I would like to argue with those who have presented
sentiments against Chilembwe’s heroism. The arguments they have made lack
historical fact and substantial evidence. What is lamentable with most of those
people is their failure to recognize honour where is it due. They are failing
to articulate their working definition of heroism. Maybe should they present
their workable definition of heroism we would argue along that line. Now let me
present my argument through the following points.
1.
Dismissing Chilembwe’s heroism based on the fact
that the uprising was futile is lamentable and unforgivable omission of
historical facts. Heroes are not defined by the end-product of their efforts.
Heroes are defined by the audacity to change the tide of thinking and
conventional wisdom. Should that line of thinking prevail, then we are
relegating the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Patrice
Lumumba, Oliver Tambo, Geronimo, Che Guavara, and others who died before they
realized what they were fighting for to non-heroes.
2.
Dismissing Chilembwe’s heroism on the pretext of
his lack of military expertise and strategy is inconsiderate. Judging from the
understanding that Chilembwe’s profession was in theology, it is expecting too
much from the same to express military prowess and technical capacity in
conducting coup-de-tats. John Chilembwe was compelled into a military combat in
reaction to the ever-growing heat of tit-for-tat between his development
efforts by the colonial regime. Those arguing in this line are not mindful of
the contextual features that Chilembwe faced. He preached peace and got
atrocities in return. His courage to fight back the cruelty of the colonial
masters should not be rewarded by such shameful disrepute.
3.
To claim that Chilembwe lacked courage is an
understatement. It suggests that writing the colonial masters singlehandledly a
pastoral letter is a symptom of lack of courage, mobilizing community members
to face the colonial masters and attack them is a sign of timidity. I beg to
differ and probably you need to highlight the new definition of courage you are
using.
4.
Lastly, to assess his contribution to the
country, would demand an archeological-like fact-finding research, as the
events took place in 1915, long before Kamuzu’z declaration of independence and
abolition of federation, over 43 years afterwards, and long before our
understanding and age of enlightenment when we can bravely and sarcastically
dismiss Chilembwe’s heroism (over 98 years afterwards). It therefore becomes
plausible to note that failure to keep oneself abreast with historical facts
can lead one to make erroneous conclusions, as the facebook is awash of today.
Chilembwe built a cotton factory, and tailoring school in his community, thus
empowering Africans who were only supposed to work in cotton and tobacco fields
as their lone profession. Chilembwe. After his attainment of a degree in the
US, seeing the level of segregation in the states, wrote a pastoral letter
indicating that: AFRICANS AS HUMANS ARE EQUAL! He further sent using his own
resources two African students to the US to pursue further studies in the names
of Fred Njilima, and Daniel Malikebu. Even your Member of Parliament has never
done that.
I need an honest counterargument to this, but
noting the failures of the uprising as a basis of dismissing Chilembwe’s
heroism is a trigger-happy counterargument that lacks historical facts and a
working definition.
No comments:
Post a Comment