The Learner

Reflections on power and history: Lessons from Ceaușescu’s Romania By Muhsin Ibrahim History is essential for our understanding of the world. It tells us what happened in the past, why things are happening now (i.e. context) and what will likely occur in the future. Nothing beats this vital knowledge. A few years ago, we arrived in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. On the flight, I read about some African dictators, from Addis Ababa to Bangui, Kampala to Kinshasa, among others. I kept imagining how those tyrants, whose regimes mostly ended in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, thought while in power. Nevertheless, when we visited the house and the massive parliament building of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the infamous Romanian communist dictator, everything fell into place. Power is transient. Mr Ceaușescu ruled this Balkan country for 25 years. Going through some of the structures he left behind, one would assume he never thought of dying. However, in December 1989, demonstrations, riots, and civil...

By Muhsin Ibrahim My wife and I got an appointment to meet with some real estate agents and see a new apartment we applied to rent. I wanted to practice the little German I could speak to impress them, but it didn’t work. Sensing my disappointment, one of them, apparently well educated, told me I was lucky to understand a little German. In contrast, he couldn’t speak any Nigerian, referring to a non-existent language he called “Nigerian”. I appreciated him, but reminded him that such language did not exist. I have had similar encounters in India, as I wrote   here . Due to Africa’s colonial past and ‘peripheral’ status on the world stage, we effectively learn about other, more prominent countries than their people know about us. For instance, most Africans learn about the European country that colonised their own country. As Nigerians, we learn about Great Britain and the English language and literature in school. English is our official language! We also know a lot about the Uni...

  By Muhsin Ibrahim Tunisia has been in a socio-political crisis for the past few years. The North African country was earlier praised as the success story of the famous Arab Spring, while the same failed in Syria, Libya, Yemen, etc. But the recent development has dented the relative success recorded in the aftermath of the uprising. Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed, a controversial figure, looked for whom to blame for his country’s troubles. Shockingly, he blames West African migrants. In other words, black people living, legally or otherwise, in his country. It sounds far-fetched, but that is what happens. He accuses them of crimes and changing the (racial) demography of the country! Due to racism, many black Africans don’t prefer to live in North Africa. A few thousand in that region are mostly descendants of slaves or come from the so-called Francophone West African countries. That “I speak your language” idea drives them there. Others pass through the area on their way to...

I knew nobody in Cologne, Germany, when I came in late August 2017. Although that was my second time travelling to a foreign country, the first was utterly different. I was with my wife and a friend, while other friends in Punjab, our destination, waited to welcome us. Thus, there was no confusion whatsoever. However, at the Cologne airport, I felt adrift. I spoke with a kind friend living in another city, not far from Cologne. He tried his best to guide me on what to do, but I felt more tangled. Finally, unsure where to go, I dragged my bags to the exit. A frail-looking elderly man approached me, raising an A4-size paper with “Barka da zuwa, Malam Ibrahim” written on it. I didn’t know about his coming, and I wasn’t used to being addressed as “Ibrahim,” my surname. His smile and his “hi” halted my bewilderment. He spoke to me in faltering Hausa, adding to my surprise, and asked to hold one of the bags. I respect old age, so I declined. As he insisted, I let him.   Honestly,...