Poetic Thought
Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM
--
Cornelius Hamelberg
Chidi,
What I gather from that sunshine celebration poem is that you are saying “Babu yai O” to members of the African Diaspora West, shuffering and shmiling, experiencing the statistically coldest months in the year, mostly cringing in fear, practising some very un-African social distancing, self-isolation, self-quarantining, hiding behinds masks and visors, no longer visiting the market place – even the un-crowded market places, staying far from pubs (really a British social institution where they consume haram alcoholic beverages), paradoxically, not even visiting synagogues, mosques, and churches to pray for their own salvation, all this because of some tiny droplets known as the Corona virus.
(You could get a Jack Berry acolyte to translate “Babu yai O” for you…
Here’s the truth: I’m (another good Creole/ Krio Saro pidgin inglish expression coming up), I am “jealous” which translates into English, as “I am envious” of Chidi and the rest of the cats in mainland Africa,
“ensconced
In the warm bosom
Of mother Africa.”
Of course, some could and justifiably would be jealous if you said that you were currently ensconced in the warm bosom of their very special female over whom they believe they should exercise a Divine monopoly...
I received this from my best Zimbabwean friend who happens to be an ardent follower of
T.B Joshua: Can A Real Christian contact Covid-19?
Word of advice: For real Christians too, the vaccine is meant to save lives….
Cornelius Hamelberg
Chidi Opara,
If you agree with the very first sentence in this video, then please read on.
As we all know, the virus is no respecter of persons. Basking in their sunshine euphoria there are those who have the poetic belief that the virus cannot touch them because through all that African sunshine they have more than normal levels of vitamin D and as has been observed, most people that have been smitten by the virus, have low levels of Vitamin D. Throughout the winters, the poor, relatively darker skinned diaspora Negroes who live in places like Scandinavia and Canada where the sun only shows up for about eight months a year have to supplement their Vitamin D deficiency with vitamin D3 capsules and only feel wistful nostalgia when blokes like Chidi start boasting and reminding them about the good old days when we were all
“ensconced
In the warm bosom
Of mother Africa.”
At the same time we have to sound a word of caution when Chidi waxes hyperbolic with his
“I am vaccinated
By the warmth
Of mother's bosom.
I need no more vaccination
Against
The cold hands of death.”
Or when a faith-can-move-mountains preacher man, Jesus Saves, faith healer and miracle worker asks the question Can A Real Christian contact Covid-19?
The Talmud says, “One must never stand in a place of danger expecting a miracle to protect the faithful” (Kiddushin39B) Just as, no matter how fast a man’s arthritic legs van carry him, it would be unwise to think that confronted with a hungry lion in the middle of the jungle, you will deprive him of his meal by merely saying, “The blood of Jesus!” Daniel in the lion’s den is another story.
O.O. says we've got to shine our eyes. That's why we pray for the scientists, doctors and nurses, and we pray for the pastors too, just as they pray for us all, that soon enough if need be everybody in sun is shining Mother Africa that needs to be vaccinated will be vaccinated, just as Israel is doing, saving lives ( pikuach nefesh (being a sine non qua of saving souls – souls being equal to lives ( one life, one soul) because dead men don’t smoke marijuana and deaf men can’t say “Babu Yai O “ - just ask Jack Berry
Assensoh, Akwasi B.
Brother Cornelius:
Your own poetic thought has moved me to send this brief expression.
Interestingly, you started with the wise anecdote that "the virus is no respecter of persons!
That is very correct, if Ghana's ex-President J.J. Rawlings, a seemingly strong man, fell victim
to it; what about Presient Buhari's very able Chief of Staff (Lawyer Abba, as som of us called
him)? Many of us detest and fear the virus so much that we have either become "Corona
Prisoners" or, if we are to go out, we put on two thick masks and, also, a shield. No chances!!
In fact, Dr. Ben Idowu, a Uriologist and my former classmate in college, recently gave our
family advice: he said that, as a Physician, he is obliged to treat patients, who need his
help, even if he suspects them of the virus. Yet, his joke is that when he goes to the
hospital to see patients, he dresses as if he is a new astronaunt. I laughed heartily,
but I took a cue from his wise words! Yes, the virus is no respecter of persons, Vitamin
D or not. Thank you very much for your wise poetic thoughts!!!
