When I accepted the invitation to guest-speak at the Summit, this Summit, of the Edo Zone of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) I must admit straightaway that I did not really know what to say – or what I was going to say: “The Role of NBM in Tackling Cult-related Violence in Nigeria.” This was the topic communicated to me – with the stipulation that I could re-phrase it to suit my purpose. And my purpose in my intended brief lecture would be how to make my subject come alive to my audience. Clearly, my subject would come alive when the lecture would help us to see our environment – and our own lives in the environment which is the Nigerian world – through the reality of what induced joiners of cults to the world of cults.
In thinking further about the subject, it occurred to me to re-phrase the topic to “How to End Cult-related Violence in Nigeria.” I thought that this would be an ideal topic that would especially benefit members of this audience and Nigerians in general. As I was set to roll my creative faculties in the endeavour to tackle this topic I was faced with the task of presenting an approach that would engender the interest of my listeners and anyone who may have access to this text after my presentation of it at this Summit. This was a challenge which resolved itself when the inspiration entered me to choose the present topic: “Invitation to Cultism.” But, again, this topic presented the greatest challenge to me, which is finding the correct angle or place to begin. Knowing why people join cults will help us to understand why cult-related violence pervades our environment and our land. It may also help us to find solutions or a solution to the tragic menace and catastrophic problem of cult-related activities and violence in our clime.
In other words, and to put it simply, what invites members and people to cultism will or may largely determine the answers we seek (and get) relating to how we can curb – if not how we can end – cult-related violence. It is not in any way a simple matter, however. We must understand that as a community of human beings we are dealing with a very complex matter whose complexities widen as we give thought-provoking attention and consideration to the subject.
Now let me begin at the beginning with a definition or definitions of cult. The Collins Dictionary of the English Language, which I value highly, gives the following definitions, among others, of cult: “(1) a specific system of religious worship especially with reference to its rites and deities; (2) a sect devoted to the beliefs of a religious or other cult; (3) a group having exclusive ideology and ritual practices centred on symbols, especially one characterised by lack of organisational structure; (4) intense interest in and devotion to a person, idea, or activity.”
These definitions of cult are definitely positive and centre on the need to pledge and subject oneself to the common and public good of humanity. Each definition connotes and denotes as well a noble idea with spiritual, religious allegiance to a superior force, a deity, to God. Whether one is a Christian (the religion which birthed the term) or a non-Christian is a non-issue. What is important is that we should weigh each definition from the perspective of its exact meaning to the common good of society. If this is so why is it that the meaning and shape of cult are now grounded in our current society in negative attitudes and in the life of those living in hell?
Let us not make the mistake of not acknowledging the reason why cult gets messier by the minute. The term’s now un-good, negative and merciless meaning we may or can attribute to how a particular group called cult now attracted its members and what it dangles before its recruited members and adherents. Because we don’t belong to this or that group we don’t really know in-to-to how members become or became members of the group(s) they belong to no matter how hard we try to delve into the reasons. But what we can deduce, rightly or wrongly, is that members were invited into cultism by numerous attractions: power – political, economic, educational, spiritual; influence – which is an invitation to walk and move with the shakers, determiners, rogues and “owners” of society with whom they will from time after time engage in some wonderful conversation in the public glare. This is Nigeria’s current reality. Of course, an open cult has since assumed in its modus operandi the mode of a secret society with its peculiar language and terms, its characteristic Hiri Motu. Those who belong can do – and more often than not – do anything and everything to inflate their egos and anti-social instincts.
Usually, these lead to violence, cult-related violence between and among different groups that itch to prove that they are as deadly as any deadly cult can be. As a matter of fact, each group wants to prove that it is more ogbonistic than the other. A beaten or defeated group today will retreat until an auspicious time to prove its fierce ogbonism. Ogbologbo pass ogbologbo, as my fellow Safarians, Wafarians and Bafarians will put it. In other words, there is hierarchy in every kingdom and every society. To be at the summit of the hierarchy, aspirants and aspiring groups must prove their mettle to qualify to perch there. Several cult-related violence and incidents in our environment and wider society today derive from this sociological wish. I may be dead wrong, but my study of the situation of things and reality of our society tend to give credence to this observation.
