Parallax angles, By Odi Ikpeazu
One interesting thing about perspective is that it affords the license or even audacity, to see the exact same thing absolutely differently. This is well illustrated in the ancient Indian parable of the blind men, who were asked to describe what an elephant was like, which they all proceeded to do according to the part of its anatomy they each felt.
It is also in furtherance of perspectivity that one man’s delusion could well be another man’s religion. From all indications, religious devotees feel either pained or miffed when they realize that doctrines they hold so dear in their faith are utterly inconsequential in other faiths, if not close to nonsense. A thorough Christian, for example from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, who journeys to Ahmedabad, India might be embarrassed to say the least, that his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is effectively just a name that Hindus hear in virtual fairy tales like we do Snow White and Cinderella. They should also be shocked that cows, which they cook and eat for various thanksgivings and feasts to the Lord Jesus Christ, àctually represent Mother Earth as far as Lord Krishna is concerned and are sacred, revered and strictly non-edible.
One feels utterly perplexed when two men from Nnewi, Anambra go head-to-head with daggers drawn, in their support of Arsenal and Chelsea, football clubs of London, England, whereas probably none of them has ever set foot near the neighbourhoods of Highbury or Knightsbridge respectively. In their minds, they are die-hard supporters of those clubs located five thousand miles away in the British Isles, while FC Ifeanyi Ubah right next door to their village, lies prostrate and comatose for lack of local patronage. In my mind, they are blinking freaks with no inkling of the nexus between football club and locality. But then, it is all about perspective, as we said.
I belong to a certain Facebook group, can’t readily remember its name now. The other week, there was a post thereon with a quotation ascribed to Fela Kuti asserting that African music cannot be played in proper English. I found that presumptuous, arrogant and rather bogus but dozens in the group hailed it as the infallible truism of a great legend.
I thought of great African musicians such as Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, who played some of their most seminal music in rather proper English. I particularly recalled Masekela’s classic, ‘Market Place’ and Makeba’s vintage ‘Malcolm’ and said to myself, what is Fela talking about? The fact that he couldn’t do it didn’t mean others couldn’t. Then I reflected on many other ways in which he affected the perspective of his teeming fans.
He seemed to convince many of them that formal education was unnecessary despite the fact that his talent was incubated at the prestigious Trinity College of Music, London. He appeared to persuade them that speaking proper English Grammar was unAfrican, yet I never had any of the numerous conversations with him in pidgin but in near-impeccable English, in which he was adept.
His followers assumed he abhorred ‘oyinbo’ food whereas I never met him eating amala or akpu but always guzzling ice cream and gorging on English fruit cake. And in any case, what did he mean by African music since he played a hybrid of Highlife and American big band Count Basie-style swing jazz and his saxophone solos were full of Sonny Rollins-type riffs and cliches? But then, perspective is what we are talking about here and not necessarily reality.
Not to talk of when a Governor prides himself in saving billions in the bank for his people, who live in decrepit neighbourhoods with medieval infrastructure, while his successor believes that life is so miserable that the whole aim should be to borrow instead and redress their misery. What does it profit a family if the breadwinner has large savings in the bank while there is no bread on the table for the children to eat, some would ask.
Many believe that borrowing is beggarly and frivolous, while others are convinced that the mark of a wealthy man is his capacity to borrow. That is why Dangote can easily raise $20 billion for his refinery and the mighty US owes over $30 trillion to credit institutions, while my neighbour, who is a retired civil servant on a meagre pension, prides himself and beats his chest that he owes nobody.
-Ikpeazu, lawyer and Pan-Africanist is a public affairs analyst