A.B. Assensoh.
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2021 8:14 PM
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Subject: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Poetic Thought
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Cornelius Hamelberg
Wofa Akwasi,
So sad. His tragic passing away at the tender age of 73 was bad enough but it’s even worse that Junior Jesus fell victim to covid 19. May his soul rest in peace (something that the disciples of the real Jesus must have said of him, after his crucifixion and before his resurrection.)
With regard to our Africa and the war against Corona there is this added dimension that is still very much alive and kicking strongly: The Conspiracy theories about the Coronavirus and the vaccines, that the vaccine is programmed to change the Black Man’s DNA, secondly, to de-populate the Black Continent.
I asked my most political Ghanaian Brother over here, “So, when are you going to take the vaccine?”
He replied, “Are you kidding? Jack, they will have to forcibly drag me to the hospital and then chain and strap me to the hospital bed if they want to vaccinate me!”
To tell you the truth, until recently I was feeling like him but I have been persuaded by a virology and epidemiology expert who has a heart of gold and happens to be a good friend, that the vaccine is the only sane option available for us.
So it’s our duty to spread the corona vaccine gospel of salvation and also to listen to T,B. Joshua’s answer to the question , “Can A Real Christian contact Covid-19?"
This afternoon I went to the pharmacy and then to get some groceries. Yes, protected by mask and a visor as shield almost like a cosmonaut except I had my hat on, so you can imagine how ridiculous I must be looking with my hat on, on top of mask and visor. My problem is that the visor gets foggy and so do my glasses so that I can't quite see where I'm going.Two days ago my neighbour saw me at the grocery store; I greeted her but either she didn't recognise me or was playing it safe and keeping great social distance.
I'm trying to imagine some of the professors in this forum, how they look in their academic gowns with all the added Corona paraphernalia, their face and head gear as mandatory protection, because they fear...
Please pray for us
Olasupo Laosebikan
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Emeagwali, Gloria (History)
History Department, Central Connecticut State University
www.africahistory.net
To: Assensoh, Akwasi B. <aass...@indiana.edu>
Cc: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [External] USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Poetic Thought
Please be cautious: **External Email**
Harrow, Kenneth
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2021 1:37 PM
To: Assensoh, Akwasi B. <aass...@indiana.edu>; usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM
Cornelius Hamelberg
It takes Chidi’s pithy, sometimes witty poems and often singularly despondent thoughts disguised as the people’s voice, da people’s either popular or unpopular complaints (da voice of da down-trodden suffering and no longer smiling masses) to spark some reactions in me to the extent that I simply can’t let it be, I gotta react, I gotta dare to be me, just as he dares to be Chidi. It’s not so curious that the extravagantly pompous inflated big grammar style of a deluded wannabe king of naira jungle journalism simply doesn't cut it with me (I’m too experienced for that, even as a fan of Eric Blair, I much prefer Mark Steyn’s genuine, irrepressible exuberance, even arrogance, to any con-dude out to impress ignoramus, talking about “vermin”. Who be dat, we or him?
The beauty of poetry, it can be so allusive. No crocodile tears or gnashing of teeth please.
Hopefully, (always full of hope – as in faith, hope and charity) hopefully, Prophet Chidi’s portentous
'Tis the eve
Of the Ides of March again”
does not portend the end of Nigeria’s democratically elected Caesar,
the aftermath of a soothsayer warning Caesar, “Beware the ides of March. Caesar”, Caesar stabbed in the back and in the front by traitors and turncoats in the capitol.
There’s cause for worry, not just dissatisfaction –
despite “the "pray for your leaders" injunction “
so many African leaders assassinated not by vaccination or lethal injection
but by the COVID-19, some pastors opine the beginning of the Great Tribulation
Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM
Chidi Anthony Opara, FIIM
God may be a dynasty.
A scion ascends
And reigns
And demises.
Another scion ascends
And reigns
And demises.
The dynasty lives.
(c)Chidi Anthony Opara
#2020Poeticthoughts