you took the words outta my mouth

Can't Hold Me Back Video

I found this commentary by By Tosin Adeda on notjustok very interesting. His arguments are quite strong…
“…That aside, I have some questions for those who feel insulted by the video being shot in the slums. Are the visuals of the video that of Nigeria or not? Is Nigeria a developed country? What does the average Nigerian worth? How much does the average Nigerian spend in a day? Is Nigeria a paradise for majority of Nigerians? Those people in the slums, are they lesser Nigerians than you are? Are you really offended because u feel bad for them or because of your own ego? Do you care about those particular set of people? Why do you have a problem with the whole world seeing how majority of Nigerians live? . . Answer those questions in your minds, they are rhetorical. …. Do you know the joy and happiness those people in the slums felt? Do you know what is means to be rejected by the govt of your own country, and left to live in permanent misery and poverty? Only to be remembered by a foreigner, who went ahead to shoot a video so that the we all can see their plight. Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves, for feeling offended over the joy of Nigerians who got remembered for once in a very long while…”

Anti - stereotype September 24, 2012 at 2:03 PM

We know, no society is perfect, and every corner of the world you go to, you will find the good, the bad, the broken and the ugly. The problem with Nigeria is, and I’m sorry to say, the good represents a very very small minority. Chimamanda that you mention, was raised in a middle class home, so technically, she wasnt exposed, or she was shielded, if i can say that to the world that Rick Ross potrayed. it just really sickens me, when people from the middle class, go gung ho on issues of Nigeria’s image. Go to the slums, and ask them what they feel about their condition. It is easy to sit down in the comfort of our homes, and discuss stereotypes. These bad images are not just fictitious pictures. This is exactly how these people live, this is their reality, and why should it be swept under the carpet, all in the name of we dont want to be stereotyped. Come off it. You go tell people suffering, that sorry o, we dont want to potray the hell you live in, because it will affect the image of Nigeria. Wetin concern the little boy living in a gutter about the image of Nigeria. How do we fight for these people, how do we protect and defend the helpless, and down trodden. Who is going to do it? The middle class has carefully bonded with the rich over time, because they want to belong, and feel like they too have a class, forgetting that, push comes to shove, the rich bond together and leave you the middle class standing in the dust. It is evident all over the world now, despite the recession, with the middle class shrinking, and people losing their jobs and homes, the rich has gotten richer in this recession. The poor people middle class people used to look their nose down on, they r now at the same level. He that is dwon needs no fear no fall, so please dont come here with your write up, and talk about stereotypes. What do you, or chimamanda herself know about suffering. What gives you the right to feel outraged, or affronted, that someone recorded the truth as it is. Only the rich and the middle class are concerned about image, that is the truth. The poor man on the street doesnt give a damn, and when we all give a damn about the real issues, forgetting stereotypes, image or what some ignorant foreginer (who has never suffered in his life because his country works) thinks, then things will change, and that image we r so worried about will change, because people wont help but notice