Sango and Sate

Sango and Sate: A Metaphor for Politics in Nigeria

kola ibrahim

Just recently I watched a Yoruba home video, and I got caught up in a short but very penetrating scene of the film which depicts the indispensability of two great men – Sango (a great warrior and dancer) and Sate (a great bata drummer). And in my ruminations over the parlous state of the country and the nature of unproductive debates going round about who is contesting or not among various anti-poor, corrupt and over-recycled politicians, I was able to draw out a lesson for my poor, suffering but hardworking masses. I am not a Yoruba and may not be able to give the beautiful poetic lines used, but the message is apt.

The mass of working but poor people, students, youth, peasants, women, artisans, etc are to Labour Party just like what the Yoruba legend Sango was to Sate, the bata drummer, in the Yoruba folklore tradition. Yes as we know that Sango was a good entertainer and dancer; and Sate himself a great and talented drummer but when the duo came in contact with each other, they started doing well and much better but when anger and misunderstanding came between them, they separated but both discovered that they can’t do without each other. Sango could not dance well without his bata drummer and as well as the Sate, who could not do well without Sango his dancer but when they got back together they discovered that the acts of drumming and dancing are just intertwined.

Anyway we know that both may succeed on their own but there is need to merge them together for a better entertainment and an appreciable audience. But where exactly am I going with this analogy? How can we have a political party without an ideology directing us to the right path telling us that the means of production (industries, national wealth, mineral resources and land) and distribution (governance and administration) will no longer be in the hands of a very few individuals but in the hands of the masses, the working class, the proletariat, who actually create the wealth …And exercising of power itself will not be by the so-called ‘heavy weight’ (but intellectually barren) corrupt capitalist politicians of all shades, including those in the so-called opposition (majority of whom are only junior partners to their brethren in power) but the people will decide how the country will be run through a democratic process including right to vote on fundamental economic policies and recall any official who err against public good.

In Nigeria today, amongst all existing political parties, the Labour Party still, despite its present amorphous state, has the potentials of becoming poor people’s alternative party and to refocus the party, all genuinely minded activists, ideologues, radicals and all change-seeking elements not run away from the party but as much as possible to transform it to what it was establish for: a mass party of the working but poor masses and youths for an egalitarian society, where people’s interests and welfare will form basis of governance.

Just as the narration about how Sango could not do without Sate his bata drummer so we see that left-wing movements and mass organizations of the working masses need to be in collaboration with a political party: a platform for people to see themselves as one to come together for a change that the society has been longing for. There is no space to go over the history of how labour and social democratic parties all over the world succeeded but was short-lived, but it is apposite to state that we need not give up because of their failings because we are in the verge of succeeding, only if we get the perspectives right, and learn from the past failings of these former mass based parties in other climes. It is high time the leadership of the Labour Party redirected the party from the policy of wooing fraudulent heavyweights (but actually intellectual and political lightweights) to mobilizing the mass of youths and students, workers, artisans, women, peasants, professionals, academics, etc, who are the real change makers.

It is erroneous to believe that Nigerians are not prepared for change. It is the chameleonic nature of the so-called radicals and progressives in the opposition parties and civil society, who will mouth the policies of the ruling party using different terminologies that have let the people down. If Labour Party popularize the party’s welfare programmes and lead mass actions from local to national levels on failing infrastructures, poor services, retrenchments, etc, it will win the heart of millions. The labour movements (NLC, TUC, ASUU, NUT, etc), students’ movement, etc also need to realize that their immediate and long term demands cannot be met without using their numerical and unexploited political potentials to build the Labour Party, and take it away from the ruinous path of being the dumping ground for anti-poor politicians. There are over 5 million members of NLC alone. If, through referendum, the NLC adopt Labour Party and just 3 million workers join the party, even on the basis of N10 per month per head, the party can financially sustain itself. With a socialist and democratic approach of running the party, the party will, within few months, become the real mega-party of the working and poor people.

But this will mean that the party must adopt a socialist programmes of public ownership and control of the mainstay of the economy under the democratic control of the working and poor people from grassroots, communities, workplaces and regions to national level, coupled with massive development of the social infrastructures – free and quality education at all levels, free health care at the point of use coupled with nursery for children, massive transport and communication networks, all of which will provide decent and secure jobs for all, while developing the economy. Despite the enormous resources of the country, none of the politicians in power or in opposition can do this as it will encroach on their profit interests. Only those suffering from this corrupt arrangement can do this. But they cannot until they realize the synergy between Sango (the great dancer) and Sate (the great drummer).

Just as the Yorubas always say “what is the essence of a big eye when you cannot see with it”, we have our minds and voices and that is enough for us to effect change in our land. Let us chase after the black goat during the day as there is no difference between the blackness of the goat and night. Time to act is now!