What exactly is keeping us black people down?

I am sure that most of you know who is Louis Farrakhan. For those of you who don’t know him, Louis Farrakhan is the leader of the Nation Of Islam. He was the man behind the historic Million Man March in Washington a few years ago. In fact, he came to Ghana on a visit in the nineties. During his brief visit to our country, Mr Rawlings beseeched him to address our nation, which he wholeheartedly and unreservedly complied. Tough, not a Muslim myself, I must admit that I do subscribe to the teachings of the Honorable Minister. To me, his teachings, albeit controversial and thought provoking, are very empowering. In America, Louis Farrakhan is both respected and feared. There are some who consider him to be a racist. Others label him an anti-Semite. The Jewish League refer to him as the Black Hitler. The neo conservatives call him a polarizing figure. The name calling aside, to me, personally, Louis Farrakhan is the last great Black leader alive today!

As one of the prominent Black leaders in America, Louis Farrakhan is unapologetic, when it comes to his love for Black people. His teachings are all about Black love and empowerment. Sometime ago, he said something quite interesting about we Black folks, which moved me to tears. He said that we Black folks, by nature, are so blessed and gifted. Tough, some of us might not be aware of it. This is true! Indeed, when you and I look at it, we Black folks are truly magnificent. For instance, when it comes to sports, we are unbeatable. We allow White folks to start a game, and then take it over from them with ease. It must be in our nature, I guess, to take things over. You know, to be in charge of things. Also, when it comes to music, we Black folks are the people to watch. Black artists are always coming out with something extraordinary!

Jimi Hendrix, for instance, taught the world how to play the electric guitar. Miles Davis took Jazz to a whole different level. James Brown gave the world some funky music to groove to. In popular music, Micheal Jackson outsold and out-danced his competitors. What could be said ‘bout us, as a race, is that we are indisputably brilliant. Of course, our brilliance isn’t only visible in the arts and sports but also visible in other fields. Our race have produced exceptional intellectuals the likes of W.E.B DuBois, Frederick Douglas, Anna Cooper, Cornel West and Eric Dyson, just to name a few. In the world of literature, Chinua Achebe, Nimrod, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes and Alex Haley gave the world great books to read. As far as politics is concerned, we have produced some of the best and finest in this field. We had, for instance, Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Malcom X and Marcus Garvey, just to name a few.

In comparison to our half baked, half fried, bamboozled, stupefied, homogenized, pasteurized and sissified current crop of politicians, these aforementioned men had immense love for their people. Yes, these are the men who dared to care for us, when others were not even willing to try, let alone bother. Sadly, they left us too soon, much too soon! Dear reader, we have, without a doubt, produced some of the great athletes in the world. We have produced some of the great minds in the world. We have given the world some of the best entertainers. We have built great empires in the past and continue to do so, even up till now! For instance, when you travel outside the African continent to the West, most of the labourers--employed in the factories, are of African descent.

Sometimes, these beautiful Black men and women would work double shifts, just to keep the Western economies prosperous. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, we Black folks are not lazy at all. Believe me, we know how to work hard to make a living, even if the pay is minimum! In fact, when you take our brilliance and hard-working nature into consideration, Black countries around the globe should be like heaven on Earth. Sadly, the opposite is true wherever you look. Black countries around the world, including our own Ghana, bear the mark of failure and shame. There’s no Black country here on Earth, which could be considered a success, not one. Even our currencies, in spite of our resources--are nothing to write home about! Which brings me to the question of; what exactly is keeping us Black people down?


Welcome 2 the Age of Consciousness!

Source:
The Emperor