Still on education. We touched on Oxford University in Part 3 of this essay so permit me to focus on Cambridge here.
As stated earlier the first African to attend Cambridge University was George Gurney Nicole, a Nigerian/Sierra Leonean who attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, studied law and graduated with a B.A. in 1879.
The second African to attend Cambridge University was Francis Henry Fearon, a Nigerian/Sierra Leonean, who studied law and graduated from St. John’s College, Cambridge in 1891.
The third African to attend Cambridge University was Jan Christian Smuts, a white Afrikaaner South African, who studied law, graduated from Christ’s College, Cambridge in 1894 and who later became Field Marshal and Prime Minister of apartheid South Africa.
The fourth African to attend Cambridge University was a Nigerian (though he later became a naturalised Ghanaian) by the name of Augustus Molade Akiwunmi who studied law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduated in 1916, was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn and was called to the English Bar in 1921.
The fifth African to attend Cambridge University was Victor Adedapo Kayode, a Nigerian, who was my beloved grandfather, who studied law and graduated from Selwyn College, Cambridge University in 1920, who was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1921 and who was called to the English Bar in 1922.
The first African to graduate from Durham University, England’s third best University, was a Sierra Leonean by the name of Rev. Nathaniel Davies who studied Classical Arts and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1876.
The second African to graduate from Durham University was a Nigerian by the name of Rev. Isaac Oluwole who studied Liberal Arts and Theology and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1879. He was also awarded an honorary D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) degree by Durham University 1893.
The third African to graduate from Durham University was a Nigerian by the name of Obadiah Johnson who studied the Arts and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1879.
The fourth African to graduate from Durham University was a Nigerian by the name of Henry Rawlingson Carr who studied mathematics and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1882.
The fifth African to graduate from Durham University was Rev. Emmanuel Kayode (my great grandfather) who graduated with an M.A. in Theology in 1893.
The sixth Nigerian to graduate from Durham University was Dr. Curtis Adeniyi-Jones who graduated with a B.A. in Medicine and Surgery in 1901.
Permit me to mention the fact that a black South African by the name of Pixly Ka Isaka Seme, who was a Zulu, studied law and graduated from Jesus College, Oxford University in 1910 after studying at Colombia University in the United States.
Despite the achievements of men like Smuts and Seme, South Africans did not come close to us in respect of any of these educational firsts though it appears that Minister Tshaveni and those that think like her appear to have forgotten this incontrovertible fact and insist on labelling us as what we are not.
In terms of religion both Christianity and Islam were deeply rooted in our country before any other (with the exception of Ethiopia) in sub-saharan Africa.
Christianity found itself well-entrenched in Nigeria in the 15th century and Islam was first introduced to Nigeria in the 11th century.
There are more Muslims in Nigeria than ANY other country in Africa and there are more Christians in Nigeria than ANY other African country.
Adherents of each of these two great faiths number well over 120 million EACH in Nigeria.
There is clearly a divine purpose for this because God NEVER makes mistakes and He is perfect in all His ways.
There is no other country on earth that has this type of religious balance in terms of numbers and it is indeed beautiful in our sight.
This, coupled with the fact that there are 371 different ethnic nationalities in our nation, reflects the fact that our diversity is truly our strength and we take great pride in it.
Our military contributions to Africa are legion.
We proudly led ECOMOG, the formidable ECOWAS standing military force, that was established by General Ibrahim Babangida and other ECOWAS Heads of State in 1990 and that successfully crushed rebel forces and the forces of extreemism and insurgency in various parts of the sub-region for many years and on several occassions.
We deployed our troops and restored peace and democracy in Sierra Leonne and Liberia and brought stability to our sub-region.
We also recorded great military successes and victories in Chad, Congo and Somalia over the years, restored democracy in Sao Tome and Principe and more recently in the Benin Republic and finally, when General Sani Abacha was in power, we proudly and courageously faced down the Cameroons in the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsular even though they had French military support and we compelled them to retreat from our territory.
The matter was eventually settled years later after President Obasanjo returned to power and was elected as a civilian President in 1999 by the International Court of Justice.
Today we are gallantly fighting and defeating no less than 5 of the worlds most deadly foreign-funded terrorist organisations, insurgent groups and secessionist militias all of which are trying to divide and destroy our country yet our military are holding the line, recording decisive victories and achieving great successes.
This should tell you that we are not an ordinary people. We are slow to anger but irresistible in battle and though restrained, we do not shy away from war or military conflict of it is forced upon us.
