Amnesty is not Amnesia

What Westerners failed to understand

Nov 01, 2024

“We are permanently the United States of Amnesia. We learn nothing because we remember nothing.” - Vidal Gore

“The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion […] but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.

“In the emerging world of ethnic conflict and civilizational clash, Western belief in the universality of Western culture suffers three problems: it is false; it is immoral; and it is dangerous…” Professor Samuel P. Huntington

“The White Man killed my father; my father was proud. The White Man seduced my mother; My mother was beautiful. The White Man burnt my brother beneath the noonday sun; My brother was strong. His hands red with black blood The White Man turned to me; And, in the Conqueror's voice, said, "Boy! A chair, a napkin, a drink.” - David Diop.

Nigerians have a lot of witty sayings that help them to stay sane in the insane cesspool their kleptomaniac elite have kept them in. One of my favorites is: We cannot say that because we want peace to reign in the church and allow the congregants to play with the pastor’s testicles.

A few days ago, I told a European friend that just because we in Africa are champions in forgiving those who trespass against us does not mean we will allow them to climb any moral horse and continue to pontificate.

We can forgive, but no one, mainly no European, should try to confuse Amnesty with Amnesia, as Baba Mandela famously told us.

“We have even forgiven our former enemies, the colonialists, the ones who have colonized us, the ones who had taken slaves from here and who did bad things. We have forgiven them, and we are working with them.”

“I am pro-myself. And I deal with other people according to how they relate with my own interest.”

We want to trade with Russia and we want to trade with all the countries of the world. We don’t believe in being enemies of somebody’s enemy. We want to make our own enemies, not fight other people’s enemies. This is our doctrine.” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

Until her resignation early this year, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor was a fierce, confident, and dedicated minister whom South Africans and the whole of Africa should be immensely proud of.

Never since the days of Nigeria’s Colonel Joe Garbea in the 1970s has Africa had such a passionate defender of Africa’s interests on the global stage.

Joe Garba told American officials to take a hike when the imperialists arrogantly dared to suggest to him whom to support during the wars in Angola.

Joe Garba came to mind when I watched the encounter of Madam Pandor and the dwarfish (intellectually, physically, and intellectually) US Secretary of State Tony Blinken on August 8 last year. It was nice to see the shame in the face of Blinken as she told him about her objection to “patronizing bullying” from the West:

“Because when we believe in freedom—as I’m saying, it’s freedom for everybody—you can’t say because Africa is doing this, you will then be punished by the United States... One thing I definitely dislike is being told, ‘Either you choose this, or else.’ When a minister speaks to me like that ... I definitely will not be bullied in that way, nor would I expect any other African country worth its salt to agree to be treated.”

The four U.S. priorities in its “Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy,” Pandor recommended: “If your tactic is to approach African countries and say that, ‘listen, you must be democratic either and use our model, it works,’ I think it’s bound to lead to some failure.

“I do agree with Tony that all countries and peoples deserve the right to exercise their civil and political rights, but I think given history the approach has to be somewhat different,” she said. She explained that “a lot of that external interference has fueled conflict in many African countries, has fueled instability and supported opposition groups against liberation fighters and so on,” much of that stemming from “Africa’s rich mineral wealth that has made it a significant target of external players.”

She goes on to touch on the sickening hypocrisy of the West and question the double standard often played by those who say they are defending the principles of the UN Charter:

“All principles that are germane to the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law must be upheld for all countries, not just some. Just as much as the people of Ukraine deserve their territory and freedom, the people of Palestine deserve their territory and freedom. And we should be equally concerned at what is happening to the people of Palestine as we are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine.”

We shall never be tired of asking what people in the West eat or drink to make them so arrogant and condescending to the rest of us. What qualifications do they possess to arrogate the right to set rules (they called it rule-based order without telling us what the rules are or who set them) for the rest of humanity?

We Africans are indeed champions when it comes to forgiving our enemies, as epitomized by this Yoruba proverb: Ti à kó bà gbàgbé ọ̀rọ̀ ana, a kó ni ri ẹ̀ni bà ṣéré / If you don't forget yesterday’s issue, you will not get someone with whom to play.

