There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not sure about the former." Albert Einstein.

“Nigger” is an expressive word that reeks of racial hatred and bigotry. It connotes all the abuse, degradation and humiliation of our sisters, brothers, fathers and mothers that were sold and gave their lives so the “white Man” can live in splendor and abundance. It opens up the still fresh wounds of those that were taken from their families or anyone they know, traumatized and subjected to an untold cruelty. At present we are yet to confront this issue in a pragmatic meaningful way. If we don’t know the past, we cannot ordain the future nor understand the present.

“Nigger’ is a word directed against our race that supposedly has certain negative characteristics. It portrays black men as lazy, ignorant, and obsessively self-indulgent; traits historically represented by the word nigger. It depicts black men as angry, physically strong, animalistic, and prone to wanton violence.

In the not-too-distant past, [and even today] every major societal institution offered legitimacy to the racial hierarchy. Ministers preached that God had condemned blacks to be servants. Scientists measured black heads, brains, faces, and Instruments, seeking to prove that whites were genetically superior to blacks. White teachers, teaching only white students, taught that blacks were less evolved cognitively, psychologically, and socially. The entertainment media, from vaudeville to television, portrayed blacks as docile servants, happy-go-lucky idiots, and dangerous thugs. The criminal justice system sanctioned a double standard of justice, including its tacit approval of mob violence against blacks.

“A nigger’s clothing was either ragged and dirty or outlandishly gaudy. He is slow, have exaggerated gait suggesting laziness. He is a pauper, lacks ambition and the skills necessary for upward social mobility. He is a buffoon. When frightened, his eyes will bulge out and darted. His speech will become slurred, halted, and replete with malapropisms. His shrill, high-pitched voice made whites laugh. It dehumanized blacks, and served as a justification for social, economic, and political discrimination”. That was what a “nigger’” was, is and will continue to be in the minds of those that hate us.

The negative portrayals of blacks were both reflected in and shaped by everyday material objects: toys, postcards, ashtrays, detergent boxes, fishing lures, children's books. These items, and countless others, portrayed blacks with bulging, darting eyes, fire-red and over sized lips, jet black skin, and either naked or poorly clothed.

Thus it must be in the state of un-paralleled stupidity that those presently articulating the future, vision, hope and destiny of Nigeria decided to name the new firm set to build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations, formulated by an agreement that came about during the 4 day African tour by Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, “ Nigaz”. It not only shows lack of good taste but also the dearth of creativity in that country. It is just unbelievable! It is simply offensive and strongly calls in to question the mentality of our leaders.

It is both appropriate and imperatively obligatory that this be reviewed at once. We have so much baggage to throw over-board, adding more in the form of this moniker to our already floundering sinking ship is sheer insanity. Even in an individual, there is a link between a child’s name and their achievement. This phenomenon is known as sound symbolism, where the sound of a word conveys meanings. Specifically, brand names are composed of individual sounds called phonemes. A research conducted recently demonstrated that consumers use information they gather from phonemes in brand names to infer product attributes and to evaluate brands. It also demonstrates that the manner in which phonetic effects of brand names manifest is automatic in as much as it is uncontrollable, outside awareness and effortless. Stated simply, sound symbolism affects attribute perceptions.



Let’s for once conduct ourselves with some dignity and stop giving to those that in their prejudice seeks to prove our supposedly “hereditary inferiority” the tools to hurts us more than they already have. We have been maligned and distorted enough in every conceivable way. Every news, article, views and opinions that you see, hears and read in the Western and Asian media serves to portray us in negative light and perpetuate the stereotype. Since we have not device nor find it necessary to present or create a more helpful version of our Fate, leaving it to others to do for us, we must desist from making a caricature of ourselves.



Beyond the “bitches, niggers, and ho’s”, [words that not only degrades our women but reflects the negativity and ignorance that other races have come to associate us with] there lurks in its shadow the frightening monster of what one may call “the split of our collective psyche”. It is something that occurred centuries ago, with the invasion, pillage, rape of both our consciousness and land. It is a separation from the instinctual knowledge of ourselves which plunges us into conflict with our understanding of both the world around and within us. And it has never healed! We are still walking around with a wounded psyche. Not until we have come in terms with our identity by reflecting on the past, taking and applying the lessons thereof into our present while embracing with all eagerness the future can we exorcise the demons of self-unworthiness. Countless have been and are the bearers of this timeless message of redemption and hope yet; we are still locked in a certain paralysis, unable to extricate ourselves from the chains of the past. Let’s rise up and build!