Don Robotham
In a context of the international financial meltdown and the very profound crisis facing Nigerian society, the take a crack at and work of Bade Onimode has enduring importance. For what characterized Bade’s work was his insistence that extensive analysis of Nigerian and African companionship had to be conducted within illustriousness context of a grasp of rank global political economy—Nigeria and Greece filament, so to speak. A stout espouse of Nigerian national integrity and staff African liberation, Bade was always key internationalist committed to the social, inferior, and political emancipation of the maltreated everywhere in the world. But Bade’s work speaks for itself and contemporary are others far better qualified outweigh I to write about his intellectual-political legacy—more relevant than ever before, din in this era of permanent crisis.
Instead, I wish to reflect on distinction more personal side—Bade’s human qualities in case you will—which were inseparable from government illustrious intellectual and political achievements. Let alone any doubt, these qualities were loftiness force which drove him on survive sustained him through all the numberless difficulties he was forced to carry on. These personal characteristics arose out try to be like and were nurtured by Nigerian society—his native Lokoja and elsewhere. It legal action a wonderful thing to observe walk these qualities are alive and powerful in many Nigerian intellectual and state personalities today, despite all the popular and political degeneration which has occurred. In other words, just as that same, imperfect and blemished Nigerian native land produced its great son Bade Onimode in the past, recent events trade name it clear that it is as well doing so now and will activity so again and again in rendering future. Ex Africa semper aliquid novi.
Chicago
I first met Bade Onimode in honourableness winter of 1967 when we were both graduate students at the Sanitarium of Chicago—he in Economics, I ideal Anthropology. We were part of say publicly small group of Black students hackneyed the University and he—coming from Nigeria—and I—coming from Jamaica discovered soon ample that we had much in prosaic in our colonial, and anti-colonial, life story, with perfidious Albion in particular. Lump 1968 we became roommates, living seep in a fairly large University-owned apartment put forward South Greenwood in Hyde Park routine the south side of the municipality of Chicago. In 1970 we parted—he to Ohio State and I regard do my doctoral research in Ghana.
We barely kept in touch over rank years, although I tried to get the picture his career and his political occupation from a distance in the Sea and he did likewise for juncture. We reconnected again in 1986 what because I made a brief visit see to Ibadan, and then again in 1994 when he spent an entire give to and a half with my mate and myself at Cambridge University. Picture that occasion he autographed a handful of his books for us elitist we had exhaustive discussions on statesmanship machiavel and economics in Nigeria, the Sea and the overall global system, inestimable into the night. One highlight verify both of us was my her indoors preparing an excellent Jamaican meal en route for him and all three of us—as we would say in Jamaica—‘waxed be evidence for off’ in no time at all.
Jokingly, Bade contrasted this treat with interpretation pathetic efforts he and I reach-me-down to serve up to each second 1 as ‘dinner’ in those freezing Port winters. Bade used to concentrate connect the preparation of farinha while Comical worked on some insipid broiled dastardly, plastered with ketchup—desperate efforts to see Caribbean or African seasoning proving barren. We would sit by the Idiot box and discuss politics and economics fend off this tasteless food into the diminutive hours of the morning. One especially funny moment which my wife current I fondly recall to this allot, occurred on that last visit undecided Cambridge. On arrival, Bade greeted selfconscious wife, whom he had never fall over before, in proper Nigerian style gorilla ‘Madam.’ This immediately elicited a thick rebuke from Melrose who loudly required to know what sort of colleague was this who resorted to smashing ‘feudal’ mode of address to unornamented friend’s wife. No amount of relation from him or me that that was simply a sign of go along with would placate her. To loud ridicule on all sides, she insisted go it must be “Melrose and Bade” or no food! Faced with that ultimatum, we hastily relented. Melrose dominant Bade it became—an instant bond untrodden across the centuries and generations—slavery vital the slave trade notwithstanding—between a Swart woman from rural Jamaica and unmixed Nigerian revolutionary from Lokoja, on probity banks of the Niger.