However, in our cultures, it is demanded that those who seek forgiveness not only show sufficient remorse but also pay penance.

Penance, or atoning for one’s wrongdoing, plays a crucial role in the Yoruba and African understanding of forgiveness.

Our African cultures value community, harmony, and respect, maintained through a robust moral code guiding interpersonal relationships. When an individual commits wrongdoing, the emphasis is often on owning up to their responsibility and, more importantly, restoring harmony within the community. This restoration usually requires penance, a visible demonstration of remorse that signifies a commitment to personal change and reaffirms respect for cultural values.

Penance can take many forms, from apologies and acts of service to symbolic gestures and traditional rituals.

In Yoruba culture, for example, an individual who wrongs another may be required to present items like kola nuts or perform public apologies as a sign of penitence.

These acts go beyond the simple words of “I’m sorry”; they are symbolic ways of reaffirming respect for the other person and acknowledging the pain caused.

This aligns with the community’s understanding that true reconciliation requires both parties to feel that justice and respect have been honored.

In the Akan culture, “Amoma,” or recompense, signifies an intentional effort to make amends and repair damaged relationships. Again, the offender might be required to offer material gifts or partake in specific rituals as compensation.

In both cases, penance is a bridge to forgiveness, allowing the community and the individuals involved to recognize the sincerity of the wrongdoer’s regret.

African cultures believe that words alone cannot heal; actions are needed to express the depth of remorse and pave the way for reconciliation. In contrast, Westerners think that rhetoric is a substitute for actions.

Penance serves as a reminder of communal values and the importance of accountability.

Unlike in the West, in African cultures, the community's well-being often precedes individual desires, so actions that harm others or disrupt communal harmony are viewed seriously.

This is a concept that the mono-track minds of Westerners cannot comprehend with the individualistic mindsets that culminated in Wokism, where babies and kids are deemed to have rights that transcend biology and other laws of nature.

By engaging in penance, the individual not only seeks forgiveness from the person wronged but also shows respect for the community’s values. In the Sotho culture, for instance, a saying: “Mohlako o mobu o llela mohloledi,” meaning that a blemish must be removed. This concept underscores that wrongdoing is not merely an offense to an individual but a blemish on the entire community that must be addressed.

In African culture, penance often leads to personal transformation. It is viewed not merely as an obligation but as a chance for the individual to reflect, grow, and reconnect with the community’s moral expectations. By going through this process, the wrongdoer can regain trust and restore broken relationships, reaffirming their commitment to the community.

Penance in our culture is not just about paying for one’s misdeeds; it is an act of reconciliation that restores harmony, emphasizes accountability, and strengthens community bonds. Through visible actions of remorse, individuals demonstrate their respect for cultural values, making forgiveness possible and renewing the social fabric that binds African societies together.

Because we decided to let bygones be bygones does not mean that we have forgotten the atrocious crimes people of the European Stock committed in our lands! That we do not bay for their blood should not be misconstrued to mean that their savagery is not remembered.

Unfortunately, rather than be humbled by our generosity, the children of those who despoiled our lands and exterminated our people on an industrial scale do the garb of hypocrisy, attempt to ride high moral horses, and pontificate and give lectures.

Pray, what qualified the British, the Dutch, and the Portuguese to come and tell Africans about human rights?

Westerners will do well to keep remembering the words credited to Nelson Mandela: Amnesty does not mean Amnesia.

They should learn to put a break to their nauseating preachments.

( Farmer, Writer, Published Author, and Social Commentator.T

My latest book, From Stamp to Click (it’s still a hello), is published and is available online at:

https://www.africanbookscollective.com/books/from-stamp-to-click-its-still-hello

How to order it: https://www.africanbookscollective.com/how-to-order

My book, “Africa: A Continent on Bended Knees,” is available on:

• Amazon

• Booknook.store

My other books on Amazon:

• Africa: it shall be well (Get a FREE Chapter Here)