Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
Pius Adesanmi
|
Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
As far as I know, Wole Soyinka has never been able to resolve the question: who needs psychiatric evaluation in Nigeria? The rulership or the followership? In a good number of his critical interventions in public discourse, the Nobel laureate has been detained by questions pertaining to the mental health of Nigeria's rulership. If our rulers' actions continuously evoke the spectre of insanity, isn't it part of our civic responsibility to insist that aspirants to political office submit themselves to psychiatric evaluation and be periodically examined by shrinks while in office?
Soyinka's position shifted somewhat when Muhammadu Buhari's candidacy attracted a surprising degree of support that Soyinka had not anticipated in the build-up to the 2007 presidential elections. Irked by what appeared to be a national amnesia with regard to the tyranny and egregious human rights abuses that characterised Buhari's first coming as a military despot, Soyinka wondered if the kind of followership that could embrace Buhari's candidacy didn't also need psychiatric evaluation.
The ruler and the ruled have been locked ever since in a competition to determine who should make Nigerian psychiatrists smile to the bank. Who, for instance, is sicker - the certified kleptomaniacs in Abuja or the followership who lets them get away with it? The Pentecostal purchasers of private jets or the indigent faithful who supply the tithe? Two recent situations have given the rulership a remarkable edge in this bizarre contest.
First was this curious report in the Daily Sun of Sunday March 15, 2009: "Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu has left office as the immediate past governor of Nasarawa State but two lions he bought for security at the Lafia Government House continue to burrow into the state's meagre resources. The incumbent administration has budgeted an annual salary of N18 million (N1.5 million per month) to take care of the ferocious creatures kept at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Abuja. The lions (a male and female) are ironically said to be ill due to lack of proper feeding and care, arising from what sources at the Commission disclosed is the concealment of the two animals' monthly budget by certain officials of the Commission.The former governor had purchased the two lions for reasons some politicians in the state alleged were to ruffle the feathers of political opponents who will not yield to his desires. But not buoyed by the menace of the animals, the incumbent Governor Akwe Doma was said to have ordered that they be ejected from the Government House on account of their carnivorous nature."
The fact that two adult lions were added to a Governor's security detail in Nigeria in the 21st century deserves no comment. I will also not comment on what the monthly feeding budget of the lions which, as expected, is being embezzled by government officials, could do for the people of Nasarawa state. I am only thankful that the new Governor at least realised that lions are carnivorous. In the nature of things, the new Governor could have angrily ordered the importation of ten herbivorous adult pet lions from South Africa and Namibia just to be seen to have outdone his predecessor.
My personal agony over this tragic commentary on the quality of the minds running Nigeria had hardly abated when Chief Alao Akala, the Oyo state Governor, added panache to the insanity contest. One of his daughters - the Akala girls are proving to be quite expensive for the Nigerian tax payer - was attacked by armed robbers in Ibadan on her way home from a party. They snatched her car and a hand bag containing a modest cash sum of USD 56,000 or well over eight million in Naira. That is the annual salary of an entry level Assistant Professor in America. Columnist Okey Ndibe reminded me in a telephone conversation that since she was returning from a party, the money must have been the change or leftover from her owambe spraying spree.
Her Daddy's reaction to this incident was swift. Nigerian rulers attend very quickly to problems when they are directly affected. He contacted Tel Aviv and hired Israeli security experts to help the police in Oyo state combat armed robbery and crime! A Nigeria listserv commentator summed up my feelings about this very nicely: "the Israelis will be surprised to find out that the number one criminal is the government headed by the Governor who hired them." Beautiful! You can't beat Nigerians when it comes to describing their oppressors. |
olaka...@aol.com
Prof Adesanmi:
Please permit my indulgence in contributing my two cents on the subject
of Wole Soyinka's predicament regarding who really needs psychiatric
treatment in Nigeria--the selfish, kleptomanic and cruel ruling elites
or the submissive followers including the psycophants and the majorit y
of the general citizentry.
My own conclusion has always been that all Nigerians, including the
rulers and the rules are in need of
psychiatric and or psychological care, if this term is used in its
broadest sense to include the need to reappraise our cultural mindset
and determine where we went wrong across the decades since
independence..
