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Thursday, 2 May 2013

This blog has moved to the Freethought blogs network, do join me there!

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This post is to inform you, my dear readers, that this blog has now moved toFreethought Blogs network. I have joined the Freethought Bloggers, therefore this blog will now be operating frommy space on the Freethought Blog site, under the name YEMMYnisting. Yes, the only thing changing is the location, the blog's name, aims and objectives still remain the same.

Wow, I am so honoured and elated to be invited to join Freethoughts blog (FtB)! I am not usually star struck, but I must say in the world of Atheism, Feminism and everything Freethought, my S/heros are on Freethought blog (FtB). I didn't even know some of them were reading my blog, so of course, I am excited to be invited to share a freethought space with them!

I do love Blogger and my pretty purple space here, but sometimes we just have to move on. However, this is not a break up speech, it is just a relocation which does not have to lead to a break up. If anything, we are expanding our family space!

I am not closing down this blog here and all contents will still be available. However, I shall be moving some contents to thenew siteand further posts, comments and interactions shall be onmy space on theFreethought Blogs network.

I do hope all subscribers to my blog here would join me in my new space, also new subscribers are very much welcomed.

Do check out my posts, subscribe, savemy new link in your RSS feeds, and if you have me in your blogroll, do update the link.Peep in as often as possible, because I love having you around and literally your views count!

Show your love, stop by and don't be too shy to say "Hi" onmy new blog space! And on my side, I shall endeavour to keep serving you my opinions hot! I am also open to suggestions on issues you'd like me to blog about! See ya atYEMMYnisting!

Sunday, 28 April 2013

WHY ARE MANY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS SO STUPID?

Ioften receive some very ignorant comments from believers, mostly Nigerian Christianswho pompously inform me that I am going to burn in hell for not accepting Jesus Christ as mypersonal savior. They claim if I do not stop campaigning for equal rights forall, which basically mean, I should stop the ‘gay agenda’ of promoting lesbians,gays , bisexuals and transsexuals as PERSONS entitled to human rights, I will feel the wrath of their all merciful, all loving but obviously vengefuland insecure in his sexuality God. Oh, how they love calling me a fool because theirprecious bible claim anyone one who says there is no God is a fool. But I mustsay, this comment on my fb wall by a deluded Christian is a prime example ofjust how stupid many Nigerian Christians are.

“YemisiIlesanmi the anti Christ. I am sure that you are a vessel of the devil in thisend time but we are specially annoited and commissioned to frustrate and failyou.”

Ok,let’s forget that he got the spelling of ‘anointed’ wrong, although that is quitefunny because that word is always on the lips of Nigerian Christians, e.g. “I amanointed” , “anointing fall on me” and the very popular “You don buy your anointingoil?”

Iwill proceed to critically scrutinize this comment as it shows the level of religiousretardation the average Nigerian Christian suffers from.

“YemisiIlesanmi the anti Christ.”-

Whoin their rightmind still call people ‘Antichrist’? If,not accepting your blue eyed, blonde, sexy Jew, hanging half naked on a cross on your neck, makes me an Anti Christ, are the over 5 billion human inhabitants of this planet earth who are not Christians alsoAnti Christ? Are we all going to burn inhell for not worshiping your God? You cannot use the word anti Christ andexpect any intelligent person to take you seriously. You really come across asthe epitome of stupid when you accuse someone of being an ‘anti Christ’.

“I am sure that you are a vessel of the devil inthis end time”- Really, Vessel of the devil? Na locomotive, manual or electronicallyoperated Vessel? Leave it to Nigerian Christians who are yet to free themselvesfrom mental slavery to use such description.

Andthis “end times” scary business, has it not always been end times? If you truly believe you are living in endtimes wouldn’t you move into a monastery or church to avoid temptations and wait for the rapture? Or don’tyou want to ascend into heaven with your darling lover, the sexy Jesus Christ?

Youscream it is end times because some people say your God is only a figment ofyour deluded and colonized imagination. You think because gays, lesbians,bisexuals and transsexuals are demanding the same right you enjoy as a citizen,it must be end times. You believe legalizing same sex marriage is a sign of theend times. Funny, but did you not know that Jesus had two daddies?

YesJesus daddies were your precious God and the poor carpenter, Joseph, who had his fiancéraped and impregnated by Holy Ghost. Well, Jesus turned out fine except forthat period when he thought he was, you know, the son of the creator of the universe,although, in all fairness, he was quite confused. One minute he said he was theson, then the next he said he was both the son and the father, you know, thatholy trinity shitty business, where your precious Jesus is his own father, impregnatedhis own mother to give birth to himself, so that he could save your unborn assfrom the sins he claimed your white ancestors committed in a garden of Edenwhere snakes used to talk. What a story!

Youdo not think teaching such fables as facts in our public schools is the sign of‘end times’, but telling you that thisstory was the frenzied imagination of some dessert dwelling men and the peoplewho colonized you is? Really, how much more stupid can you be?

