DECENCY ABỤRỌ A CRIME

It's been almost 100 years and decency ka bụ a crime na ala a. 

I still remember mgbe m nwete the idea of this blog, a blog where everything a ga na-epostu na ya ga abụ na Engli-Igbo, just because I and a lot of people dị ka mụ na-eche uche na Engli-Igbo and that the stories that matter to us, to onye na ndị anyị bụ and to history anyị kwesịrị ka edee ya na Engli-Igbo. One of those stories bụ the story of the Iva Valley massacre.

Mgbe ngu maka this massacre months ago, I felt chills. M ka na-efeel chills each time it crosses my mind because such beastly behaviour dị alien to humanity. At least, ọ kwesịrị ịdị alien to humanity.

Story nwe ya that na on this day in 1929, agbalu 21 men bụ miners tọgbọ for protesting peacefully with a strike ka akwụba ha better ma nyekwa ha better living conditions, injure 51 other people. Ụmụ mmadụ. People's sons, fathers, brothers. The mysterious part bụ na asị na the venue of the massacre ka dị haunted even till today. Voices of the miners na-ada na the location even till today.

Mmadụ ga asị na history classes anarọ akụziri students this one but enwekwanu history as a subject in schools to begin with?

We have always been a people dealt a terrible hand. The events leadiri to the #ENDSARS protests and ndị nke follow ya proves this beyond all reasonable doubt. Na 1929 it was foreigners giving the orders for able bodied young men to be massacred na their own fatherland just maka na ha chọrọ some level of decency. In 2020, ninety-one years later the story adibeghi any better. As a matter of fact ọ dịzị worse. This time ọ our own people giving the orders to our own soldiers to kill us. Anyị nọ na-agụ our National anthem and waving the national flag but that wasn't enough ịkwụsị ha from committing this atrocious crime against humanity.

Our only crime bụ na anyị requestiri some level of decency from our police and government.

It doesn't matter if others hear the voices mana this anthem ga aring na my ear forever if I'm ever around sites like the lekki toll gate. Ọ ga abụ a dirge instead of a song of hope, and ọ ga efollow mụ around just like the wailing voices na Iva Valley. 

Decency abụrọ a crime. Protest abụrọ a crime. Peaceful protest abụrọ a crime. Gbudebe nụ. Ọzọ emena.