May 23, 2013
Once upon a time, Africa was the most moral place on earth. Denigration of children for free sexual craving and slave labor debased them. Putting an end to it upgrades our sensibilities and moral pride. How atrocities became so prevalent in Africa that others had to come to convert us to Islam and Christianity, the religions of mass destruction is an enigma. Slavery in any form never dignified any part of the world that practiced it.
It took a while to rationalize the reason any normal human being would commit a sexual deviant acts when sex is mainly for pleasure and procreation. So, most of us that hardly witnessed such acts before leaving Africa, recoiled at immoral acts reported on western televisions. Sex was an act of love and passion to women, not for abuse and disrespect.
Therefore we always said it was forbidden in Africa! There was a history of a king that killed one of his pregnant wives, an abomination. He was dethroned and banished. They sent a message to Ile-Ife, asking an Oba. The stories of African medicine men calling for bestial acts against women were seldom and not encouraged. If and when it happened, there were special ceremonies performed to cleanse town of their evil spirits.
Ghana is one African Country and a shining example of how to rescue our women and children from the grim menacing jaw of depravity. Ghana directly or indirectly took it upon itself to extend respect to its women, saving them from humiliation of prostitution in and outside its borders. There is no need to repeat the 80s story; but that children of Nkrumah were able to return home since economic situation improved. Nigeria is next?
Of course Ghanaians still complain about economic sluggishness like the rest of African countries but there is no greater pride than making your country bearable enough for its children to return. There are so many economic refugees trying to get into any country but their own in order to make a living and send money back to starving relatives at home. Nigeria used to offer that opportunity to African countries. No more.
Nigerian women are now notorious for sexual trade in Europe generally and Italy in particular. Disturbing videos are distributed for the world to see. Nigerians, no matter which part of the Country you come from should be ashamed. But Nigerians would rather trade blame about which part or who is responsible. Women have responsibilities and would do anything to feed their families, including not so glorious sex trade.
Many of us were embarrassed when Dr. Doyin Okupe, Presidential Information Officer argued on television that Ghana did not resort to terrorism when they were going through their difficult period like Nigeria. One would have thought that he would talk about implementing economic sustenance for young men and women fleeing out of the Country by any means necessary.
The days Nigerians used to finish their studies outside and go back home are gone. It used to be a curse not to go back to Nigeria. The Government used to recruit students to fill positions when home trained graduates were not available. If you spent more than ten years abroad you were labeled the abroad “Mayor”. The question is if Nigeria’s economic situation would improve enough for economic refugees to return.
Therefore centuries later, news of African sexual slavery exposed our false sense of abolition of human trafficking. More appalling is the story of boys and girls being sold into sexual slavery by their parents. There are pimps recruiting boys and girls across countries and continents for prostitution. Many of the stories are heart breaking but the topic here is how Africa, still victim of economic injustice is getting a double whammy.
People always say that there has to be a market for products to move. The fact that there are still men demanding inappropriate sexual services in and across the continents fuels such trade. So laws are enacted to punish seekers of such ignoble acts severely in most countries. Yet, the sexual trade persists.
In order to cut the chain of transactions, some countries legalized prostitution so that it could be regulated between consenting adults and other countries have cooperated with human rights organizations to stem the flow of trade, adopt and buy children back from their owners when sold by parents. Unfortunately, most of the African countries including the rich ones have not been able to do much to arrest the flow of prostitutes.
When Ghanaians were returning home, they bought all they could from most of the countries they were because they were cheaper than products in Ghana. Since then, the prices in Nigeria have gone through the roof. It is cheaper for Nigerians to buy almost anything in the neighboring West African countries than to pay for them in Nigeria. The inflation is fuel by those that do not know what to do with their loot.
Nigerian politicians are paid more than European and American salaries, so prices of goods and materials increase inversely to the detriment of real workers and many of the unemployed. In order to cope with those prices at home young men and women look for incomes outside the Country through any means including prostitution, 419 and other forbidden immoral behavior hardly exhibited by Africans until now.
Even those with regular paying jobs abroad watch as the prices of everything they set to accomplish in Nigeria double and triple in prices. Those that worked diligently and make honest living abroad are shocked by increasing prices of food and materials at home. So the shocker prices are not limited to the locals with little purchasing power.
Is Ghana’s modest economic recall of its women and children in the 80s and 90s possible in Nigeria in the 20s?
Article contributed to NewsRescue by Farouk Martins Aresa, published May 23, 2013
