Though the left and right hands are parts of human body, some cultures attach preference to using one hand to another. Despite the rivalry between the two hands, they need each other to balance the body movement and perform other activities. Without amputation, the right hand cannot climb a mountain leaving the left hand tied to the ground beneath a cave. Trying to amputate or weaken one hand to favour the other leads to a fundamental deformation of the whole body. Racism with other attempts to dehumanize humans based on colour, gender or status causes a fundamental deformation in humans. Since we are all humans, you cannot dehumanize anybody without first dehumanizing and deforming yourself morally, rationally or physically.
Racism is defined as “the belief in the superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity.”[1][2] Racism manifests in discriminatory policies, physical and verbal abuses, and demeaning assumptions about people’s capacities and motives.[3] Some scholars seek to justify racism by using definitions of rationality to prove that racially-suppressed people are not really humans.[4] However, their attempts to prove the absence of rationality[5] in other people as justification for racism always end in contradiction.[6] If they are not rational and thus not humans, you cannot Christianize or dialogue with them, or steal their artworks.[7]
Living things – plants, animals and humans – have instincts of self-preservation, which makes them struggle to survive in different circumstances. They struggle and fight with other living and non-living beings to obtain and secure resources they require for survival. The difference between animal and human reaction to survival instinct is that while animals resort to fight, humans can apply reason (rationality) and dialogue. The ability to resolve conflicts through reasoning, dialogue and agreement depends on the people’s level of enlightenment about humanity.[8] Rationality is thus, the discovery and consciousness of our common humanity, link, beauty, limits, power and role in the universe.[9]
Humans are self-transcendent beings, who always find themselves unfulfilled and seek to transcend their physical nature.[10] The element of self-transcendence in humanity has resulted in many political and scientific achievements, and a deeper understanding of humanity. However, this quest to surpass their human nature often creates a DELUSION of being higher humans than others based on privileges or achievements.[11] This delusion of being higher humans leads to socio-political struggle for positions and resources as justification of superiority. Even without achievements, prejudiced people seek pride from believing that there are people who are lower than they are.[12]
As creative beings, humans actualize their potentials in the society[13] by transforming human and natural resources for social use.[14] This manifestation of creativity and/or its earnings became measures for comparing people’s contributions and importance in the human society. Hence, racism cannot stand on its own without social, economic and political measures for comparing superiority. And then, the contest for racial superiority implies a rational contest for creative achievements, social harmony and common good, instead of irrational contests for dehumanizing other people. Rational competition is like a football match, which is a contest about the team that plays better football against other teams, instead of which team invades other teams’ camps to kill, steal and disorganize them.
Unfortunately, the racial contest for superiority derailed from rational creativity to irrational invasion and seizure of people and natural resources. Though irrational racism had been in human history, its modern form was institutionalized through slave trade, colonialism and neo-colonialism.[15]
From the 15th century, Europeans began invading and abducting people from different parts of the world, mainly Africa,[16] whom they transported and forced to work as slaves in Europe and their newly ‘acquired’[17] territory (America). After abolishing slave-trade to stabilize industrial revolution, the Europeans began direct colonialism in Asia and Africa until India got independence. At the Berlin conference of 1885, Europeans shared Africa among themselves by drawing lines through kingdoms and communities, for exploiting natural resources and enforcing dependency. Hence, they brutally merged several unconsented kingdoms and communities[18][19] for economic exploitation.[20] Before leaving at independence, colonialists replaced themselves with Europe-trained politicians, military and officials to sustain their resource interests.[21]
Thence, the political structure has sustained the goal of frustrating economic growth in Nigeria.[22] The militarized government seizes and sells the different peoples’ resources[23][24][25] to former colonialists. Today, many intelligent Africans are restricted from accessing their mineral resources for modern industry. Instead, the colonially-influenced politicians export the crude resources for production to Europe in exchange for foreign currency and consumer products. This is why Africa has been stunted in productive evolution and uncompetitive in rational contests of creativity and meaningful life.
