Opinion: Leadership lessons for Africa from the Charlottesville’s incident

by Timi Olagunju

 

The saying goes that ‘silence is consent’, so I choose to write, rather than remain silent on the issues all over the news about Charlottesville.

Sometime in June 2015, I arrived Charlottesville, Virginia for a program at the Presidential Precinct during which I took courses both at the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. During my stay in Charlottesville, I felt that sense of immense security and kindness. One day, I told a friend, “Charlottesville is becoming my adopted village (besides that in Nigeria), because I sense genuine love from its people, from its streets to the bar, to the mall, to the religious houses, to the police stations”. She also confirmed same, that at all times, she felt at home and at peace.

I remembered meeting Mensah, a Ghanian, at a bar in Charlottesville – he was fully integrated into the Charlottesville’s love and kindness – he introduced me to a couple of Africans, some of whom were adopted by white parents (who I also met). I spent the weekends enjoying life in the house of different people, and at no time did I feel discriminated against.

Therefore, on watching the news, and seeing Charlottesville at the center of all the hate, violence, and negativity, I had a rude awakening, an awakening to add my voice to the ‘good people’ of Charlottesville, and speak from here in Nigeria, as well as share leadership observations from the incident. As someone that teaches and his fascinated with the subject of leadership, I started thinking, ‘how did this diverse and open community of welcoming ‘angels’ become the sudden ‘hub’ of a few hate groups – little foxes defiling the vine?’ This led me to come up with the following deductions:

 

  1. Diversity of thought is always inherent in every system, but the political leadership can either fuel hope or hatred. For example, both the proponents of hate and that of love, earnestly waited for POTUS to speak, to determine the direction of events – it is evident that ‘peaceful Charlottesville’, had been largely made restive by the ‘language’ of the current political leadership, which breathe life into the once timid ‘hatred’ lurking in the dark corners. Yes, the people have a voice, but the leader’s voice is a louder voice that breathes hope or hate in people’s conscience, even in an advanced democracy as that of the United States.

For Africans, especially as a Nigerian living in a country with over 300 ethnic groups, and a growing democracy, it is to pertinent to remind ourselves that diversity is a normal phenomenon (even in admirable economies), we should stop blaming our lack of productivity in the midst of plenty to ethnicity or religion, rather the real truth is that these things exist and always will, and the language (‘body language’ or spoken language) of our political leadership will either fuel it or kill it. I posit boldly that ethnicity, religion did not hold us back, the leader’s language has, for if the leader’s speech (action and inaction) is whole, Nigeria (and Africa) will start to take on wholeness.

 

  1. A leader must step back and see the bigger picture. This is epitomized in Barack Obama’s tweet, which gathered the greatest number of likes in Tweeter’s history. Instead of directly condemning, Obama chose to clearly communicate in the language of hope whilst speaking peace and a return to what Charlottesville and Virginia are known for, “love”.

 

  1. Learning and unlearning is an important (but often neglected) part of the human nature. Every action boils down to what we learn, unlearn, or re-learn; good or evil. It was gathered that a couple of the members of the ‘hate’ groups, where radicalized through online platforms that share ‘hate’ information.

 

  1. The power in democracy is in finding common grounds from alternative voices. Charlottesville is providing that opportunity. Voices are rising and claiming the high grounds against low grounds. Democracy and good governance are not given, they must be taken – and it must be taken through the people’s bold involvement in the higher values that will make us great. It may seem like a drowning voice, but it counts, because little strokes of voices, fall great oaks of evil.

 

In concluding, Nigeria is my home, just as Charlottesville, and I hope it is restored to its state of love untainted by a few ‘foxes’ of hate. When next, I am in the United States, I hope to visit my “other home” again peacefully.


Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Timi Olagunju is a Leadership Coach and Nigeria’s Cyber/AI Lawyer. He tweets @timithelaw

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