We take pride in our nation and our flag, we do not cower before the enemy, we do not bow or submit to terror, we refuse to accept bondage, subjugation and oppression and we cannot easily be defeated or overwhelmed.
In the world of acting and the production of films Nigerians have established a thriving sector and industry known as ‘Nollywood’ which has its own stars like Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva, Liz Benson, Peter Edochie, Richard Mofe-Damijo and many others and in terms of artistic excellence, creativity, turnover and profit, is second only to America’s ‘Hollwood’ and India’s ‘Bollywood’.
In the world of music Nigerians have flourished and excelled on the world stage for many decades with artists like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Shirley Bassey and Seal and today we have the likes of Burna Boy, Whizkid, Davido, Rema, Tiwa Savage, Asake, Arya Starr, P-Square, Flavour and others.
We have countless superstars in this genre but South Africa has only one by the name of Tyla and she is half Afrikaaner!
Outside of that Nigeria has or has had some of the most highly acclaimed and successful international movie stars in the world such as Orlando Martins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo, Damson Idris, Uzo Aduba, Cynthia Erivo, Sophie Okonedo, John Boyega, Yvonne Orji, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Wunmi Mosaku, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and others.
The only South African that is at par with them is Charlize Theron and she is an Afrikaaner!
In the world of literature Nigeria has produced some of the greatest authors and writers on the world stage such as Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Ben Okri, Chimamanda Adichie and Buchi Emecheta.
Not one black South African comes near any of these great minds when it comes to making an impact on the world stage.
In the world of combat sports like professional boxing, the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) again Nigerians have excelled in the past and present with world champions, former world champions and top contenders like Dick Tiger, Antony Joshua, Moses Itauma, Efe Ajagba, Lawrence Ikoli, Adam Olaniyan, Israel Adesanya, Kamaru Usman and so many others who proudly fly our flag.
The only South African that has excelled in this field is an Afrikaaner by the name of Dricus Du Plessis.
All this yet some South Africans who should know better treat us with contempt and describe us as nothing but drug dealers and criminals!
This is unfortunate.
The point that I am making here is that we are a civilised, enlightened, sophisticated, educated, proud, strong and God-loving people who take pride in our faith and in our ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.
We are not a small nation of ignorant pushovers with no sense of self-worth, self-respect, pride, cultural heritage or history that can be treated lightly or that are suffering from low self-esteem.
To be sure we do not suffer from what Zwelinzima Vavi, the Secretary General of the South African Federation of Trade Unions, has described as ‘the trauma of poverty and apartheid’ that he claims black South Africans are suffering from after four hundred years of occupation by their European colonisers and the imposition and practice of decades of the evil system of apartheid.
When black South African children were shot in the streets of Soweto by the apartheid police Nigerian children shed tears for them and marched the streets in demonstrations all over the world in solidarity with their horrific plight.
Yet today it is our children and students that are being beaten and murdered in the streets of Soweto and other South African townships and cities.
We gave our blood and treasure for the people of South Africa.
All this yet many leaders in South Africa appear to have forgotten the massive contribution we made to their struggle and many in the younger generation are totally oblivious of it.
This is sad.
All this coming from a great nation like South Africa that made us proud when they cultivated the foresight, courage and fortitude to establish BRICS and the G20?
A nation that made us hold our heads up high by displaying compassion and empathy when others remained silent, by speaking up for humanity and justice and by condemning the horrors that were being perpetrated against the innocent women and children of Gaza and dragging those that perpetuated that butchery to the International Court of Justice.
It is truly inexplicable.
A real paradox.
A nation that is suffering persecution from the powers that be because it stood up for the 134-strong nations of the Global South and fought against racism, injustice and oppression in other parts of the world is now dehumanising, oppressing and targetting it’s own black African brothers?
A nation that we love, respect and admire, that we associate with the beautiful and loving spirit of ‘Ubuntu’ and that we fondly refer to as the ‘Rainbow nation’ which reflects its outstanding and enviable racial, cultural and religious diversity is now exhibiting signs of fanatical nationalism and racism that can only be compared to that which was witnessed in apartheid South Africa itself?
A nation of courageous souls with a rich and extraordinary history and cultural heritage that gave us talented souls like Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Lucky Dube, Trevor Noah, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, colorful and interesting political leaders like Gayton Mackenzie and Julius Malema and remarkable sport teams like Bafana Bafana and the Springboks?
