SOUTH AFRICANS DON’T KEEP RECORDS OR LOST SENSE OF HISTORY – Telemi
One of Nigeria’s leading gospel musicians, Timi Orokoya aka Telemi has lashed out on South Africans for attacking foreigners living in their country, saying they have no sense of history. Telemi, who just dropped a musical single, is sensitising South Africans on their history and the need to be hospitable men and women of countries that assisted them in their time of need. He spoke in an interview with E-life conducted by Bola Adewara.
Nigerians and other Africans are being attacked in South Africa under the pretext of being criminals. Some call it xenophobic attacks. What is your comment?
Generally, you can see the level of insecurity in Africa. This is happening in Nigeria and recent brutality in South Africa is another confirm of that. Continental coexistence should be one of the major issues the African Union should discuss. However, one thing I have observed in all of this is general ignorance. The South Africans don’t keep records or have lost their sense of history, otherwise, their history should tell them that majority of the African nations they now turn to enemies fought for the freedom they enjoy today.
As a pastor and a musician, what is your experience with Nigerians outside Nigeria?
Well, sincerely, as we have Nigerians flying aloft the green and white flag, so we have very few who through their attitudes and actions have set the flag on fire.
There are reports of Nigerians doing drugs in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc. The American FBI just published names of Nigerians said to be doing internet scams. How do we respond to these? Could there be a kind of international conspiracy to always highlight and magnify the evils done by a few Nigerians to demonise the image of Nigerians?
Sir, I disagree with you on the issues of international conspiracy. If they didn’t do it, nobody will accuse them. We can’t defend this because we too know the level of crime back home here.
This single track of music is a solo effort from you. We have not heard of other musicians doing this. Do this generation of musicians care about using music as a weapon just like Fela, Okosuns, etc did in years past?
Oh my God! It is just that we underuse our potential as musicians. Did you hear anyone sing about Ebola tragedy, Boko Haram, Herdsmen, government maladministration, societal issues and this xenophobia? No. There is lack of focus and understanding of their responsibilities. I have been in this one man crusade for over 29 years. Look at those names you just mentioned, can you quantify their struggles for better welfare for all? No.
Where is the Nigerian government in all of this? What can the government and families do concerning these?
Let us come back home and build our country and make it habitable for all. The government should please come up with stronger structures for the country. We are better than most countries we aspire to visit if we understand and address our priorities.
Apart from your message to the South Africans, what message do you have for Nigerians who travel out and live outside Nigeria?
I cannot blame anyone who travels to live in other countries. The structures on ground at home cannot hold water. Security of lives and properties are not guaranteed. Corruption has become a course that everybody studies in order to score good grade. Nothing works as programmed except crime. If this should continue, our children will think this is the normal thing. By the time they now have the grace to travel to where the system works but different from ours, by then they would have been addicted to our own system … so they establish their own and those out there will call it crime. It is no more crime here but part of the system.
The haste for money is said to be consuming this generation. How do we whip the generation back to line?
Charity they say starts from home. Families have roles to play in training their children. Schools too must delve into teaching morals through very educative programs. Government must ban some programmes on radio and television. Free access to some sites on the Internet should be controlled by the government. You can’t assess pornographic sites in Dubai. Let the government control the schools as before and return missionary schools to the missions if they still control it. The attitudes of the church especially the ministers towards materialism should be cultured. So also our leaders. The youths are watching them with a view to becoming part of the system!