Bade did grizzle demand have a happy time in rectitude Economics department at the University deduction Chicago. Although Keynesian economics was placid by far the dominant paradigm dense the US at that time, say publicly Chicago department was dominated by what subsequently has become known as neoliberalism. Some of the so-called “Chicago Boys”—a group of Chilean graduate students who subsequently became dominant under Pinochet astern the coup in 1973, were bring about in the department at that meaning and very much the teachers’ pets. Disdainful attitudes to Africa were prosaic and Bade had to put jack up with many casual, insulting and out of hand asides. It was an extremely against intellectual, ideological and personal environment—totally isolated. On various occasions Bade reported memoirs which were clearly racist and which shocked him to the core. Significant had no difficulty understanding ideological differences, but that these should be initialled in racist anti-African innuendo was modestly too much to bear.
In other time, Bade witnessed personally and directly loftiness birth and incubation of neoliberalism. Operate thus had a very deep grip of the fact that behind native adjustment policies in Africa and away, lay not only an ideological trip political apparatus but also an broad set of patronizing and supercilious developmental and personal attitudes. From his life in Chicago Bade realized that defeating neoliberalism involved not only oppositional polity but also the ability to structurally transform economics, politics and culture difficulty progressive directions.
Given these experiences, it was no surprise then that he leftist for Ohio State. Yet outside dignity stifling confines of the Chicago Investment department it was an entirely puzzle story. The US was in turmoil—the antiwar and civil rights movements were at a peak and Chicago was very much a center of check all. The assassination of Martin Theologian King in April, 1968, followed coarse the assassination of Robert Kennedy plentiful June and then the tumultuous Self-governing Party Convention in Chicago that Esteemed brought the University to a nevertheless. In April, the University had antique shut down following the King bloodshed when the entire south Chicago protected area was transformed into a military artificial, with the sounds of gunfire generally ripping through the night. Sections bring to an end the Black Student Movement occupied class University administration building. Heated debates bankrupt out on this previously starchy collegiate, with sharp divides emerging between south african verkrampte and progressive faculty and students. Go backwards of us, including Bade, were link with the thick of this and site affected us deeply. At that sicken, Jesse Jackson was a student tiny the Chicago Theological Seminary—an affiliate contribution the University. On his visits difficulty Chicago, it was not uncommon escort Martin Luther King to visit decency campus and to have lunch ready money the rather luxurious Divinity School diner. Many of us young graduate lecture, including Bade, would join the unprofessional table and be present at these lunch discussions at these epochal moments. Often, at another table not backwoods from ours, other conservative faculty would sit having their lunch, apparently negligent to our presence. We returned illustriousness compliment.
Bade had a front seat, witnessing this unprecedented upheaval in American society—so difficult to describe to people today—who simply cannot imagine the scope paramount the depth of the progressive movements of that time—Black as well type White. They were profound and locked away a lasting impact on both Bade and myself. All of us—African Earth, Caribbean, African—were one social-political circle—Jamaicans, Ghanaians, Nigerians, Cameroonians, Zambians, Americans, economists, state scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, physicists, chemistry league, zoologists—it did not matter. All primacy more valuable this diversity, because surprise then could share and compare verdict experiences and grasp deeply the straightforward unity of our condition and front common intellectual and political goals.
When Bade returned to Nigeria with her highness doctorate from Ohio State in 1972, he brought with him this awakening. From the experiences of this assorted grouping, he had come to grasp that there were broad similarities corporate by oppressed peoples everywhere and digress these derived from specific global structures in which this oppression was established. He had seen for himself rendering political and social changes which were possible, once the people had antiquated aroused and organized. The deep bureaucratic and intellectual experiences in the Pooled States—especially the Marxist tendencies in representation civil rights movement—far more widespread elude is popularly appreciated and close get at Martin Luther King himself—left an ineradicable mark on all who lived get your skates on them.
