Notes From The Week #36

What’s good my people? I hope we’re all doing well. Happy Q2! I’ve been thinking a lot about the context of sub-Saharan political and economic development. I referenced similar points previously in Notes From The Week #19 but thought to address it again to drive home the point.

I’ve been an observer of the Nigerian Presidential and Gubernatorial elections that took place during March and have been disappointed to say the least. Disappointed more in the lack of honesty and equity throughout what was supposed to be a democratic process. It reminded me of how I initially felt when I read Chinua Achebe’s A Man of The People. I explain more below.

I was somewhat torn with the way the characters in A Man of The People approached corruption. I’m beginning to understand that my initial objection to the way Achebe presents corruption is a pierce to my privilege of growing up in the West.

When Achebe’s characters don’t seem to bat an eyelid at the fact their leaders are thieves; I was strongly annoyed: “They were not only ignorant but cynical. Tell them that this man has used his position to enrich himself and they would ask you –as my father did — if you thought that a sensible man would spit out the juicy morsel that good fortune placed in his mouth.” Their anger seemed to be aroused when the portion their leaders amassed disingenuously, was not in some way brought back to their community or village. “We know they are eating,’ he said, ‘but we are eating too. They are bringing us water and they promise to bring us electricity. We did not have those things before; that is why I say we are eating too.”

Chief Nanga is your archetypal Big Man and it is demonstrated in the latter parts of the book when he is running for re-election of his seat. Achebe describes him as not possessing the formal education that has come to be a prerequisite for a political leader but one whose charm and resources amassed as a result of being in politics would allow him space to navigate the field of re-election. Clientelism was a distinct component of neo-patrimonialism as it confirmed the importance of the people who held positions of authority when African nations were under indirect rule. What this allowed was the continuation of certain networks that had developed while Africa was under indirect rule. Those in positions of authority were able to profit from the vacuum left in the wake of independence and continued to use their patrimonial influence in the legal-rational bureaucratic frameworks.

In the book “Big men” in Sub-Saharan Africa; Daloz references the requirement of initial economic capital, allowing only the big men to struggle over making the spoils of government their personal property: “In the post-colonial context, elites may become rich from politics but they also have to be rich to do politics.” However, as Achebe describes the political framework was very delicate and while the big man (Chief Nanga) did have a significant amount of power it was built upon a fragile foundation as rulers in post-colonial Africa were often constrained by the need to maintain balance across complex ethnic or clan divisions.

Olu Oyinbo was a term that Nigerians referred to the government as ‘white man’s business’ it was from this understanding that anyone who was fortunate enough to receive a role in the government — which was seen as an extension of the colonial power; had a role of distributing funds/resources back to their communities. However, even in the appropriation of funds, there was still an etiquette that was to be understood.

One of the passages that had the most profound impact on me is situated in Chapter Nine. “But the most ominous thing I heard was from Timothy, a middle-aged man, who was kind of Christian and a carpenter. ‘Josiah has taken away enough for the owner to notice, ‘he said again and again.’ It was not an issue for you to take just as long as what you took did not leave a chasm that could probe questioning. Thievery’s discretion. However, when we look at the facts it seemed that somewhere along the line that greed broke any discretion that may have been informally understood.

As history has shown we, human beings, don’t tend to manifest our vices modestly for too long. A little taken here and a little taken there will unequivocally always amount to much. In the elections that took place across Nigeria in March we saw rigging to the extent where international observers had to express their sheer dissatisfaction in the process. It’s important to note that weak democratic processes and internal conflicts have been the primers for military coups—the way in which A Man of the People itself concludes. I hope there comes a day (soon) when we finally decide to learn from history.

Until next week. Peace.