The fact that I am writing this piece in my office at an Ontario
psychiatric facility where I pursue my other favorite past time in
Medicine makes it even more appropriate that I offer some comments.
One of my general observations in over 25 years of part time free lance
practice of psychiatry is the fact that one can measure the efficacy of
the care provided in a given mental health care facility by comparing
the general behaviour of the staff to those of the clients (a
preferred term to patients) under their care.
The more difficulty a visitor encounters in telling the staff from the
patients, the better the care that are being provided by the given
mental heath facility. Healthcare workers including physicians, nurses,
psychologists, occupational therapists
and others do not wear uniforms
in the mental health institutions in the province of Ontario (both in
stand alone psychiatric facilities and in the psychiatric wards of
teaching and community hospitals.)
The definition of mental illness includes a significant cultural
component. One well accepted definition of mental illness is this one :
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral
pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress
or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or
culture."
It is generally accepted that a specific behaviour or set of actions
must be outside the range of culturally acceptable norm in order to be
deemed a form of mental illness.
If kleptomania is now accepted by the general public as a 'reward' (or
spoils of victory) from our flawed electoral contests, how can we turn
around and start asking for psychiatric help just for the rulers
without asking the same for the general republic?
The saying that rulers reflect the cultural norms and behavioral
characteristics of their subjects is a truism that has lasted since
man's first appearance on planet earth. Put another way, the rulers are
only a microcosm of the general population. Even more true is the fact
that the citizenry anywhere in the world usually deserve the type of
leadership they get--a statement that remin
ds one of Steve K's
byline--"A society of supine lambs breeds erect wolves'" even if the
owner of the by line often behaves as the prototype supine lamb--at
least as judged by his on line comments.
You know the population is in serious need of mental and sociocultural
readjustment when:
1) anyone and everyone in a position of power, both low, medium or high
is assumed to be corrupt and will be deemed 'foolish' by some of his
own people--his family, friends, colleagues and hometown boys and girls
if he is not. The abusive and derisive phrase 'what has he done for us
lately' is so pervasive in the body polity everywhere in the land that
decent and morally upright Nigerians will think twice before running
for ar accepting appointments for public service in Nigeria.
2) you are already labelled corrupt by the media and a file has already
been opened for you at the EFCC, the moment your named is announced to
any significant position in Nigeria. This is the law of perverse
expectations at play. The majority of the general public assumes that
only the corrupt will consider accepting to serve the puiblic in
Nigeria.
3) the driver pulls out his or her wallet (for some naira--not for
his/her driver's licence or 'particulars' everytime he/she is stopped
at a police checkpoint so that the mandatory dash for the officer is
paid and the journey can proceed.
4) you arrive at the airport or anywher
e in Nigeria and perfect
strangers in official military or customs uniforms are asking you--oga
or madam--'what did you bring for us today'? and you are expected to
comply or upon departure the same officers keep roustling through your
luggage and threatening to confiscate your bag of gari or pounded yam
if you did not give them dash--(your offence you are depriving fellow
Nigerians of the gari or pounded yam by taking it abroad).
5) instead of studying hard for his or her secondary school entrance
examination or JAMB exams
your niece or nephew tells you that "Uncle, we have done our part (our
best) its is now left for our parents to do their part--meaning see the
principals and officials at the ministry of education etc. to ensure
that they are admiited to choice institutions even if their marks do
not merit there being admitted to these institutions.
I strongly believe that the simple examples of everyday life in Nigeria
highlighted above lend some credence to the fact that the entire
Nigerian population including the Diaspora, the rulers and the ruled
are in need of mental and cultural readjustment and fine tuning, which
might not be beyond the scope of practice our mental health
practitioners.
Unfortunately, Nigeria is in dire need of psychiatrists, psychologists,
psychometrits and other mental healthcare practioners. Next to shortage
of electrical power supply, I believe the dearth of mental health
pro
grams in Nigeria should be a considered a major national priority!
