I'm black, but I've decided to relegate emotions in this piece and deal in reality.


Do you truly hate Corruption because it's bad or because you're not benefitting from it?
Do you truly hate Racism because it's bad or because you're at the end of the attack?

Over the years, sadly, we've seen how black people were attacked by the whites - mockery of skin colour, levelling of denigrating words, throwing of bananas, comparison with apes and sorts. It's quite sardonic. However, what about the Racism among Blacks themselves?

Leaving home for Kaduna where I knew just a Being - God - some of my loved ones had specifically warned me on the consequences of living with Kidnappers, Illiterates, Drug pushers and Bombers. Sincerely put, these advice were from sincere lovers who wouldn't want to lose a loved one - maybe to Bandits or Boko Haram as they've read over the news and watched on TV, but I reneged their advice, saying, "I'd be fine, beloveds. I've made thorough research and the part I'm heading to in KD is still and peaceful." Fast forward to two years, I'm still living peacefully in my well furnished Self-Contained - yet to be kidnapped, bombed or victimized by Boko Haram, Bandits or Almajiris as they had forewarned. My clear message against indirect racism there------not all the Hausas are bad, there are bad eggs among them same way there are among the non Hausas.

In similarly clannish vein, an average Yoruba man to an Igbo man is not loyal, bad or deal in voodoo. An Igbo man to an Hausa man is either a ritualist, greedy or corrupt. An Ilorin man would pester his daughter or son to marry only within their metropolis - Ilorin. An Ibadan man cannot marry his daughter to a man from Ijebu, because he must be hard and stingy. But when blacks are attacked in the foreign lands, we all shout on top of our voices, and make our pens puke - while we turn blind eye to the local racism among ourselves here.

Black Players who get heavily abused out of racism, for instance, the latest 3 who lost England's Penalty at the final of the recently concluded Euro 2020; Saka, Rashford, and Jadon had aroused pity from sympathizers - blacks and whites symetrically. It's sad to read albeit, but I gave myself a task, I searched their wives on the internet, the three of them, and none of them was married to a black woman, all are married to whites - except Saka who is yet to tie the knot. I went further in the research, looking for wives of other prominent players who have been under heavy racial abuse; Pogba, Lukaku, Mikel, BalloTelli among others, and searched their wives. My expectations did not fail me, none got married to black-skinned women too. Their choice, I would say, but then, how better would it be if they get married from their race as a stronger message of unbending feelings towards racists or racism attacks? Do they really hate racism because it's bad or because they are at the receiving end?

The most tragic part of the racism hypocrisy is the toxic energy of colourism among Nigerians. How many of our leaders got married to black-skinned women? Don't go far, start from your local government to the federal level. Count 1, 2, 3 - you could count more with sincerity. The ratio of the ones marrying black-skinned ladies to those craving light-skinned are 90:10. Then, the question arises: are black-skinned ladies an eyesore? I'm yet to get an honest answer.

In this same country is where a ruling and prominent king got married to over 13 women, and none is of the black colour. His choice or there are no beautiful black women who could stand close to him in his flowing regalia and be a pleasure to the watching public? These questions are not in rhetorics!

It is in the same Nigerian, where light-skinned Females and Males get huge endorsement deals, far better than the black-skinned ones, IG is there for attestation to this hidden fact. Are we really serious about fighting racism? Are we not being hypocritical in our fight against #blacklivesmatter?

Deep in practice among Nigerian Ladies/Guys is bleaching of skin, tone and sorts - pathetically, some even make mockery of the black ones among them. I read a piece on Sulola Imran Abiola's wall this morning, and this was the inspiration behind this piece, hear him:

"They say my skin takes its color from the burnt remains of Adam's mould- that it was mixed with a touch of the devil's saliva.

I tell them, "a man's color is the replica of God's".

The official Sulola.
07-08-2021."

Silly did it sound when we make mockery of our skin, here among ourselves. Is it sheer stupidity or some dumb fun?

Virtually every man now would relegate black-skinned ladies and marry light-skinned ones by fair or foul means, with no care if she bleaches her skin and would suffer future skin consequences or not, but same will come tomorrow to preach against racism. Are we really serious about black skin matter?

Here, I'd love to assert few lyrics from Patoranking's Black:

"Black hates black
Black don't rate black
Black underrates black
even some black don't wanna see some black people date black"

And while proferring solution to the Black hates among Blacks? Hear the "Celebrate Me" crooner:

"Black hating black is the reason why the growth is taunt
If I don't love you as my brother what else do I want?
Every black must have each other's back if we wanna be in front
Now let's rewrite the black love in a bold font."


Until we stop the tribal hates, toxic energy of colourism and sorts, black lives wouldn't matter. We'd only be making futile noises, ineffectual write-ups, unproductive interviews, while we continue to be racists against ourselves.



Hashim Yussuf Amao, Ibadan
FB: Hashim Yussuf LegalBard


cc: seun, lalasticlala, mynd44

Amazing piece OP I pray this gets to front-page. When it comes to issues like this you'll see how Nigerians will shy away because it's not about love, sex or marriage.

Even Patoranking you mentioned dated a white woman and later went on to date a light skinned woman.

On this same nairaland Runtown's girlfriend Adut Aketch was dragged and described as ugly.

80 percent of Nigerian men marry women lighter than them yet when a woman bleaches her skin they'll bash and make fun of her from now till eternity.


We will be fine. The black race will be fine.

Very valid points @ OP.

I think there is that bit of racism/ wanting to be better off than another group of people in Humans.
You would see blacks born in the UK & US consider them selves better off than those who have recently emigrated or speak in an accent that is African.
Just like you mentioned, even within tribes and states, it pans out. I'm believe the "caste" system in some parts of Igbo land are still existing.

I don't believe it would ever stop, perhaps that is why some people want to ensure that their offspring are not at the lowest rung of the ladder in their society by marrying fair skinned or white skinned spouses if they can.