We Sanitize History At Our Own Peril
How do we know how far we've come if we don't know where we are coming from?
The last 18 months have been an eye opener for me because I saw the worst in people. If there is one thing I've always been bothered about, it is racism. I have read books about it, watched countless documentaries and all. It definitely left a bad taste in the mouth whenever I imagined what the early blacks went through. However, what I have read and seen about racism pales in comparison to what I have witnessed in the last 18 months - probably because I'm living this reality, and not reading it.
The last presidential election in my country is one of the most ethnically charged elections I have ever witnessed. The three major political parties in the country had their flag bearers from the three major tribes. And with that, the weeks leading to the general election were tense. The aspirants noticed the tension and used it to their advantage, with ethnic groups automatically plumping for the aspirant from their tribe.
By the time the election was done and dusted, it already led to an internal tribal battle. Social media and online communities were on fire, with seemingly reasonable individuals throwing caution to the wind as they got sucked into the ethnic bickering. At some point, the worry became fear. And the fear nearly led to hatred, with old wounds being yanked open without a second thought.
Despite the prevalence of democracy in the country since 1999, we've never had a South Eastern president. Automatically, they believed they were due the country's number one position and poured everything into getting it, anger inclusive. After the election, the situation only got worse. And for the first time in my life, I was actually bothered if it's still safe to hang around a dude from the region.
The first time I heard an Easterner refer to all Westerners as betrayers I was worried. These two regions are closely intertwined yet one has always blamed the other to no end. To sort out my worry, I tried to know what could've led to such a big accusation. I was able to pick one or two things online, but the report is never accurate. And, yes, this is where history classes come into the equation.
Due to the paucity of credible history lessons, a lot of people have been misled. Some months ago the Oba of Lagos was dragged into arguments about the original settlers in Lagos. While a particular Oba somewhere claimed his people were the first settlers, a lot of people waded into the discussion with little to no knowledge of history. Insults were dished out; friendships were strained. At the end, we are back to online bickering and arguments not backed by the truth.
History classes are important though not compulsory. Without it, we've learnt to move on and forge a new future without looking back. But then, those that decide not to recognize history and its many lessons are liable to make the same mistake that has been made before. We may argue times are different now; we may argue the advancement of the human race has made sure each case should be differently sorted.
However, intergenerational transfer of knowledge, wisdom and also, aggression and hatred means we still need to know the things that happened before us so as to learn to navigate the muddy waters of life. I learnt a lot about the importance of history classes and heritage when I watched Keifer Sutherland-led Designated Survivor.
In conclusion, History should be a part of our curriculum. The answers it gives may not be for glaring questions. But when those questions arise, we may have nowhere to hide. We sanitize history at our own peril!