Bye,
Ola
-----Original Message-----
From: Pius Adesanmi <piusad...@yahoo.com>
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com; nidoc...@yahoogroups.com;
ni...@yahoogroups.com; ekitipeo...@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 4:19 pm
Subject: [NIDOA] Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
Pius Adesanmi
March 28, 2009 03:09AMT
print email
--
__._,_.___
Messages in this topic (1)
Reply (via web post)
|
Start a new topic
Messages
|=2
0 Files
| Photos
| Links
| Calendar
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest |
Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group
|
Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use |
Unsubscribe
Recent Activity
20
New Members
Visit Your Group
Give Back
Yahoo! for Good
Get inspired
by a good cause.
Y! Toolbar
Get it Free!
easy 1-click access
to your groups.
Yahoo! Groups
Start a group
in 3 easy steps.
Connect with others.
.
__,_._,___
Mental disorder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
( A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or
behavioral
pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause
distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal
development or culture.
The term "serious mental illness" [SMI] is sometimes used to refer to
more severe and long-lasting disorder. A broad definition can cover
mental disorder, mental retardation, personality disorder and substance
dependence. The phrase "mental health problems" may be used to refer
only to milder or more transient issues. There is often a criterion
that a condition should not be expected to occur as part of a person's
usual culture or religion.
Social influences have been found to be important, including abuse,
bullying and other negative or stressful life experiences. The specific
risks and pathways to particular disorders are less clear, however.
Aspects of the wider community have also been implicated, including
employment problems, socioeconomic inequality, lack of social cohesion,
problems linked to migration, and features of particular societies and
cultures.
[edit] Culture
Different societies, cultures, and even different individuals within a
single culture may disagree as to what constitutes optimal or
pathological biological and psychological functioning; and indeed
research has demonstrated variation across cultures in the relative
importance placed on, for example, happiness, autonomy, or social
relationships for pleasure. misinterpret neurophysiological findings
and to understate the scientifi
c importance of social-psychological
variables.[13] Advocating a more culturally sensitive approach to
psychology, critics such as Carl Bell and Marcello Maviglia contend
that the cultural and ethnic diversity of individuals is often
discounted by researchers and service providers.[14] In addition,
current diagnostic guidelines have been criticized as having a
fundamentally Euro-American outlook. Although these guidelines have
been widely implemented, opponents argue that even when a diagnostic
criteria set is accepted across different cultures, it does not
necessarily indicate that the underlying constructs have any validity
within those cultures; even reliable application can only prove
consistency, not legitimacy.[13] Cross-cultural psychiatrist Arthur
Kleinman contends that the Western bias is ironically illustrated in
the introduction of cultural factors to the DSM-IV: the fact that
disorders or concepts from non-Western or non-mainstream cultures are
described as "culture-bound", whereas standard psychiatric diagnoses
are given no cultural qualification whatsoever, is to Kleinman
revelatory of an underlying assumption that Western cultural phenomena
are universal.[15] Kleinman's negative view towards the culture-bound
syndrome is largely shared by other cross-cultural critics, common
responses included both disappointment over the large number of
documented non-Western mental disorders still left out, and frustration
that even those included were often misinterpreted or
misrepresent
ed.[16] Many mainstream psychiatrists have also been
dissatisfied with the these new culture-bound diagnoses, although not
for the same reasons. Robert Spitzer, a lead architect of the DSM-III,
has opined that the addition of cultural formulations was an attempt to
placate cultural critics, and that they lack any scientific motivation
or support. Spitzer also posits that the new culture-bound diagnoses
are rarely used in practice, maintaining that the standard diagnoses
apply regardless of the culture involved. In general, the mainstream
psychiatric opinion remains that if a diagnostic category is valid,
cross-cultural factors are either irrelevant or are only significant to
specific symptom presentations.[13]
Clinical conceptions of mental illness also overlap with cultural
values and in the realm of morality and social behavior. So much so in
fact, that it is sometimes argued that separating the two would be
impossible without fundamentally redefining a person's role in
society.[17] In clinical psychiatry, persistent distress and disability
indicate an internal disorder requiring treatment; but in another
context, that same distess and disability can be seen as an indicator
of emotional struggle and the need to address social and structural
problems.[18][19] This dichotomy has lead some academics and clinicians
to advocate a postmodernist conceptualization of mental distress and
well-being.[20][21] Such approaches, along with cross-cultural and
"heretical" psychologie
s centered on alternative cultural and ethnic
identities and experiences stand in contrast to the mainstream
psychiatric community's
-----Original Message-----
From: Pius Adesanmi <piusad...@yahoo.com>
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com; nidoc...@yahoogroups.com;
ni...@yahoogroups.com; ekitipeo...@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 4:19 pm
Subject: [NIDOCanada] Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Columns/5395280-146/LITTLE_ENDS:_Of_Lions,_Israelis_and.csp
Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
Pius Adesanmi
March 28, 2009 03:09AMT
print email
--
__._,_.___
Messages in this topic (1)
Reply (via web post)
|
20 Start a new topic
Messages
| Files
| Photos
| Links
| Polls
| Calendar
Nigerians In Diaspora Organization. Our mission is to
promote the spirit of patriotism, networking, and cooperation among
Nigerians in Diaspora....
