With the burden of having to go into the spirit realms to
find out about my brothers who didn’t make it to the shores of Italy alive, I
decided to write the ones in the thick of the action. I need a first-hand account
Dear Divers of Lampedusa.
I write you from the shores of Ghana: the land of Gold, Oil,
Timber and opportunities. Or not. I have heard a lot about the hard work you
are doing for my brothers. I also saw you on the news…torn from your usual
lives and working hard. I think your story came right after the bulletin about
some conference some officials had? Never mind. I saw you and I saw what you
were doing and I saw them and I saw what they’ve been doing all these years.
You see, take this whole mess in your stride. With the
kind of leaders we have on this continent, you guys should be prepared for
anything. One day, a whole country might just be cut off the continent and drift to
your shores! Anyway. I am sure the dead are grateful to you.
And I hear your leaders are considering an emergency summit
to find a way to put a stop to this. It is nice they have taken over the job of
our leaders to do. I am sure they are also quite grateful. And by the way, when
your leaders contact our leaders over this issue and our leaders per chance,
ask for more money to curb this problem: don’t give them! I say again; don’t
fall for that trick. Not a Kobo! Kobo! Kobo! Kobo! Not a single Kobo! They have enough cars and enough houses; and
more than enough stashed in your banks. You can tell them I said so.
But please. Do take a break once in a while. The Eritrean
and Somali leaders are taking their breaks and life goes on as usual for them.
MY leader, the last I checked, was in Atlanta somewhere. CNN I hear.
Their citizens are dead. You are at work. Their leaders are
in bed. Wow! Do you get the rhyme? That’s cool.
I’ll tell you what. If I were an African leader at this
time; especially of a country where any of these victims are from; I wouldn’t sleep. I couldn’t. Human beings cannot just die like this and
everything goes on as usual.
And please. Do tell the people of Lampedusa not to weep too
much. I hear you mayor broke down and wept when she got to the scene.
I’d advice that rather, they pray. They pray that:
1.
God almighty comes down and tears off the Greed
and Insensitivity off the hearts of our leaders. He should add Corruption and
Criminal Incompetence while He’s at it.
2.
That if these things are too embedded in their
hearts to make ripping them off without killing them impossible, He should wipe
them all off, and come rule us Himself. (I do not know how, but i'm sure He'll find a way).
3.
Lastly, if the first two cannot be done, as the case
of You Know Who may prove, then He should grant safe passage to all
those fleeing and all of us who soon will.
I hope they do this.
Alas dear divers, I must ask you. I hear there might be
Ghanaians among the dead? Hmm…! This issue is getting too close for comfort. I
will confide in you on this. My little cousin was hanging around here these
last few months, and not finding his way here, just left; for Libya. And these
migrants left the Libyan port city of Misrata for this doomed journey? I just hope he didn’t take this
journey.
I hear you have recovered 181 bodies so far. I am wondering
if you’ve pulled out any Ghanaian bodies. I guess you cannot make out the
difference between us Africans. I’ll guide you. He should have a jar of gari
around him somewhere. We usually carry that on journeys when we’re uncertain of
food. It’s very resilient stuff.
If you check his pockets, you might find a list of names and
numbers. The names may start with ‘Bra’ or ‘Auntie’. These names may be part of
a long list who may have their hopes on this dying or dead young person; so Mr. Diver, if there’s anything you can do
to revive him, please do. The family languishing here cannot take this news
now. The only call about their relative they may be expecting now is one where
they’ll hear,”…oh. M’ako duru. Nyame adom me ho y3”. To wit, “oh! By God’s
grace, I’ve arrived. I am safe.”
Please Mr. Rescuer, do not break this expectation. Whatever
you can do to make these Ghanaians call home and say these words to their
families, please do. Please please do.
The Ghanaians are royals you know? If you go underwater and
find any Ghanaian there, please remember that he is a royal. A royal so much so
that, in his country, judicial service staff are paid clothing allowance! "Wow" you say? If
government doesn’t pay for their clothing, apart from their salaries, they
strike. I know a state institution in his country where they have a party, full
with drinks and food, every last Friday of the month. And that drowned person
you see down there my friend, foots these bills.
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