ADUMBRATIONS OF JOHN BROWN...

By OMOSEYE BOLAJI The arguments and polemics ricocheted around me in this South African township house. I was in the house of a friend, and as alcohol and food flowed it fuelled a somewhat acerbic debate. It was a familiar topic in South Africa, how the white man was essentially “the enemy” of blacks, never having their interests at heart. I listened in desultory fashion; at a moment chuckling as I remembered early Nigerian nationalist Herbert Macauley’s famous dictum (in Lagos of a century ago or so): “The dimensions of the true interests of the natives at heart’ are algebraically equal to the length, breadth and depth of the whiteman’s pocket,”! But to be honest, I have always been of the simplistic opinion that human beings on the whole are just that – human beings; roughly divided into good or bad, regardless of colour, country or creed. I often find it exasperating when all the black man’s shortcomings and weaknesses – and they are endless really – are laid at the feet of white people. Need we recount the frightening panoply of horrors the Black man has visited upon his own brethren even long after the white man ceased ruling African countries? But now, one of the gentlemen here had become not only exceedingly vocal, but nigh-threatening. He was almost like a triton among the minnows. In a casuistic manner he went on to “explain” that there was nothing good about the white man; that they had never done anything good for the Black man. He went on almost violently to add that even modern technology brought by the whites had turned African culture and society into a living hell. I laughed and grinned at him. “You agree with me my friend?” he said. “Why are you laughing?” In pithy fashion I told him that he would be hard-pressed these days to find any young African agreeing with him in this era of smart cellphones, facebook, computers, general internet, satellite TVs, popular movies etc. I added: “You have mentioned Steve Biko many times as being your role model. Do not forget that Biko did not hate whites, he was very close to whites like Donald and Wendy Woods for example...the Woods’ went on to endanger their own lives terribly because they believed in Biko’s cause,” The man stared at me, incipient hostility etched on his face. “Okay, assuming Donald Woods was a rare exception...where will you ever find the white man fighting the cause of Blacks, in the history of the world?” I reminded – or informed him – about the Abolitionists Society overseas centuries ago which did all it could to fight Black slavery; including humane whites like William Wilberforce. He pondered a bit, reluctant to be proved wrong in any way. Then an idea seemed to strike him! He said pugnaciously: “You are referring to privileged whites who were somewhat liberal. Did they really put their neck on the block? Can you imagine any white man actually dying or ready to die for Blacks?” He stared at me triumphantly. I don’t know what possessed me, but a melodious, stirring tune I had not heard for decades suddenly began to issue from my lips: “John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave But his soul goes marching on! Glory glory hallelujah...his soul goes marching on!”... I was embarrassed myself! I had not recollected this tune for decades since I was a primary school student in Sierra Leone – with my original nuclear family just back from England. I remembered faintly that a Creole teacher used to sing this tune to we kids at school long ago... “Who’s John Brown?” some people asked me now. Then it struck me why I subconsciously recalled the tune. I told them that John Brown was a white American in the first part of the 19th century (almost 200 years ago) who had been so much opposed to black slavery that he had actually killed mainly whites for this, and was hanged (killed) for this. His life and principles had contributed a lot to the USA civil war that had led to freedom for Black slaves. And the melodious song was a legacy of what he had stood for and sacrificed his life for. Another guy laughed now. “Ah, in other words we can not say whites are always our enemy. Actually in South Africa here even during apartheid some whites were also hanged for supporting the cause of the oppressed...” I was somewhat vindicated when this new speaker went on to further enlighten the man who had stoked all these polemics... Above photo: John Brown