MARKETPLACE
I'm happy I lost my Job. Now I make $12,000/mo online! See
how I do it: WealthResource.org.
From kitchen basics to easy recipes - join the
Group from Kraft Foods
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest |
Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group
|
Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use |
Unsubscribe
Recent Activity
22
New Members
Visit Your=2
0Group
Group Charity
Hands On Network
Volunteering has
never been so easy
Everyday Wellness
on Yahoo! Groups
Find groups that will
help you stay fit.
Yahoo! Groups
Cat Owners Group
Connect and share with
others who love their cats
.
__,_._,___
Cornelius Hamelberg
Let me first of all put you in the right mood, a more receptive mood:
God, bless Nigeria!
Although your first name usually puts me in mind of the once holy
Padre in the Vatican, yours truly always appreciates the inflated
language of your Dickensian humour/huma.
I never felt like a foreigner in Nigeria - not like the Ghanaians,
Indians, Pakistanis and Irish….and I still have unpleasant feelings
about the last Nigerian presidential elections which our man should
have won.
Please don’t touch my man Muhammadu Buhari – not even by using the
Nobel Laureate as cover. You cannot mention our Muhammadu and leave
our now late Brother Tunde Idiagbon out of the bargain. More than
anything, that duo prescribed the sane medicine for Nigeria in the
first weeks of their near bloodless takeover – I know. I was there.
Abacha had been in town (Port Harcourt) a few weeks earlier, I guess
to co-ordinate things and shortly thereafter all telephone lines had
been cut and t’was only possible to phone outta da country at
Scanastra. Should have known there was going to be a feast….
Within ten days we got paid six months arrears in salaries – enough
for me to take off for a weekend holiday to Bonny and better still,
those prominent landmarks, pyramids of piled up garbage from which
mangoe trees had sprouted the year before and giddy with September
rainfall were then heading for the sun, were all cleared up, quick
quick, within two weeks when Chief of Staff General Buhari and his
second-in-command Idiagbon prescribed the right medicine and declared
war, not on insanity but WAR ON INDISCIPLINE (WAI) . (More on insanity
later on)
OK, his tough measures against the excessive criticism from a
disenchanted press notwithstanding (desperate remedies for a
temporarily desperate situation – they were not normal times) the
second minor mistake that Brother made was to tell the bad guys that
when he returned from pilgrimage in Mecca, he would continue the
cleaning up with the rooting out of the corrupt elements that were a
pain in the gnash of the land. Of course – predictably they couped
him before he returned…
“Herbivorous adult pet lions” did you say?
How hungry can they get?
A good friend would like to see such pals padding along the royal
carpets, in the royal palace, so that herbs and not dissidents will
have to keep them satisfied.
On Mar 28, 10:19 pm, Pius Adesanmi <piusadesa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Columns/5395280-146/LIT...