Racial rivalry and contests are necessary for improving human productivity, social evolution or skills like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s rivalry. However, when racial contests become measures for deciding our human-status instead of creativity, they become irrational and beastly. Then, people find every little reason to harm others as it happened during the Nazi holocaust on fellow white people. Humanity may never rise beyond irrational contest of barbarism until Africa is liberated from the yoke of colonialism and slavery.
Europe and other parts of the world remain interested and in need of Africa’s resources. Yet, demands negotiation and agreement over manipulations on the initial and structural basis of force and brutality. Thus, Europe needs to shake off the politics of fear about African scientific and creative renaissance. Even if they are unwilling to contribute to Africa’s renaissance, they should not hinder it. For they cannot become stronger by making other people weaker[26] through exploitation. Instead, they certify their rational strength by competing fairly in the spirit of sportsmanship.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism
[2] Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, International Student’s Edition. S. V. Racism
[3] Madison Day, “Three levels of Racism” in PennState Presidential leadership academy. 11-9-2016. http://sites.psu.edu/academy/2016/09/11/three-levels-of-racism/ retrieved 25-05-2018
[4] Mogobe Ramose, “Discourses on Africa” in The African Philosophy Reader, Second Edition, Edited by P. H. Coetzee and A. P. J. Roux (New York: Routledge, 2003). p.3
[5] Aristotle uses rationality as the defining element of human beings among other animals – Pieter Coetzee. Ibid
[6] Mogobe Ramose, op. cit. p.4
[7] Mogobe Ramose, op. cit. p.3
[8] Chukwunwike Enekwechi, “Has the West become the demons of the world?” in Restartnaija. https://restartnaija.com/2018/02/03/has-the-west-become-demon-of-the-world/ Retrieved 25-05-2018
[9] Ibid.
[10] Battista Mondin, Philosophical anthropology (Rome: Urbaniana University press: 1985) p.196
[11] Chukwunwike Enekwechi, “Has the West become the demons of the world?” in Restartnaija. https://restartnaija.com/2018/02/03/has-the-west-become-demon-of-the-world/ Retrieved 25-05-2018
[12] Ibid.
[13] Cf. Aristotle, Politics, Book 1, part 1
[14] Walter Rodney, How Europe underdeveloped Africa, 2009 Edition (Abuja: Panaf publishers, 2009). p.23
[15] Walter Rodney, How Europe underdeveloped Africa, 2009 Edition (Abuja: Panaf, 2009).
[16] Walter Rodney. Op. cit.
[17] Europeans acquired American continent by slaughtering the former Red-Indian occupants of the territory – Walter Rodney. Op. Cit.
[18] Ogban Ogban-Iyan, Re-inventing Nigeria through Pre-colonial traditions, in Issues in contemporary political economy of Nigeria, (ed.) Hassan A. Saliu. (Ilorin, Sally & Associates, 1999). P77
[19] cf. Richard Dowden, Africa altered states, ordinary miracles. (New York: Public Affairs, 2010). p.445
[20] Cf. Walter Rodney, op. cit P.293
[21] Walter Rodney, op. cit. p319
[22] Chukwunwike Enekwechi, op. cit.
[23] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 2 – “… all lands in which minerals have been found in Nigeria and any area covered by its territorial waters or constituency and the Exclusive Economic Zone shall, from the commencement of this Act be acquired by the Government of the Federation…”
[24] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 2, paragraph 1 – “No person shall search for or exploit mineral resources in Nigeria or divert or impound any water for the purpose of mining except as provided in this Act.”
[25] Nigerian minerals and mining act 2007 act no. 20, chapter 1, Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 3 – “The property in mineral resources shall pass from the Government to the person by whom the mineral resources are lawfully won, upon their recovery in accordance with this Act.”
[26] Barack Obama, Presidential Inauguration speech, 2009.