“but we are specially annoited and commissioned to frustrateand fail you”

Now,this is the epitome of the stupidity of your average Nigerian Christian. Of allthe imaginary anointing possible, this one is proud to be "anointed and commissioned to frustrateand fail” Yemisi Ilesanmi, and he is so proud of it too!

Hewas not anointed to heal the world, to find a cure for cancer, to end poverty,he was not even anointed to fight Boko Haramthat areslaughtering his fellow Christians but he isproud to proclaim that his special anointing is to “frustrate and fail” YemisiIlesanmi the “anti Christ”. Even your God must think you are a moron if, of allthe responsibilities in the world, that is the anointing he chose to give you!

Whatis so pathetic is that, this is the type of mindset that allows a rich countrylike Nigeria to spiral downhill.

Whilethe fanatic islamist Boko Haram go on the streets to slaughter Christians andinnocent people to earn 72 virgins in heaven andscore a point in the name oftheir pedophile prophet, the average Nigerian Christian is content to bask inthe delusion of a special anointing. They are content to buy anointing oil fromtheir pastors vineyard, pay their pastors to turn the oil into some magic portion, dab it on their forehead and pronto, that istheir armour against bullets, accidents, corrupt government, risingunemployment, poverty and their evil step mother.

Eventhe foreign missionaries that brought Christianity to Africa knew that they hadto invade with weapons and devise ways to hijack the land and cart off manyable-bodied Africans into slavery. They did not just rely on anointing oil;they created their anointing oil in the form of superior physical weaponry, notsome imaginary floating skydaddy. Lazy Nigerian Christians still do notunderstand how the game is played. They are content to sit in their corner ofthe world and sigh “God is in control”.

NigerianChristians bask in the euphoria of a special anointing, with a big ego thatmakes them feel they are special because they have Jesus. They brandish thebible like some sort of talisman to ward off so called ‘evil spirits’. Don’t they even know that the bible says theyare inferior beings and the very blackness of their skin, a curse?

Andfor the women who sing their heart out in church and dance like their lifedepends on it, did they ever read the part that says they are subhuman, not equalto a man and must not speak in public? Really, how stupid do you look preachingand praising a book that claim you are less than equal to another human being?

Now,to go back to this anointing business, if a Boko Haram member left a message onthe wall of a Christian that he is specially anointed andcommissioned to frustrate and fail theChristian, won’t it be seen as a terrorist act? Won’t other Christians cry outand demand that the state protect them from this fanatic Islamist? Why then isit acceptable for Christians to send such ‘threatening’ messages to atheists? Double standards?

Waita minute, could it be that everyone suspects that the average NigerianChristian is just as useless as they come. Maybe even deep down the Christian knows there is nothing like a ‘specialanointing’. This special anointing business is just a cover for theirhelplessness, a fear they are not willing to face, since the thought of asuperman or skydaddy figure watching over them from the clouds, shields themfrom facing the harsh realities of the world they live in.

Butthe tragedy is, even if the special anointing of this religitard Christian is a figmentof the imagination. Although, for now, he is not actively throwing stones and bombs at 'antichrists',there are many other ways these Christians harm non believers.

Takefor instance; what if I happened to be at the mercy of this guy who thinks his specialanointing is to frustrate and fail me. What if this guy is my boss, would myemployment still be secured? What if I had a job interview and this guy seatsat the other end, do you honestly think he would recommend me for the job evenif I met all the criteria? What if I was homeless, hungry and dying, do youthink this guy who claims his special anointing is to frustrate and fail mewould offer a hand of help?

If he did offer help, you can be sure that itwould come with a condition attached, and of course that condition would bethat I first accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior. Of course, you can be sure that he would give mea lecture on how all my travails are a backlash from my mocking Jesus andsaying there is noGod. He would be so pleased to tell me that all mycalamities are God’s ways of showing me his supremacy as he is ‘Papa God’, thelord of the universe, he who must not be mocked. Really, what person of ethics,with an iota of morality rejoices at the misfortunes of others and claims it isGod’s way of showing his superiority. It takes a special brand of stupid tofind joy in such dastardly acts.

Now,the point is, even though the average Nigerian Christian does not have theconviction of his religion to go out there and throw stones and bombs at theantichrists, there are many other ways your average Nigerian christian terrorizesthose who do not share their faith. They economically disempower, politicallycastrate and socially estrange atheists. These are all acts of terrorism.

Nigerian Christian terrorism is whenthousands of church goers watch and applaud their pastor as hepublicly slaps a defenseless young girl whom he accuses of witchcraft. Christian terrorism iswhen Catholic Popes and priests cover up the rape of altar boys. Terrorism is when you sendatheists threatening messages or refuse to employ an atheist even when they arequalified for the job. Religion terrorism is when you oppose publicappointments of atheists because they do not share your faith.

Theaverage Nigerian religious retard would definitely not vote for an atheist evenif the atheist would help grow the economy, fight poverty, ensure stable powersupply, improve national security and provide employment.

The many stupidNigerian Christians are more concerned about their special anointing to frustrateand fail the anti Christ who demand for equal rights for gays, lesbians,bisexuals and transsexuals. They are not concerned about devising practicalmeans to change their oppressive government whose policies are responsible forthe hardships that is frustrating this one life they have. While everythingaround them falls apart, they are content to dream of a better world somewherein the clouds even though none of them want to die, heck, none of them even wantthe rapture to happen. Really, why areso many Nigerian Christians so stupid?

