If you're tired, drop everything and rest.
This newsletter is a little heavy. It’s sad, it’s brass, it’s a little one track.
This newsletter is currently listening to Schemes by our friends Yakeeb and Zamir.
This newsletter will take about 4 minutes to consume.
Quantity and quality of rest is something we never seem to discuss as Nigerians.
As a rule of thumb - If you are tired, drop everything and rest.
Oluwatosin slept off driving on Saturday morning.
What does it mean to be Nigerian?
In South Africa, it just means you’re a black immigrant.
Zikoko! has a fantastic essay about the status of Nigerians in South Africa, it opens up new questions of our humanity as black people and at what cost are we seen or treated as human beings.
“When you hear people say South Africans say things like: “Oh, we’re tired of the Nigerians in this place,” what they really mean is, they’re tired of Zimbabweans, Malawians, the Congolese and just about all black immigrants in South Africa.” - Zikoko!
In the news last week, Nigeria was thrown into a state of collective mourning as news got out that Nigerians were getting killed and their businesses looted in South Africa. For years, South Africa has had a xenophobia problem. Zambians, Zimbabweans and citizens of Malawi have in the past been killed in South Africa as the locals seem to have a special distaste for foreigners and foreign-owned businesses in the country.
The talking points from the attacks have been a part of our current news cycle - They are illegal immigrants, they are bringing drugs to our country, they are raping our women, they are thieves. Yes! That is the official stance of the current United States of America White House and the hot takes on social media.
Except, it takes two to tango.
This is not condoning foreign nationals committing crimes on soils that are not their home. But, a blatant lack of laws or regard for life means that there is a problem that needs to be solved.
TL;DR: South African reggae musician, Lucky Dube was murdered in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville by carjackers who did not recognize him and believed that he was Nigerian.
But, there is a much bigger problem. Xenophobia is openly supported by past and present members of the government of the Republic of South Africa.
What do you do when you’re getting killed outside your country?
Other countries might shut off diplomatic ties. But not Nigeria.
Ahead of the World Economic Forum, Vice President Osinbajo condemned attacks of Nigerians in South Africa. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari however, sent a special envoy to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa following reported attacks on Nigerian citizens and property in Johannesburg. Buhari also summoned the South African High Commissioner to seek assurances of the safety of Nigerians.
Except... According to Iyin Aboyeji who is currently in South Africa for the WEF, there is no envoy!
While former Presidential hopeful Madam Oby had been slandered by Nigerians for attending the WEF, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai and other Nigerians were present at the WEF. The Nigerian government announced it would boycott a World Economic Forum (WEF) conference that began in Cape Town on Wednesday after accusing South Africa of being too slow to respond to the violence.
Who wasn’t present?
The presidents of Rwanda and Malawi pulled out of the WEF. Zambia's football team cancelled a match scheduled with South Africa in Lusaka. Ethiopia and Kenya issued statements condemning the violence in South Africa.
TL;DR: If you are in a situation where you need the government of Nigeria to show up for you, you might end up dying.
RIP Mugabe. The wickedness you have done is enough.
Robert Mugabe, a hero of Africa’s independence struggle whose long rule in Zimbabwe descended into tyranny, corruption and incompetence, has died at the age of 95.
Today, Zimbabwe is poor, in debt and the future looks rather bleak. But, Mugabe that descended from hero to villain has been granted national hero status with his own official mourning day. Who says mediocrity will not be rewarded?
A lot of the coverage of his death and status seems to portray him as a hero for all of his life. And our answer to that is - publications need to commission African journalists and writers to tell their own stories.
RIP, sure. Now what?
It was heavily thought that Mugabe’s ousting would bring for concrete development in the South African country, but the country has plunged into new depths showing that bad days can indeed get worse. What happens to the poor people of Zimbabwe is less clear. Will there ever be a functioning democracy? Aanu Adeoye asked the question first in November of 2017.
Which other African leader do you think is about to or has lost the novelty of his initial goodwill?
Hang on. We have good news
Nigeria is going back to the Olympics.
The governor of Oyo state is showing up and governance seems like simple stuff.
It is a literary festival season in Nigeria.
Recommended reads + Stuff.
Nigerian government officials have a long history of associating with suspected and convicted criminals, writes Eromo Egbejule for The Africa Report.
The shame of being a South African in the rest of Africa by Simon Allison for Mail & Guardian.
The Nigerian government owes a company $9 billion and counting. But was that lawsuit built on a sham?
That New News support group
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