Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Rapper turned IT Consultant eLDee has decried what he has described as “other forms of slavery that exists on the continent and beyond.”In light of the recent news about the auctioning of African migrants in Libya, eLDee has asked that while we continue to condemn that, we also look inside to inspect the way we enslave others.
He gave the example of “house-helps” from Togo and Benin, who work from dusk to dawn every day for their masters to get paid N10,000 a month.
He wrote on his Twitter page:
While we’re on the topic of slavery in Libya, I hope we also find time to reflect on the slavery & human trafficking in many of our African homes as well. Those “house-helps” from Benin/Togo whose masters get paid 10k every month to do chores from dusk till dawn.I’m talking about the ones you kick and scream at all day to do your house chores, watch your kids, do your laundry, dishes, cook etc. The ones you pay less than $50 a month to the man/woman who brought him/her from Benin/Calabar/Akwa Ibom/Togo. Yes, that is also #Slavery.Lets not only kick against slavery when it is convenient. If you really want to take a stand, Let go of the unfortunate teenager that is slaving away in your quarters right now. You are not very different from the Libyan who paid for slaves to do his chores.We must take a stand against ALL forms of Slavery. It is not only slavery when it is against black people by other races, it is also slavery when it is black on black. Take a stand today, tell your friend, your family & your neighbors to let go of their slaves.The fact that it is a part of our culture doesn’t mean we can not evolve. As we learn and become more aware, we must change our ways and replace our practices with more sensible and more humane ones. Free your slave(s) today!I’ve had this argument with many who confuse slavery with employment. You can not employ a child for labor and pay the wages to his/her “master/parent/uncle”. That is #slavery and it is wrong.There’s little difference in the sex worker that was trafficked to Europe and your house help that was trafficked from the village. So long as the trafficker is who gets paid for their work, they’re both working towards regaining their freedom, it is #slavery.And please don’t get all defensive, we’ve all unwittingly either practiced or tolerated it at some point. I’m not just on a self righteous rant, we must recognize it for what it is. I’m glad we’re all upset about Libya as we should be. But there’s more to be upset about.
Here is what he shared:
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