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Renewal
And Re-dedication
By
Edwin Madunagu
culled from GUARDIAN, May 25,
2006
On Monday, May 15, 2006, in
Calabar, a public event was organised by a couple of my friends and comrades
to mark my 60th birthday. The celebration featured a lecture on Building
Popular Democracy in Nigeria, a presentation and review of my book of
essays, tributes and a short response from me. Below is the text of my
response, slightly revised for clarity.
The only response I can make
after going through the event of today is a re-affirmation of my
commitment to the service of humanity. This I have broken down into a
number of pledges.
I pledge to remain a
Marxist and, ipso facto, a socialist: not an eclectic Marxist, but
an integral Marxist; and not a barracks or "good-weather" socialist,
but a proletarian and internationalist revolutionary socialist:
adhering to a socialism that is profoundly democratic and
humanistic, informed by history and historical science. In
particular, I shall remain uncompromisingly opposed to capitalism
and imperialism in all their forms, mutations and adaptations.
With respect to
Nigeria, our immediate national theatre of emancipatory
struggle, I pledge never to give up, never to compromise, and
never to join them. My commitment to popular emancipation,
popular democracy, and socialism is unshakable. If a brief
assessment of the national political situation at this time is
required of me, I would simply repeat what I have said several
times, namely, that what we have in the country is no democracy;
and beyond this, I would repeat that we are not on the road to
democracy. It is therefore wrong to talk of consolidating or
defending democracy in Nigeria. For you cannot defend or
consolidate a phantom.
The present
dominant political struggle may succeed in preventing
President Obasanjo and his governors from remaining in
office beyond May 2007. Although this would be victory, a
victory that the nation deserves, it will not be a victory
for democracy. It will be a victory over a particularly
offensive variant of cynical and despotic messianism. The
victory by itself will not lead to democracy. It will merely
provide a profound national political lesson.
You cannot
reap what you have not sown. An orange seed cannot
germinate and grow into a mango tree, whatever care you
may exert on its growth. As Albert Einstein once said,
God does not play chess. I would add that you cannot
bribe God. You reap exactly what you sow. Although
popular struggles have been going on within the
political system, these are not struggles in defence of
democracy, but struggles against despotism and
barbarism. The foundations of democracy are yet to be
laid in Nigeria. The struggle that is now called for is
therefore the struggle to lay the foundation of
democracy. And I predict that if the Nigerian state and
the ruling blocs are allowed to maintain their present
barbaric and predatory course the decisive phase of that
struggle, and the development of its agencies, will not
take place within the system. And contemporary history
has shown that there is a limit to what the new
imperialism, alias "international community" can do in a
profound national crisis.
I pledge
to continue to subject everything that exists,
including my person and my conduct, to radical
Marxist criticism: without fear of the logic or
consequences of this criticism on me or my
affiliations or the displeasure of the
powers-that-be. In doing this, however, I shall not
forget what Marx said on the power and limit of
criticism, namely, that the "weapon of criticism"
cannot supplant the "criticism of weapons"; that
ideas cannot overcome reality. Ideas can only
overcome other ideas of reality; and that ideas will
become a social force as soon as they seize the
masses.
I
pledge to continue to defend History, and the
Truth: by word of mouth, in writing and in deed.
In particular, I pledge to continue to follow
the injunction never to reconcile myself to
injustice wherever it is perpetrated: in public
or in private. Specifically, as articulated
about 15 years ago by Ali Hassan Nwinyi, former
President of Tanzania, that whenever I see
injustice being perpetrated, I must do something
to stop it; that if I cannot stop it, I must
speak against it; that if I cannot even do this,
I must do something - however symbolic - to show
my disapproval and displeasure.
I
pledge to continue to reject sectarianism,
sexism and patriarchy: in politics as well
as in the sphere of civil society; in the
public sphere, as well as in private life.
In particular, I pledge to continue to
advance uncompromising, the thesis
articulated by a female feminist about three
decades ago: "Men lean on their sexist
attitudes and sense of superiority like a
crutch to help hold them under the weight of
a society that strips them of real
opportunities for self-fulfilment. But these
very male attitudes that oppress women also
dehumanise men and confine them in narrow
sex stereotypes as well. When the material
basis for narrow sexual definitions of male
and female roles is eliminated and all human
beings are given new opportunities to
develop their potentials men will not need
to bolster their egos at the expense of
women."