>
> Of Lions, Israelis, and Wole Soyinka
>
> Pius Adesanmi
>
> March 28, 2009 03:09AMT
>
> addthis_pub = 'Next';
> addthis_logo = 'http://234next.com:80/csp/cms/sites/Next/assets/images/icon-share.gif';
> addthis_logo_background = 'FFFFFF';
> addthis_logo_color = '666699';
> addthis_brand = '234next.com';
> addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, facebook, google, live, more';
Cornelius Hamelberg
Side comments whilst waiting for a response from somebody – or just
anybody, about my man MUHAMMADU BUHARI... as I think that this matter
ought to be discussed, and not merely mentioned. Discussed. That’s why
we’re here.
We do not suffer from any kind of personal or “national amnesia” – nor
are we cowards.
That other plum in the pudding and by now just about everybody’s
favourite example of conspicuous consumption, is poor Pastor Adeboye.
Yeah, the controversy swirling around pastor Adeboye has raged on for
some time now and continues to rage.
Pastor Adeboye’s sensational jet can be said to have cost a drop in
the ocean of the divine treasury - and must surely come in useful in
the mission of the itinerant preacher in fulfilling what he believes
to be the Great Commission.
There’s the ideal of groups speaking with one voice. There’s also the
possibility of God-oriented people, singing with one heart – even in
Umuahia, whether or not the pastor there thinks the river there is the
same as the river Jordan and that pastor too was not just another case
of “The trials of brother Jero”. The fact of the matter is that the
pastor is doing his job. Have you heard him singing to his Lord?
“We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane:”
(Dylan. Visions of Johanna)
There’s Chinua Achebe’s “The Trouble With Nigeria”
There are also these interviews with a spectrum of Nigeria’s
stalwarts, heavyweights of the Federation, none of whom are in my
opinion in need of psychiatric treatment and hopefully, neither are we
in need of having our heads/hearts examined.
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/chinua-achebe-foundation/index.php
The Chinua Achebe Foundation : Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in Conversation
with Pini Jason
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/chinua-achebe-foundation/the-achebe-foundation-interviews-19-general-muhammadu-b-2.html
On Mar 29, 1:36 pm, Cornelius Hamelberg <CorneliusHamelb...@gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> - Show quoted text -
Jimmy
that necessitate swift action to jolt us back to reality. A lot change
during the duo's period. For the first time in m adult life I saw
people queuing in Yaba. I opened my mouth and could not close it. The
place (Nigeria) was in a rot just like now.
A gradual approach to the kind of endemic situation we have now will
not work. There is, also, urgent need for people re-orientation.
Corruption had eaten deep into the system that mere palliatives will
not resolve the problem but strong arm tactics. The people now expect
you to steal, if not, you must be a MUMU of the highest order.
In fact, what Nigeria need is benevolent dictatorship. Check out
Indonesia and Malaysia and notice that their rise to the level they
are now were a combination of longevity of the leaders and benevolent
dictatorship. When Lee Kuan Yew indicated that certain countries
cannot progress with the kind of democracy that is being practiced in
the West, he was absolutely right. Democracy, the manner it is being
practiced in our place is just a game of numbers. It has become what
is termed the "tyranny of the majority"
BUHARI will get my vote any day in the absence of any other clean
candidate because he exemplifies in a large measure what we should
have in a leader. That does not mean he is flawless just like you and
me. But his flaw which is the issue of locking up some bad eggs
amongst does not disqualify him. In a democracy, I am sure the he will
deal with the matter completely differently from what happened
hitherto. I suppose a good leader will bring out the best in the
people but it must reflect at all levels. If you know what goes on in
the local government, you'll understand that a strong leader who does
not care whose ox is gored when taking a right is what is required
now. BUHARI fits the bill perfectly.
Kind regards,
Jimmy Adeyemi-Offor
On Mar 28, 10:19 pm, Pius Adesanmi <piusadesa...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Columns/5395280-146/LIT...
>
>
>
> Pius Adesanmi
>
> March 28, 2009 03:09AMT
>
> addthis_pub = 'Next';
> addthis_logo = 'http://234next.com:80/csp/cms/sites/Next/assets/images/icon-share.gif';
> addthis_logo_background = 'FFFFFF';
> addthis_logo_color = '666699';
> addthis_brand = '234next.com';
> addthis_options = 'favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, facebook, google, live, more';
>
>