Written by Rev Sunday Adelaja
WHO ARE THE MARGINALIZED PEOPLE IN OUR WORLD TODAY?
- THE KURDISH PEOPLE
A study into the Kurdish people will
reveal to us what it means to be marginalized. These people are said to
be largely marginalized in the true sense of the word in countries like
Iraq, Turkey, Syria, etc. Despite the fact that it is well known that
they are hugely deprived and oppressed, still they cannot break away
from those countries to get their own nation. In spite of the fact that
the whole world knows about their plight, no one country is willing to
risk the benefit of cooperation with the existing countries to
officially take the side of the Kurdish people. Friends, it is not easy
to break away from a recognized state even in the case of oppression,
much less when it is difficult to prove such cases.
- THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
Thanks to mass media and worldwide
television networks, everybody is pretty aware of the plight of the
Palestinian people. As much as we love and support Israel, we cannot
deny the fact that the Palestinian people are a marginalized group of
people. Contrary to the belief of many, the Palestinians are not only
marginalized by Israel, they are also marginalized in the Arab countries
as well. They are marginalized in countries like Jordan, Syria,
Lebanon, Egypt, etc. The level and stages of marginalization of the
Palestinian people varies from one place to the other. It is impossible
to say that in Nigeria, the Igbo people are as deprived as the
Palestinian people.
- THE TUTSI PEOPLE
We have all heard of the tragedy of
Rwanda, where the Hutu nation committed a huge genocide against the
Tutsi people. Most of the world talk about how wicked the Hutu people
were to have murdered about a million Tutsis in a matter of days, but
hardly do we ever question what it is that led to it. Well, what led to
it is the story of marginalization. The Tutsis have always been the
privileged few in the nations of Rwanda as well as Burundi. The
massacre, therefore was an expression of the dissatisfaction with the
form of marginalization, which had been practiced for years against the
Hutu people. We all know how this ended. May God never allow us in
Nigeria to experience what marginalization really means.
- THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH SUDAN
The latest country to have gained
independence in the continent of Africa is South Sudan. They fought hard
and long for this privilege. They really knew what marginalization
meant in the nation of Sudan. As black people, being significantly
different from the Arab majority of Sudan, they were hugely marginalized
and deprived. In their case, South Sudanese people will testify to you
that all the factors of marginalization that were listed above were
experienced by them. Needless to say, that situation led them to agitate
for an independent state. It led to a protracted war lasting for over
30 years, before the international community agreed with them that they
needed independence.
I am not sure the Igbo people want to
forfeit all the privileges and opportunities they have now, to engage in
a protracted war with the rest of Nigeria or any other nation. Peace is
more important! This should be known better by the Igbo people who lost
close to a million lives in the Biafra war. According to the words of
the man who led that war, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, “it will be foolish of
anyone to try to start another war, there is no need for it.” That is
what Ojukwu said before he departed from this world.
- THE KOSOVO PEOPLE
The name Slobodan Milosevic has become
synonymous with evil, thanks to the world television networks. He
managed to earn that vicious title due to his treatment of the Kosovo
people. Kosovans will tell you what marginalization means. It is true
that Kosovo is now a semi-independent state, but they too will tell you
how many lives were lost, and other losses they incurred before the
world managed to pay attention to their plight.
Even today, not all countries have
recognized Kosovo as an independent state. Hundreds of thousands of
lives were sacrificed, yet they are still unable to enjoy their dream of
a prosperous independent state. The man behind their suffering is the
name I mentioned above; Slobodan Milosevic – The strong man of Serbia.
Unlike Serbia though, there is no overly
dominating and controlling tribe in Nigeria, as was the case in Rwanda,
Serbia, Yugoslavia, or even in Russia. The three main tribes in Nigeria
are almost all equally balanced.
- THE BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS
Without going far, it is easy for every
African to associate marginalization with apartheid, when the black
people of South Africa were largely marginalized in their own country.
In spite of the obvious injustice of that regime, it took about 40 years
of struggle before they could be recognized by the whole world as
freedom fighters. As blatant as apartheid was, the countries of the
world, especially developed western countries, did not support the armed
resistance of the South African black majority. Nelson Mandela had to
sacrifice 27 years of his life in prison before the world would grant
the South African people their dream of equal rights.
I am sorry my dear Biafrans, what proofs
and facts of marginalization can the Igbo people produce against
Nigeria to justify their recognition by the international community as
an independent state? It is virtually impossible in our modern world
today.
- THE PEOPLE OF ERITREA
Let’s go to the country of Eritrea and
they will tell you how many lives they had to sacrifice before they
could gain their right to independence. Beside the wars and damages that
these people have had to endure, their struggle and campaign for
independence lasted for years. I mean years of fighting, killing,
bombing, shelling and destructions. Even after the war was over, they
had to agonizingly endure decades of reconstruction. A Yoruba proverb
says “it is only those that have not lived to see a war that dream about
one.” I am not sure that the Biafran nation or the Igbo people are
ready for another war that could cost them the very existence of their
people.
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