When I walked into his office, I patiently waited for him to affirm his decision regarding an earlier conversation we had about how things were meant to be for me as an expatriate. I couldn’t find the words to describe my disappointment. Perhaps what he said was as vague as the distance that dimmed in his eyes.
When it is a white person, certain benefits are considered normal and easily accessible, but when it is a Black person, even one’s qualifications are deemed insufficient — reduced to mere favors granted to sustain survival.
Without a headset, I loudly heard the tune of Burna Boy’s Another Story playing in the background. This time, I could see the lyrics leading me out of his office right before my eyes. Being a proud melanin-popping individual in the greener side of Accra feels endless — until you begin to question the shades of brown you possess and how they suddenly lose their beauty, becoming burdensome in the face of the oppressor.
“To understand Nigeria, you need to appreciate where it came from
In 1900, Britain officially assumed responsibility for the
Administration of the whole of what we
Now know as Nigeria from the Niger Company
And then, gradually over the years
British protectorates were established throughout the territory.”
At first, I wanted to limit my perspective to Nigeria, but my thoughts traveled beyond, stretching across the African continent. My birthplace, Ghana, bears the same historical stain of British colonialism. For this reason, I could not overlook the significance of M.anifest’s presence on this track.
Even after 125 years, these so-called territories remain established — barriers that continue to hinder the progress of the brown-skinned. These are territories where simply walking into a room feels heavy, where validation is effortlessly given to pale-skinned individuals, making them appear wiser and more competent than us. Well, pale, pink, white, and all their varying shades, dependent on environmental and emotional conditions.
These territories continue to rob us of what we truly deserve. They still impose terror and havoc, nurtured in the myopic minds of those who have long benefited from the exploitation of Black labor, intelligence, and resources.
“So, let’s establish a simple truth
The British didn’t travel halfway
Across the world just to spread democracy
Nigeria started off as a business deal
For them, between a company and a government
Incidentally, the Niger Company is still around today
Only it is known by a different name, Unilever
But that’s another story.”
Once again, let’s establish a simple truth: They no longer need to physically travel to Africa to colonize us. Instead, they have baited us into a superficially appealing system that appears better than ours, only to steal our intelligence, human resources, time, effort, and lifestyle — all while holding us back with taxes.
Let’s establish another truth: This is nothing more than exploitation, enabled by the brown-skinned individuals who granted access when wads of an appreciable currency were waved in front of them.
Let’s establish a final truth: The deconstruction and reconstruction of Africa’s image should not be tied to external validation. We should not have to do more than necessary to earn our value.
“Efie ne fie”, me ntumi ‘nfamu
Ɔman no sɛi aa, yɛn nyinaa yɛ ti mu
Ashi me aa, ashi me aa, ashi me aa
Ashi me aa, ashi me aa, ashi me aa
‘Nso me ntumi ‘nfamu”
Home is not just a place — it is a feeling.
Home is how your people embrace you.
Home should never be an evocation of embarrassment, where you must constantly prove yourself to match up to an imposed standard.
Home is the place you always return to, no matter what happens on your journey.
As Duncan Case suggests in his study of home and identity, people often need to leave their homes to appreciate the taken-for-granted order of life that daily household routines provide.
For so long, I never truly valued the peace that home brought me. But now, far away, it is an irreplaceable gift.
As I walked downstairs, each step reminded me of the loud silence that filled the room. The corner of my office looked plain and calm, yet the chaos of my thoughts played on.
I sat, waiting, wanting to hear another story — a justification for why I cannot simply enjoy the benefits I have rightfully earned, but instead must endure them as mere favors.
Skimming through Shrikant Sawant’s work on postcolonialism, I reflected on his assertion:
“The concept of post-colonialism (or often postcolonialism) deals with the effects of colonization on cultures and societies.”
Burna Boy and M.anifest’s Another Story is more than just a song — it is a haunting, yet empowering commentary on the historical and contemporary realities of Africa. It forces us to confront uncomfortable truths and, perhaps, begin to rewrite our own stories. May be , that is why the passion burns in me to begin to manifest my reality in this trajectory of writing.
References
- Case, Duncan. Contributions of Journeys Away to the Definition of Home: An Empirical Study of a Dialectical Process. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16.1 (1996): 1–15.
- Sawant, Shrikant B. Postcolonial Theory: Meaning and Significance. Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature, 2012.
- https://youtu.be/MHxJvDQT9bw?si=nkze9PHeIWjUoi5p
- https://images.app.goo.gl/1Y4MpbcabRZBeybP6
Leave a comment