epiphany's like wadi in the desert...

you know when you have a moment of insight, then when you verbalise it back to yourself it sounds a bit lame? Then you struggle to dignify the thought, embellish it with posh words etc. Well, I had something like that earlier today about Ng - but I still think there's something to it:

at the moment, Nigeria's sheer diversity (the most diverse country linguistically and ethnically on the continent) is its weakness. But if you think from a systems perspective, or a genetic perspective, or an ecological perspective, diversity is usually a marker of strength. We all know what happens when the gene pool is restricted..

So many different patterns of thought suggest that one of the qualities of the necessary fiction that is Nigeria is not being revealed as such. The question is: what stands in the way of Nigeria prospering from its diversity?

A major part of the answer to this must come from the extractive curse of oil. Ethnic conflict is a deliberate foil to hide a simple appropriative dynamic: only a small few have access to rent from oil. In order to maintain this exclusivity, various ethnic groups are set against each other - historically with support from the oil companies (with various well known intelligence agencies also probably playing a role).

So moving the economy away from an over-reliance on oil is crucial. It is positive to note that the economy should start to do this with a consolidated banking sector sometime next year (lots of enterprising unemployed bankers, banks needing to invest in new businesses to satisfy their increased shareholder base etc etc). Larger more stable banks will also attract fdi.

But there's a narrative level which needs to be addressed outside of fiscal/monetary transformation. At the moment, the tedious hausa-igbo-yoruba tittle tattle is usually constructed from a negative or cynical perspective. Just imagine if these triadic yoyo stories were told from a positive perspective: celebrating Fela when talking about the yoruba (or celebrating some of the fabulous yoruba pantheon stories); celebrating the creative industriousness of igbo culture (and its intellectual traditions); celebrating the links hausa culture has across many thousands of miles of West Africa all the way to Senegal...

Change comes when we begin to change our perceptions of the world. Its easy to say Abuja is a boring place full of wannabee contractors, corrupt civil servants and politicians on the make. But that's a cynical perspective. There are many progressive civil servants moving in; there are many politicians who are increasingly demanding change; and its harder and harder to avoid due process. And Abuja is beautiful: Aso Rock is an inspiration - everyday it shows a different face. The landscape around FCT is gorgeous - primeval igneous lumps dotting the landscape, beautiful birdsong; pre-modern people living alongside post-modern people.

So, without sounding like a dopehead, I think its time to start embracing the beauties hidden inside this land, and embracing difference outside of the stupid stories that circulate..