The flip side of ethnic pride
One of the main problems in the way democracy is practised in several African countries is the ongoing feeling of a struggle to prevail that rumbles between ethnic groups. The positive side of being proud of being proud of one’s heritage constantly manifests itself as an urge to dominate proceedings. If anyone emerges successfully in any given field, there always seems to be someone expressing views online or in other public spaces, trying to claim the individual’s success for his or her ethnic group.
This tendency is unlikely to vanish without some conscious attempts to channel the energy into a psychological reframing towards issues that really matter.
Could competitive ethnic stakeholders find solutions to communal problems through developing the practice of shaping and synthesising ideas derived from customs and traditions of all the cultures?
If the vast number of Nigerian ethnic groups were constantly engaged in think tank processes, aimed at improving the nation’s infrastructure, perhaps the politicians and voters would wean themselves off the ethno-religious cleavages that generate so much toxicity in Nigeria’s polity.
The capacity to create and destroy could be described as flip sides of the same coin. How can some blue skies/out of the box type thinking be infused into the debates about our people’s futures?
