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February 24, 2004

The Voice of Olaudah Equiano

Stockton, New Jersey
February 23, 2004

On December 13, 2004, I accepted an invitation to speak on Monday February 23, 2004 at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, New Jersey. My contact was Ms. Amarachi Acholonu, an extremely intelligent Igbo-American pre-medical student.

During my speech, I drew inspirations from Pan-Africanist thinkers (Garvey, DuBois, and Nkrumah) and synthesized them with contemporary issues (intellectual capital and information technologies) and explored futuristic ideas (African renaissance, globalization, etc.)

I also paid tributes and brought to life "Black Heroes" who were pioneers of science, invention and technology. Finally, I reiterated the need to provide greater opportunities for African-Americans.

I enjoyed the after speech dinner and conversations with the father of Ms. Amarachi.


EXCERPTS:

I read from a poem that also called for peace in African villages.

The poem is adapted from the thoughts of the Ma’zi Olaudah Equiano, an 18th century slave abolitionist who is regarded as the “Father of Black Literature.”

At the age of 12, Olaudah Equiano was stolen from Ala Igbo and sold as a slave to the Americas. Equiano provided us the earliest written account of the culture and customs of Ndi Igbo.

This poem is called “The Voice of Olaudah Equiano.”
The thoughts belong to Ma’zi Equiano, the great teacher, onye nkuzi. The words belong to Uko Chikwendu Anyanwu.

And I thank Amarachi ada Acholonu, an Igbo student at Stockton College who invited me to this event for faxing this poem to me.

My people were a nation of joy!
Our lives were full of festivities

We needed no money, no theatre to smile, to laugh out our hearts.

Before the men in colour of half-baked bread
invaded us

With gifts of arms and gunpowder

To shoot and be our brothers’ killers
Round hats to close our heads against reason
Coloured goggles to deny us the sight of natural beauty.

With gifts of whiskey Umunnabuike became a forgotten name
As the alcohol stunned us to the dance of the crazy gods.

Our assailants alleged we were a people without souls –
They took us as slaves.

“Where are my people?”
I shout along the corridors of this world.

“Where are my people?”
Like a man obsessed with the thoughts of his people!

My people were a nation of poets and song writers.
A nation of musicians and folk singers
A nation of happy and lively dancers

Posted by emeagwali at 07:10 AM

February 19, 2004

Family: A Celebration of Humanity

San Diego, California
February 19, 2004

Excerpts from keynote speech


I would like to conclude promoting what we call Black Family Technology Week. It was celebrated last week.

The theme for this year’s celebration is "Let excellence become your way of life - in your family, your education and your career."

I urge everyone to participate in next year’s celebration. However, we must remember that we are fathers, husbands, mothers, and wives first, and technologists second.

Therefore, Black Family Technology Week should also be a period of reflection.

A period for husbands and wives to strengthen their relationship with each other; for absent fathers to contact their children; to ask for forgiveness from ex-spouses we have wronged; and to forgive ex-spouses that have wronged us.

It is the family that nurtures children, transmits values from one generation to the next, and lays the foundation for our future.

The family is the building block of society. One thousand years ago, a Chinese scholar wrote:

"When a man is at peace with himself, he will be at peace with his family.

When the families are at peace there will be peace in the villages.

When the villages are at peace there will be peace in the country.

When all the countries are at peace there will be peace in the world, then man can be at peace."

Posted by emeagwali at 01:11 PM | Comments (2)