WHO TAUGHT YOU TO HĀTE YOURSELF?

Someone once gave me an invitation to his marriage. I asked him why he did not indicate the Igbo market day the marriage will take place on their invitation. He plainly told me that he is a Christian and that he does not associate himself with anything that does not glorify Jesus. Funnily enough, on the same invitation card, he included Saturday.

In his self-hātred, he forgot that Saturday was originally the day set apart in honor of the Roman deity, Saturn. He also had no problem with including January on the same card. He did not care that January was originally the month set aside in honor of the Roman god known as Janus.

It did not bother him that the Arabic numeral he used in writing the date and time originated in the 4th century in Indian religious culture. Africans who tell you that they hăte “paganism” are not telling themselves the truth.

They do not hăte any “paganism.” They just hăte their own history, culture, heroes and heroines. In fact, anything that reminds them about themselves. The question is: Who taught you to hăte yourself?