Truly Ashamed Of Us

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, in the heart of the Niger Delta, it is a small town.  It is a small town, made popular by the creation of the state in 1996. Since then, 20 years ago, Yenagoa has only managed to have two parallel roads both named after pioneers in their vision of the Izon Nation; Chief Melford Okilo, (a stellar politician and one time governor of old Rivers State) and Major Isaac Adaka Boro (saviour of the Nigerian army during the Nigerian Civil War, from a locked up soldier to a strategic guerrilla warfare hero). These two men, were in their chosen fields the reason there is much to say about the Niger Delta and specifically old Rivers State and Bayelsa State.

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, we have only two parallel major roads and a “Sani Abacha express-way” that cuts across them both, so really not hard to sketch the map of roads of the city. 

For anyone who hasn't been to Yenagoa, we have no cinemas; we have no museums; we have no amusement parks; we have no statues, monuments or memorials… We have nothing of note to tickle imagination or foster creativity.  We have an abundance of hotels, car washes and joints and we are flooded with churches. 

I am ashamed of us, not because of what we have or what we lack, far from it… These are gradual establishments which come through time and after history…

I am ashamed because on a cool Friday evening in July, about 62 young minds gathered together to showcase their skills in the art of poetry and spoken word, rap and music, enjoy the arts and unwind after labouring through the week, (in an economy that is pegged to the governor’s mood).  I am ashamed that we chose to be expressive of ourselves, we chose to write, read, recite, rap, be comedians and violinists… I'm ashamed that we chose the pens over the pistols; we chose the microphones over the machetes; we chose words over wars.

I'm truly ashamed of us that we are an “embarrassment” to mainstream media, that the lack of “big-man” money behind us is the stain to our achievement and unworthy of applause or recognition.  Ironically, we didn't even seek it.  Without any printed posters, nor television or radio announcements we exceeded our expectations and doubled the attendance of our maiden edition and second edition alike…

I'm ashamed of this success.  Truly, really ashamed. 

PS: Yenagoa can by quite beautiful.

Melford Okilo Road, downtown Yenagoa

Adieu