A nation that gave us evergreen and everlasting songs that inspired and strengthened us from the days of our youth, that are eternally ingrained in our hearts and souls and that are as dear to us as they are to every South African like ‘Ipi Tombi’, ‘The Warrior’, ‘Shosholoza’ and ‘Nkosi Sikelel Afrika’.
These are not just South African songs: they have transcended all borders and are now AFRICAN ones!
Given all this, what we are witnessing in South Africa today makes no sense.
To hear such sentiments from ignorant and misguided individuals who are more familiar with the streets and the ghetto than a university lecture hall and who know nothing about the history of their own struggle and those African nations, including Nigeria, that contributed so much to it is bad enough but hearing it from a senior South African Government official that should know better is a heavy blow to the gut which has left many of us in pain.
I pray Minister Ntshaveni and all those that think like her in the Government of South Africa retrace their steps and consider the consequences of their unguarded speech.
We must not let the counter-revolutionary forces behind this retrograde thinking drive a wedge between our two countries and cause us to be hostile to one another because that is precisely what they seek to achieve.
It is in that context that the real motives of organisations like March on March and Operation Dudula need to be understood.
This is especially so given the fact that the leaders of those racist and Afrophobic organisations are nothing but school yard bullies.
This is particularly so in the case of a troubled young soul by the name Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, who leads March on March and who said ‘Nigerians irritate and annoy me’ during the course of her interview with Nigerian journalist Ireti Bakare-Yusuf.
This is the same individual that erroneously claimed in another of her media outings that Zimbabwe ‘was the first country in Africa to gain its independence’ from its colonial masters!
This assertion which is rooted in one of the most graphic manifestations of ignorance that I have ever witnessed is a measure of just how shallow, detached from reality and dangerously delusional Ngobese-Zuma is.
Someone should send her back to school where hopefully she will learn that Liberia and not Zimbabwe was the first country to gain its independence from colonial rule in Africa in 1847 whilst Ghana and Nigeria gained theirs in 1957 and 1960 respectively.
No less than 51 African countries gained their independence before Zimbabwe which did not gain hers until 1980.
Zimbabwe was the fourth country to the last to gain its independence in Africa and not the first!
Ignorance in the head of a leader of a mob is like a loaded gun in the hands of a toddler.
This is the same lady that says the most despicable and racist things about her fellow black Africans and that seeks their humiliation, denigration and destruction.
This is the same lady that shrieked and screamed like a bat out of hell that ‘If there is nothing wrong with eating drugs Nigerians must eat them’ during the course of one of her organisations’ marches and in an attempt to incite the crowd against our nationals.
Is this not how the Huti versus Tutsi incitement began in Rwanda in the late 1980’s which led to the genocide and mass murder of 800,000 Tutsis in the space of three months in that country in 1990?
Must we wait for this to happen in South Africa before subversive elements like Jacinta are arrested?
Words have consequences and something needs to be done before it is too late.
The question has to be put: if the likes of Tommy Robinson can be repeatedly arrested in the United Kingdom for racist, anti-immigrant and Islamaphobic rhetoric and hate speech why can’t Jacinta and those that talk and behave like her suffer the same fate in South Africa?
Their violent rhetoric and hate speech has led to many deaths and physical attacks on African nationals and these are clear cases of incitement against specific racial groups.
Are there no laws against this in South Africa?
How many more African nationals have to be murdered or have their homes burnt down before the South African Government will act?
Why is she still walking free?
And Jacinta is not alone. There are others who lead equally violent, racist and Afrophobic mobs with names that are far too difficult to pronounce but that run around half naked, brandishing spears, cudgels, axes and cutlasses and openly threatening our nationals with violence and death.
Another important question that needs to be answered is who is funding Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and her March on March and organisations like Operation Dudula and whose interests do they really serve?
Who are these dangerous, violent and subversive elements that thrive on targetting and terrorising the weakest and most vulnerable Africans in their country and that make the old Ku Klux Klan of America, the old National Front of the UK, the old Hitler Youth and Brown Shirts of Nazi Germany and the old Afrikaaner Resistance Movement of South Africa’s Eugène Terre Blanche look like childs play, really working for?
Do they serve the interests of South Africa or that of a foreign power whose objective is not just to destroy and disintegrate South Africa but to do the same to Africa generally.
This is a question that the South African Government needs to consider.
(END OF PART 4)
(Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, a former Minister of Aviation and the Ambassador-Designate of Nigeria to South Africa)