On history and zeal

12/03/2020

I once held nationalistic and pan-Africanist ideals. Ripples of excitement would reverberate throughout my body every 6th March when I listened to the replay of Nkrumah's '57 speech. Events like the 2010 World Cup in South Africa ignited visions of a unified continent, my place called home--a juggernaut of culture and resilience. Africa. I’d once been zealous enough to want to fight and die for my country of birth, and the continent at large. A continent that has suffered most and continues to do so. A continent of immense extremes: wealth and poverty. I, once, would have warred with every fiber of my being, with every blackness on my skin, and with every essence of my womanhood against the systems I perceived as unjust, from within the nations and without. I would have fought against systems of exploitation, corruption, oppression, and neocolonialism, and pushed for true justice and progress in every arena of governance for the people. For my people.

My desires formed about the same time as my perception of right and wrong. I do recall other points of influence, including a trip to the slave castle at Elmina when I was about seven or eight-years-old. I remember seeing the "gate of no return" where those enslaved were loaded into ships and sent away to distant and foreign places. It was a wonder to me that we, in our era, were lucky to return. I would listen as intently as I could, against the periodic noise of the sea breeze, to the guide and his lectures. His talk was so revelatory to me. "How come I was 'graciously' spared such brutality, and they weren't?" I thought. I saw the chapel that had been built above the dungeons. Though I couldn't place it into words, I understood how wrong the whole operation was and the hypocrisy of it all. I understood then, even as a child, the blatant discrepancy in their profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Their heartlessness in abusing, and selling their fellowmen and still being able to sing of the goodness of God above while ignoring the howls and cries of men and women below! It was nauseating. They certainly could not have been worshipping the same God I had been learning about in Sunday School. Experiences like this provided me more perspective and exposure than the average 7 or 8 year old, and even many adults. My concerns increased, and a flood of questions rushed through my mind:

"What if history did repeat itself and I found myself and family enslaved as well?"

"What measures would prevent such from happening again?"

"Who would be the unbiased authority to enforce real justice?

"How could this have ever happened?"

That trip contributed to shaping my awareness of self as a person, and that reality heavily dawned on me every time I looked intently at myself in a mirror. It brought about questions of existentialism that I had no way of articulating nor frame of reference for discussing as a young child. Yet, I was aware. I grappled with the deeper questions of life and was dissatisfied with my unfamiliarity with the intangible. I knew there was more to know. I just didn't know how much more of this 'unknown plenty' I had access to. Another aspect was that while I had become aware of the greater evils in the world, I was not yet aware of my own and the useless habits, traditions, sins I'd been picking up. Beyond those "philosophical" moments, I also resolved not to be taken advantage of.

By grade 4, I was filled with some variant of vengeance though I did not know that’s what it was. I remember learning a little more about the transatlantic slave trade from my teacher, and learning that much had been exported or rather exploited out of the continent. Items such as goId, diamonds, coltan, bauxite, etc. I was determined to get them back. How? I didn't know but I knew the first step would be to visit Queen Elizabeth and to just request it. If need be, I would ask politely too as I'd been taught by my elders. It is as laughable now as it was then, although I didn't find it humorous as my teacher did when I'd shared my thoughts with him. He laughed, not because of its impossibility but by the fact that I was convinced that it was possible. I had faith and never once regarded possible roadblocks. To me, it would be just like informing the playground bully that I would report him, or her. I knew there was some higher authority that would ensure justice. By grade 6, my anti-colonialist sentiments would streamline towards the health and educational inequities in the country. These inequities, of many, which I’d come to understand were partly (if not entirely) residues of the old systems in place plus the weight of the weak contributions by more modern authorities of state. In my small opinion and knowledge, they had done only little to address and improve anything. Perhaps, there was a great effort but the impact was minimal. I didn't need to know this through some specific news source or the influence of any governmental policies or advertisements. What I knew was that I attended a private international school whose priority was "each child at a time" whereas students in my community attended public schools that were literally falling apart and would on occasion have their teachers on strike. It was enough to understand that opportunity was not widely distributed. At this time, I also recall my impartiality towards what I perceived as the "better treatment" of foreign students at my school. I could recognize favoritism and preference for those who were “different” in some way whether by color, accent, or the currency in which their parents paid school fees. I didn't need scholarized/social justice terms to describe or explain what I observed. It was evident and acute by how slighted I felt at times even though the preference for non-Ghanaians was unintentional. By grade 8, I’d become aware of the nasty corruption prevalent among the authorities. Paying bribery to law enforcement was as normalized as my heart pumping blood. Both involuntary. By grade 10 as I studied European history, global history, absolutism, colonialism, the influence of “Christianity” across Europe and subsequently the rest of the world, the former African kingdoms, and Empires both in school and in my own leisure time, I resolved to become the first female president of Ghana. By then, I was enthralled with the idea of totalitarianism and while I had not seen it play too well in modern history or on the African continent, I believed “my people” would fare best if decisions were made for them by the right person. They needed someone with a "good sense" of morality and justice. One who wouldn't succumb to the puppetry of other nations nor to the corruption and bias of countrymen. To me, democracy was an interesting experiment that presented less than ideal candidates. It's theoretical success and failure in application was evident by the fact that votes could easily be purchased with the promise of a crate of beer (or the promise of cars for those ambitious). Maybe it was free. It was not always fair, and certainly always at the expense of integrity and uprightness. The people's choice always involved some kind of compromise, and realistically human governance in general has always proved problematic. But I digress.