I pledge to continue to be actively
involved in the day-to-day struggles of
the oppressed, the exploited, the
dispossessed, the cheated, the
marginalised, the despised, the
abandoned, and the humiliated - whether
they are individuals, communities,
social categories or nationalities. But
in doing this, I pledge to continue to
point out the common interests of all
the segments of the oppressed, and hence
the way forward for society and humanity
as a whole.
I pledge to continue to offer
immediate and unconditional
solidarity to the "wretched of the
earth". And who are the "wretched of
the earth"? I borrow from Marx and
say that the "wretched of the earth"
are that large sphere of humanity
that has a universal character
because of its "universal
sufferings" and "lays claim to no
particular right, because it is the
object of no particular injustice,
but of injustice in general". It is
the sphere that cannot emancipate
itself without creating a new
society, a society that Comrade
Biodun Jeyifo, 25 years ago,
described as "disalienated and fully
humanised".
I pledge to continue to extend
to society as a whole, socialist
humanism and what following
Paulo Friere, I call "true
kindness", reconciling myself to
the reality observed by Chinua
Achebe, that when rain falls, it
falls on both the good and the
bad, and that ironically, if the
bad happens to be taller, it
falls on him or her before the
shorter person who may be good.
To further strengthen myself
to remain focussed on all
these, I hereby, on this my
60th birthday, formally
renounce all ethnic and
organised religious
affiliations. I do this with
the acute awareness that
most of my friends, comrades
and compatriots, including
many of those gathered here
are religious people,
traditionalists and leaders
of ethnic nationalities.
To the first category of
these good people, that
is, the religious
people, I commend three
texts from the New
Testament: the Gospel of
St. Matthew, Chapter
5-7; the Gospel of St.
John, Chapter 20; and
the First Epistle of
Paul the Apostle to the
Corinthians, Chapter 13.
The first text is
popularly known as the
Sermon on the Mount, but
I call it the Philosophy
of Life (or Life
Everlasting, if you
like). It was delivered
by Jesus Christ at the
start of his earthly
sojourn. The second text
is an account of the
first appearance of the
risen Christ. The third
text is on the subject
of love. My
religious-inclined
friends, comrades and
former comrades should
be able to work out why
I commend these passages
to them.
To the second and
the third categories
of my friends and
comrades I say,
first, that history,
including personal
history and history
of one's role in
general history - is
not made entirely
according to one's
desires, but follows
the logic of
circumstances
encountered in the
past and transmitted
from the past. What
I have pledged is a
logical product of
my own personal
history and the
history of my humble
role in the Nigerian
Socialist Movement.
And, secondly, I say
that what I have
pledged is, in my
humble opinion, not
a deviation from the
body of foundational
principles
collectively
enunciated and
adopted about three
decades ago. These
included full
republican
democracy. Of
course, things have
changed. But in my
humble opinion, not
sufficiently to
warrant fundamental
revisions.
I also renounce
every ambition
for position,
preferment or
conferment. And
finally I
renounce all
claims to
personal
property, except
what is needed
for personal
recurrent
expenditure.
And, as you all
know, personal
recurrent
expenditure ends
at death. Put
differently:
From now on, I
shall use and in
some cases,
protect; but I
shall not own.
Again, I declare
that this is not
a deviation from
the principles
of 1976.
I greet you
all; I thank
you all; and
I love you
all. To my
Christian
friends and
comrades, I
urge you not
to deviate
from St.
Paul's
concept of
love - not
abstract
love, but
concrete
love for the
masses who,
in the
Christian
doctrine,
are all in
the image of
God: "Love
is patient
and kind; it
is not
jealous or
conceited or
proud; love
is not
ill-mannered,
or selfish
or
irritable;
love does
not keep a
record of
wrongs; love
is not happy
with evil,
but is happy
with the
truth. Love
never gives
up; and its
faith, its
hope and its
patience
never fail".
Your belief,
if you are
truthful, is
consistent
with
socialist
humanism.
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