Grand Theft Statue

Look at what Senegal have got themselves! It’s beautiful innit?! Standing at 160feet it’s higher than the Statue of Liberty, designed by a Senegalese architect. The Monument of African Renaissance. Cool name too! Africanness, Strength, Beauty…At a cost of $27MILLION! That’s about £14 MILLION. In SENEGAL! –A country where half the population lives below the poverty line.

I want to be annoyed for the Senegalese but I can’t because (get offended if you’re the type that likes that getting offended or tell me it’s none of my business. I AM a West African but one who has never been Senegal. I DO plan to go to Senegal someday –but only because I heard the women there are beautiful and speak French) Let’s be honest there’s always going to be poor people and politicians will always do what they want with our money. What better way for a politician to spend money you didn’t want to give them than this? The tourism it will attract might make your children and your children’s children less poor later?



Nevertheless, some women are upset because it looks like the woman is being pulled along so it’s sexist, the Muslims are annoyed because it's facing Mecca and the bared flesh, the Christians are also upset because of the bared flesh but for a bonus upsetting, the President (who also feels he deserves 35% of tourist revenue it brings in as "intellectual rights.") compared the brother in the statue to Jesus!

So in short the Senegalese are not happy with their new statue. This is by no means an exhortation to anyone that finds themselves near Africa’s western-most point to steal it. No, a plan to take it with a combination of JCB earthmoving machines or hydraulics combined with ropes and pulleys to apply necessary and safe pressure to the statue’s loadbearing points in a twelve hour operation that could be executed during the hours of night…is not at all what I’m saying…at all. I wouldn’t give my email hackdonga@live.co.uk to any of you to contact me regards any projected escape routes (Route 1: Overland Guinea-Bissau to Ivory Coast then Ghana, Route 2: Overland again this time through Mali and Burkina Faso then south to Ghana, Route 3: By sea over the Atlantic ocean with a possible stop at Cape Verde for refreshments then south-east for Ghana)

I have very positive hopes for Africa. I envision this statue one day being lauded as the first of many landmarks in West Africa that isn't a slavery castle or mosque erected by Christian and/or Muslim invaders. After all, all the biggest landmarks always receive criticism at first e.g. The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Millennium Dome, the Pyramids (I don’t know about the pyramids for a fact but at the very least the builders who were buried alive in them had to have objected)

“I love Black People but I HATE Nigg*rs…the Nigg*rs have GOT TO GO!”

Is Chris Rock a prophet? Like…an actual sent from God prophet. Now, wait a minute! I say “prophet” you’re thinking of the kind who predict the future. NO no no no no. I’m talking about the other kind. Throughout the bible and maybe the Koran (I’ve been meaning to start reading the Koran but the only time I get to read is on public transport...and being a 6’3 Black man-I have enough problems.) are prophets whose job it was to interpret explain to people the meaning of what was going on around them. Example: An Israelite (That’s ‘Israelite’ not ‘Israeli’- different thing entirely) loses his son in death to a war they should be winning and his harvest don’t come out right. He just thinks he’s having a bad year. No, the prophet would tell him –'Our king is f#cking up so God is coming'. Or words to that effect, in Hebrew.

The only comedian that compares to Chris Rock's potency is Richard Pryor and Richard Pryor was comedianing when the Black revolution was lurching through it’s life span until the FBI finally put it to sword. In the 70s it really was all about the White ‘man’ and how he was limiting our options at every turn. Now, no enemy can turn fast enough and we are often our own worst enemy. Chris Rock has routines like ‘Black People Versus Nigg*rs’ and ‘The only thing I hate more than racism is Black people that are surprised at the racism’, Chris Rock is telling us it’s time to stop making excuses. There is nothing stopping us from doing what needs done to get where we want to be. We need to get knowledge and try to succeed not because racism is dead (Far from it see –Nick Griffin) but because at this stage, we can only be stopped if we let the detractors stop us.

Chris Rock said that while Black people accuse the media of being depicted negatively, it’s not a newsreader Chris Rock is looking for when he’s at ATM at night. Now, Black people have access to knowledge and information on our history like we haven’t had since Islam first destabilized the old great empires of Northern Africa. Yes, the mainstream culture may remain bling, cars and hoes but a library or independent music outlet near you can help.

So we return to the question that forms basis of our discourse. Is Chris Rock a prophet? Alright, he probably isn’t (if you thought so, you should seek Jesus) but he’s serving a similar purpose AND making us laugh so I thank God for him.

'Bigger and Blacker', 'Bring The Pain', 'Never Scared' and 'Kill The Messenger' are available at an online or a pirate streetlevel retailer near you.
'Richard Pryor –Live & Smokin’', 'Live in Concert', 'Live on The Sunset Strip' are available online and HMVs and the like.