So I was inspired by the title of one of the most thought provoking novels I have ever read. The god of small things by Arundhati Roy. It's a fine piece of literature, one that used fiction as a tool for a brazen, unbridled, unabashed attack on the toxic societal ideals that pervaded Indian culture as far back as 1997. So this title isn't just apt, it's synonymous and symbolic.
I love conversations that transcend beyond small talk. Call it an introvert’s star metric, but count me in if it's something that requires a critical or thematic look at societal issues. Something that stimulates my intellect. Last week, yours truly and other members of Nexaria found ourselves indulging in rich, insightful conversations about our dearly beloved country - Nigeria. The conversation evolved into a tirade, where we ranted freely about the ghastly issues that have swirled around the country like a ferocious tornado for decades. No one held back. From the scourge of superfluous corruption, to the display of aggravating ineptitude and complacency, deplorable infrastructure, and the vicious, blatant, barrage after barrage of tyranny disguised as poor leadership. That one tragic element that inevitably underscores the long catheter of endless problems that continue to relentlessly plague the nation.
Ever heard the term ‘brain-drain?’ I first encountered it about 12 years ago when I was reading about neo-colonialism. A quiet, complex, form of new age imperialist domination that has encapsulated Africa like a gauze. Brain drain is incredibly pervasive. It has long been one of Africa's persistent dilemmas but in recent times, it is the one thing that in my opinion, has transformed Nigeria from the giant of Africa to the god of loss. The terminology itself is pretty self explanatory. A consistent situation where the brightest minds, the finest thinkers and talented geniuses waltz out of the Third World into the arms of Western countries for the purpose of better opportunities. Can you blame them? Humans are naturally selfish and mostly concerned with their own upward mobility. This is what conditions us to want more. To seek more. To fight for more.
In life, everything has a price. With new opportunities for elevation, comes an unpleasant spiral ignited by loss. The father who had to relocate for greener pastures and in the process misses all the significant milestones in the life of his children. He doesn't have his papers, so he cannot come home. Not when his parents die. Not when his child graduates. The fabric of love and interconnection slowly comes apart by the seams and falls deep into the cracks created by distance, loosening and unraveling until the power of blood ties sink into one vast ocean of nothingness, transforming family into strangers.
Or do we talk about the mother who had to sell all she had so her son can continue his education and maybe, just maybe, change their story? She keeps this hope alive, nourishing and polishing it until he brings a white older woman who could pass for her age mate as his wife, and her disapproval is silenced because the weight of something bigger becomes more important than true conviction. The child who loses his way as the new world he has been integrated in tells him life is all about how he feels about self expression. In the process he starts to question his identity, sexuality, and everything he had been made to believe.
And these are just a few examples of how the scourge of loss ravages us as a nation. It's not just that we keep losing golden minds that could change our disheartening trajectory. It’s also about how losses like these seep down and deep cutting across identity, family, and blood, draining that shiny, unique spark that comes from the depth of our souls, and causing us to become slaves to systems that wreak colossal havoc on all that we represent.
Will we get rid of this loss one day? I truly wish I could answer.
