perpetrated by elements of the supposedly White liberal establishment (including writers and academics) who think the work of Wilberforce and Granville Sharp isn't done until they plant the flag of 'African compassion' in teary triumph all over their schools and universities as a way of validating their own humanity, even if it means validating invented stories, as far as they serve their ends. So, really, it is not that those who promote Chris Abani in Western academic circles have no means to ascertain the validity of his claims; but, like him, their interest is to keep the myth of the African having that deadly brush with the well-known continental demon and living thereafter to tell the tale through the intervention of White knights. That way, the myth of Africa as the place where demons lord it over masses of people and where White do-gooders have to work to spirit out brave confronters lives. There's no doubt that a whole industry has been created around these types of myths and Chris Abani and his invented tales are good raw materials! Or are you surprised at the number of White-faced mentors falling over themselves to show how useful and relevant they've been in the life of this genius whose light was almost put out from the time he opened his literary eye before being saved by them, the White literary gods of compassion?

 

 

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From: Ikhide <xokigbo@yahoo.com>
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, 26 November 2011, 23:50
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Trials of Chris Abani and the Power of Empty Words

Folks, this is what I wrote on Facebook in response to someone who took issue with me asking Abani to show proof of his "African" exploits.

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A few thoughts. The word laziness is not often used to describe me. I can prove that easily. When it comes to the Nigerian project, there is a loss of credibility and so I usually just do my stuff and let the chips fall where they may. When I teamed up with Sahara Reporters, Moses Ochonu, Toyin, Adepoju to wrestle down the monstrous fraud that Philip Emeagwali had created, it was not about sitting down and writing pretty essays. We did the work because unlike Abani's juvenile lies, this was a pathological liar using the American system and reverse racism to enrich himself. The records were here, meticulously kept. Each time, we confronted him and his wife with a finding, there was always an excuse. There were so many people yelling at us that we were trying to bring down a great son of Africa. The same jerks that were calling my type jobless dishwashers and cabdrivers in the Diaspora during the pro-democracy struggle are the direct beneficiaries of my "laziness." (Anenih et al).

Someone gave me the silly logic somewhere that since Abani is the one being accused he does not need to prove anything, the burden of proof is with the accuser. Actually we are here today because Abani is the accuser. He has accused Nigeria of doing God awful things to him. Following that logic, he should either show proof or shut up.

Finally, African writers have made a career and a modest living from romanticizing and objectifying Africa. Africa is exotica today thanks to the enthusiastic work of many African writers. They can not now decide to affect clinical detachment when someone like me accuses them of rubbishing that beautiful myth called Africa. You cannot have it both ways. Olu, I have said all I have to say about Abani, I am not lifting a finger to do any more un-lazy work, I have done enough. If there is anyone out there that is motivated, more power to him or her. I am done with this.

- Ikhide

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