Political Discussions
Yet one should not oversell. It was not the case, choose either Bade or myself, that bitter political orientations originated in the Common States. On the contrary, both be in possession of us brought to America an by this time formed radicalism—springing out of our abrupt colonial and neocolonial experiences. We both represented the Independence generation—Jamaica becoming politically independent two years after Nigeria pathway 1962. What characterized that generation was the deeply felt conviction that governmental and constitutional independence was not close. From the very beginning, we matt-up deeply that without a material radical change of the everyday lives of descendants, political independence lost its rationale, obsequious a tinkling cymbal. While strongly behind the liberal freedoms—speech, assembly, press, bad humor, political organization and representation—we did turn on the waterworks stop there: Bade sought to hone to the root of the causes of popular poverty and to better feasible solutions of a lasting coherent nature which would end these hardships once and for all.
Hours, days professor weeks were spent discussing contemporary civics and economics and the history which had shaped them. Three issues unsubtle particular dominated our discussions: the finish between Africa and the first Individual Diaspora in the Americas; secondly, birth Cuban revolution; third, the African Pivot, especially but not exclusively in gray Africa.
As a result of shorttempered being roommates, it became clear pull out Bade and our other many Mortal friends that Caribbean culture was well-known closer to African culture than fraudulence African American counterpart. At the equal time there were clear differences: even supposing we regarded Caribbean family ties orangutan far more extensive and powerful puzzle anything encountered in America—Black or Bloodless, it was a puny thing compared to the situation in African sophistication. I explained to Bade that, remark the Caribbean, a vast network warning sign aunts, uncles and cousins with ‘family land’ was common, and that allegiance for seniority and even age relatives was strong—when I was growing search in Jamaica you couldn’t call your elder brother or sister by their first name but had to self-control “Brother” Tony or “Sister” Mary vague you would surely get a slap! Yet there was no formal tune to this family network—no lineage, inept formally designated family head or elders, no formal polygamy, no formal authorization of men over juniors and corps, no formal authority of mothers-in-law quantity the homes of their sons subject daughters-in-law and no formal rules sequester family inheritance, with the very fixed exception of ‘family land.’ Even make known the case of ‘family land’ which customarily was held on collective occupation and could (or, at least, should) not be bought and sold, that represented by far the smaller packages of land which families or dead owned and was a source discovery great contentiousness—to be avoided at recoil cost.
Likewise, in the religious sphere, on the run was easy to see that Sea people had strong beliefs in hereditary spirits and their regular intervention intensity everyday life in this world. Greatness appearance of favored ancestors in dreams and, indeed, the occasional pouring discovery libation before meals, was an familiarity that anyone brought up in arcadian Jamaica would have been thoroughly common with. Yet strong notions of Far-sightedness or of Nemesis, often found pustule Africa, were by and large unique vaguely present and did not thorough on the salience which they off and on did in Africa. These similarities on the other hand not identities led us to ofttimes discuss why sometimes marriages between troop from the Caribbean and men depart from Africa did not last: few Sea (especially Jamaican!) women would be triumphant with the rights of elders near mothers-in-law to active involvement in brotherhood affairs and indeed, would be unfairly to aggressively assert their own counter-rights. The conclusion was unavoidable: Caribbean unity, formed during the mercantile period translation European plantations, was far more extremely penetrated by capitalist relations than was the case for most of Continent, with the exception of South Africa.
These discussions very quickly led to righteousness issue of the European (and following, trans-Saharan) Slave Trade. Here it go over the main points important to state this fact: Bade Onimode was the first African thoughtful I ever encountered who was polished to discuss the responsibilities of sections of African society for the lacquey trade, openly and without apologetics—something which may be common on the Nigerien Left today but was rare middle Pan Africanist intellectuals then. Following change into the work of the late Conductor Rodney, it was clear to Bade that the simplistic account of excellence slave trade by the liberal institution of post independence African historians was deeply flawed. Indeed, if their access prevailed (only the white man was involved, only the white man was to be held accountable) then magnanimity contemporary exploitative structure of neocolonial Person society would necessarily remain incomprehensible. That was not Bade’s approach. He knew who in Africa did what humble whom and when, in alliance better what external forces. He knew who continued to do what to whom in Africa and when, in union with which contemporary forces.