Let me add here that the founder or founders of any cult or of most cults did so with good intentions that were generally based on scriptural authority, but in time, reason and individual conscience replaced the primary authority of the founding father(s).
Greed, selfishness, wickedness and other negatives that unleash violence in our society tend to banish from our clime God’s qualities of goodness, mercifulness, unconditional loving and the need to live at peace with one another and seek justice and to help the poor and needy. These good examples of humanism inspired (I am one hundred per cent certain) the founding fathers of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa to found here in Benin City, I was informed, the Movement from the prism of a Confraternity, which is quite different from that of a Cult. Let’s go to my dictionary again for the definition(s) of confraternity: “A group of men united for some particular purpose, especially by Christian laymen, organised for religious or charitable service; brotherhood.” I may be wrong, but the founders of the NBM might not necessarily be Christians but their vision might be interpreted as that of Christian laymen who formed the Movement as a brotherhood of men committed to giving freedom, justice, quality of existence and the essentially good life to all black men and all men the world over who believe in what the founders and legitimate members of the Movement believe in and keep on searching for.
Why have I specifically mentioned or cited the Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) in this discourse? The reason is simple. That the Edo Zone of the Movement is organising this Summit whose central subject is a violence-free society that should abort our shared gloom in a significantly significant consideration and understanding of my choice and action of the NBM, a confraternity with a sky-broad vision very open to eradicating senseless violence in the land. How they will do this in this horrible country I do not know, but I believe that they have the spirit to lead their will toward a new level of action. It is iron that slices iron.
The radical omelets of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa cannot but require a lot of broken eggs. The Movement’s super radical reflection must require a lot of broken eggs and broken eggs. The Movement’s national reflection must from now onwards, I dare say, move toward its high radical objectivity that will describe an essential living reality. Of course, it will face new actions, creeds and misunderstandings and various crises of life and faith from expected and un-expected quarters, but there can be no doubt about it that the leaders, the national and international president and his cabinet and rank and file of the Movement have the wherewithal to widen their vision and move on and on and on and compel violence not to happen and never to happen over and over again no matter the specific social, economic, ethnic, political, educational, cultural factors that usually compel violence to take place in or within our particular and contemporary communities of blood or muck everywhere.
A few years ago, I co-researched a topic similar to the one at hand with a female scholar and a princess of Benin. With the wit and skill of high-brow researchers, we discovered why many youths from super wealthy homes answered the invitations to belong to several groups that were perceived to be architects and masters of violence. Our wonderful exchanges with them were a flowing wellspring of the good, the bad and the ugly. Even though my co-researcher and I were not as at then strictly spiritual or Christian eaters of the words of God, we believed that our outpouring to them was miraculously miraculous. It could not but have come from Heaven that gave us the wherewithal and wisdom to enrich their lives with the splendour of words. From my observation today, our political class is making it highly difficult, if not impossible, to create new youths. But we must keep on trying to create new youths who should not and must not be swayed to enter the space of the hollow ones who cherish the taste and bite of violence devouring us from the South to the East and thence to the West and from there to the Northern region. The vulnerable who are preyed upon by the hollow ones to commit cult-related violence especially in our political seasons of anomie can be re-born with rich words and generous acts and attitudes of the theme of the brotherhood of man’s self-pitying love, and understanding that everyone in creation trusts himself wholly and utterly to the Father the Superior rather than trusting himself and what and who he should not trust to his own weak strength. Continuous Summits of this nature will give Nigerians the good news of the curtailment that may lead to the eventual eradication of cult-related violence in your country my country our country.
I wish the pre-eminent Edo Zone of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa well. And I appreciate their invitation to me to guest-deliver this lecture.
Thanks for listening.
Professor Afejuku delivered this as guest lecturer on the occasion of the 2023 Summit of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) on Substance Abuse and Youth Restiveness held at the Oba Ewuare11 Heritage Centre, Amagba, Benin-City on December 8 and 9, 2023.
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