I think I'll bring this post to a rather abrupt close as there's so much I could say that would constitute a book to account for my experiences and thoughts. Even reviewing this piece, I notice I haven't thoroughly fleshed out much of my commentary. I suppose I'll leave any assumptions that these raise about me to the reader's discretion. There are several issues I am aware of across the globe whether they be by governments, within developed nations, against and within developing nations, of organizations that have a questionable influence and interest in the governance of 'others' but themselves, etc. These were once sufficient in fueling the flames of opposition: "us vs. them," "my people vs. your people" and what have you. I've since come to understand and analyze my life in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I had to take note of my own biases and past sins that were contradictory to how I was created to live as a person. The truth is that I am now most zealous about God's kingdom and the nation of the Holy people. My citizenship is in Heaven and my people are those of every nation, tribe, ethnicity, race, language, culture that do the will of God, walk in the liberation of the Spirit of God by repentance and obedience to the Son of God. If everyone would come to the understanding of what Christ has done and thus, demands of us to do, we would all be in paradise. All humanity's problems--created by humanity before us and humanity now, would actually disappear if each individual repented from their sins and lived in obedience to the true King and just Ruler. At the cross and judgment seat of Christ, there is truly no partiality, no political gymnastics, no corruption. Zilch! Evil, selfish ambition, sin, corruption, and perversion have no place In the sight and presence of absolute truth and goodness Himself. I came to realize that sin is the problem that plagues humanity and it transcends the categories that have been carefully crafted to justify exploitation, wrongdoing, personal vindication and justification. When I truly started understanding God's word and maintaining that He was truth Himself, I understood that people create people problems because they neglect God's counsel, governance, and solutions.

So yes! I still do war against these wrongs but with different motives. It first starts with me and my subjection to the truth of God's word without hypocrisy. God is the authority and He does not play favorites. The Word of God is a sharp sword for many reasons, and impartial as such. The Spirit of God heals, makes one whole, and seals one truly as God's child. I must subject myself to Him always in every circumstance, even against my perceived best interest (though ultimately it always works out for good. Good meaning positive outcomes amidst negative circumstances not just "smooth sailing" and no resistance). If it was a war with flesh--on my fellow human, then physical war and militarism, murder and bloodshed would be justified. However, it is NOT! That's how man and nations think but that is not how God's kingdom operates. Our battle is not against flesh and blood though it involves the souls of people. If it was merely a matter of acquiring more money to combat poverty, then capitalism would be the answer, or to boost nation productivity through the worship of relentless work while tainting God's order, then marxism would be appropriate, or the watering down of uniqueness and personal accountability, then communism. But none of these work! Seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness, and all other things will be added unto you. That is the reminder, and "all other things added" as one needs, not as they covet! If it was about individualism and the pursuit of happiness, then self-worship and preference would be justified. But it is not! Instead, for us are the pursuit of God's will, holiness, and the purposes for which He has created us--to walk in the good works which He had prepared in advance for us (Eph 2:10). I could continue on and on, and you know it! I thank God that I now have a godly zeal. A zeal that encompasses every issue that plagues humanity because God is concerned with the state of humanity and the souls of men. The only "us vs. them" I know now is God's children versus evil, sin, and forces of darkness. I'm determined to call people out of the darkness into God's marvelous light that they too may be sons and daughters! I would fight for this and for my people. For whoever does the will of God is my people.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” - John 18:36

"Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” - Luke 17:20-21

"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." - Romans 14:17

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." - Jesus in Matthew 12:30