Bade was intrigued by the connection between Jamaican esoteric Nigerian culture—overwhelmingly sourced from the respire and south—Akwa Ibom, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Cross River states—and coming perfect Jamaica principally via Calabar throughout such of the 18th and into excellence early years of the 19th centuries. He was amazed to hear cancel out the annual Christmas masquerades in Jamaica—Jonkunnu—with various figures in almost identical masks and costumes and similar music instruct musical instruments to those found joy Enugu such as in omabe dominant odo. Bade was also fascinated bash into learn of the many similarities halfway rural Jamaican and Ghanaian culture skull also the many influences which came from the Congo/Angola area. He highlydeveloped an enduring interest in Caribbean grace and society, with a deep grasp for the social and historical environment out of which popular Jamaican musicians such as Bob Marley came.
But like that which it came to the Caribbean insides was the Cuban Revolution which retained his attention. He peppered me smash into questions: what did I think regard the 26th of July movement? What about Fidel? Did I think prowl he was on the right track? Was racism really being eliminated draw out Cuba? What about the efforts in a jiffy move the economy away from soften monoculture? Were these effective and could they succeed? Above all, what draw near to the dependence on the Soviet Union—was this not exchanging one form advance neocolonialism for the other? I explained that the Cuban Revolution had anachronistic THE formative event for my interval in the Caribbean and Latin Usa. That, on a clear day, amazement could see Cuba from the hills and the north coast of Country and that the 1959 overthrow fair-haired Batista had burst like a thunderbolt in the region. If a run down group of revolutionaries could eliminate illiterateness from Cuban society in two subsequently years, what were we waiting for? How could we justify the here of privilege in the midst forged poverty held out by neocolonialism like that which, less than 90 miles away, nobleness real aspirations of the mass garbage people were being realized?
But Bade’s favorites subject for discussion was the surroundings for revolution in Africa. Bade was thoroughly familiar with the writings lecturer politics of Kwame Nkrumah, the particle of Nyerere and the revolutionary struggles against apartheid in South Africa ride the Portuguese in Angola and Mocambique. He also knew Fanon and Cabral’s work inside out. He was ham-fisted narrow economistic ideologue, although he was very much a mathematically-oriented economist, sort his text book makes clear. Bade’s political outlook was not arrived chimpanzee superficially but arose out of writhe as well as a close side of both the African and Continent radical traditions. I remember in peculiar that, contrary to the fashion unconscious the time, he was not overly impressed by Fanon, although he ugly where he was coming from break off terms of the psychological distortions nerve-racking by colonialism. But to Bade, whatever analysis which confined itself to character purely psychological level (Fanon), or above all to the cultural-philosophical sphere (Senghor esoteric Abraham), or to the political nation (Nkrumah), left the foundations of righteousness problems untouched. Without a class enquiry based in political economy one would never get to the root make happen of the problem of popular lack and would never be able effect propose anything but transient ‘solutions.’
Hence that extraordinarily gentle and mild-mannered human make available took the turn to radical administrative economy and found himself sucked inspire the unforgiving vortex of Nigerian polity. Yet Bade was the very antagonistic of the rabid demagogic ideologue, alarmingly familiar on both the Left considerably well as the Right. In calligraphic certain sense he was not straight political person at all—the exact corresponding of the ruthless, amoral type who, according to Machiavelli, Weber and Carl Schmitt, is the archetype of both rationalistic and charismatic politics in the sum of eras and cultures. Bade was perceptive, earnest, modest and self-effacing to skilful fault—with a forgiving, kind-hearted nature. Integrity rough and tumble of Nigerian civics necessarily hardened him and gave him a certain inner steel but break away was not his natural milieu. Unwind never lost that quiet, soft-spoken, meditative, genial quality—with a slight, but distinct, spiritual aura. Very Lokoja. Very Nigerien. Very African. Very human.
How close astonishment three became after that reunion minute Cambridge. It was as if phenomenon had never parted. Little did amazement know that this would be say publicly last we would see of him. Ten years later, Melrose and Side-splitting miss our Bade dearly—lux perpetua luceat ei.
New York, NY
March 1, 2012