ẸYIN Ã GBÀ TẸ́ Ẹ JẸ’SẸ́BÌ
Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia, in his opening speech during a special session of the United Nations Assembly held in Addis Ababa on October 4, 1963, said that throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph.
There have been several domestic attacks this year. The majority of the most severe crimes appeared to be racially motivated. The fear of the “other” sets the racial moods of hatred, intolerance, and terrorism with deadly consequences for these attacks.
Could all this pain and suffering have been averted? Not necessarily. Nobody is born with racism; the problem with racism is the problem of admitting ignorance of it. To break away from the vicious strangulation of racism, elected officials and prominent individuals must band together for the good of the nation to fight these racial fears in all forms. They must leave behind partisan politics, ideological and personal agenda. Encourage the communities they serve to fight racism at all levels, and not worsen the situation by using racial tropes and racial language to score political points.
The first amendment guarantees individuals the right to own firearms. Passing a law that will strip an individual’s right to purchase guns of choice, including assault rifles, will violate this right. Lawmakers, however, can agree on amendments that will limit accessibility to weapons used by racists to kill the “other.”
When certain politicians and prominent individuals in a nation fail to do something about racial issues, they choose the side of the racists.
The Yoruba proverb title for this painting addresses this situation:
Ẹyin ã gbà tẹ́ ẹ jẹ’sẹ́bì
Ẹ kó ara yín jọ́
You elders that united to share a secret pact with racists
Band together; be identified as collaborators to evil.
Let the politicians and prominent individuals that choose the side of the racists, band together.