Friday, 19 April 2013

STOP TELLING BLACK WOMEN WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR HAIR OR SKIN!

Awoman’s body seems to be the one thing everyone wants to control. Country, religionor even gender is not a barrier, everyone wants to tell a woman what to do withher body and that include her fellow women. No surprise there, even ‘gods’ seems obsessed with women, but reallywhat is this growing trend about women who should know better, telling otherwomen what to do with their hair and/or skin? Why are many black women focusedon controlling other sisters’ body, hair and skin? What is all this talk about blackAfrican women accusing other black sisters of not being African enough becauseof their choice of hair style or body cream?

Sincethe craze for Brazilian weaves, Chinese weaves and even human hair amongstblack African women, with a large demand from Nigerian women, many African menand some women have come out to condemn this as a sign of inferiority complex. Itis becoming mundane to come across yet another post from fellow women and someself-styled ‘Real Africans’, questioning the choice of black women who usechemicals on their hair or skin.

Recently,there was a furore when a respected, award winning female novelist of Nigerianorigin was ‘mis’ quoted as saying.“African womenwearing artificial hair attachments have low self esteem and inferiority complex”. I am glad that she didn’t use the wordsattributed to her but even the words she used are not totally free fromthe“If you do not do it this way, you have some underlying issues and thereforenot a real African woman” tone. To quoteher: “For many black women, the idea of wearing their hair naturally isunbearable”.

Sentiments like these are unfortunately gaining groundsamongst black women. It is no longer surprising to read such comments fromfemale friends on facebook newsfeeds and even amongst a few male atheists, someof whom confuse non belief in God with a condemnation of colonialism, rejectionof its Abrahamic God and so called ‘western values’.

Ofcourse some of us find the idea of wearing our hair the natural way‘unbearable’. No, this has nothing to do with inferiority complex or self esteem,it is just that for some African women, leaving our hair the natural way causesheadache. If only I had a penny for the number of times women have said thatwhen they start having headaches, they know it is time to bring out the relaxerand retouch their natural hair underneath their weave on!

Also,some of us do not have fond memories of plaiting our hair. As a young schoolgirl, I used to dread going to the local hairdresser, which btw is not a fancyhair salon, but just a woman down the street with a stool, and a queue of youngschool girls waiting to braid their hair in the style chosen for the week bytheir schools. Flashbacks of being squeezed between the laps of the hair stylistand my head forced under the sometimes smelly thighs of the ‘onidiri’ do notinvoke good memories. I also remember tears falling down my face because plaiting natural hair could be painful. Assoon as I had a choice, I decided to do away with plaiting my hair andimmediately settled for ‘punky’ low cuts in high school.

Yes, some of us find plaiting our natural hair“unbearable”, not because we hate it or its ‘Africaness’, but because the hardtexture often makes plaiting our hair physically unbearable. Of course,strengthening it with chemicals makes it less painful to plait. Even now, I wouldn’t dream of braiding my hairwithout first applying relaxer to the hair undergrowth, to not do that would bepure torture! Men who really don’t know a shit about women’s hair should shutthe fuck up!

Womenwho are advocates of natural hair should stress the importance of choice. Naturalhair might be your pet project, do not present it as anything more than that,it is a matter of individual choice. You would be bigoted to present it as aright or wrong thing; opinions are a dime a many, stop forcing your opinionsdown the throat of others.

Imust confess that I am not a fan of weaves. All that weaving and plaiting gives me headache. Also, I like to run myfingers through my hair and be able to feel my scalp; this wouldn’t be possibleif I had weave on, as the tight cornrows, plaits and added weave covers thescalps. I am a ‘braid’ person, I find that long braids satisfies me in more ways than one. OK, I have a fetishfor sensuous long dreadlocks in men and women!

However,I find it hypocritical that some black women condemn other black women forwearing weaves. You claim any African woman who wears weaves is suffering fromlow self esteem and not a real African, yet you make this claim while battingyour false eye lashes, clawing with your fake nails, standing menacinglyin your high heels, your pouting lipscovered in red lipstick and your heaving boobs heavily supported by a Victoriasecret bra. In what universe are these accessories African?

Thehypocrisy surrounding the condemnation of skin lightening.

Whilesome black women vociferously defend the use of weaves, they however have noqualms about condemning black women who tones, lightens or bleach their skin.They gleefully accuse such women of suffering from inferiority complex. Theyclaim that black women who use lightening creams hate being African. Basically,they throw the same words used against the use of weaves to condemn the use ofskin lightening creams. Even though they reject and speak against using suchcondemnations to refer to women who use weaves, they have no qualms about throwingsame words at black women who use lightening creams. Sounds like doublestandards to me. Those claims are inmost cases absurd and definitely constitute a fallacy of generalization. What about white people who tan their skin oruse tanning lotions to have a darker skin tone? Are they suffering from inferiority complex from nonexistent blackcolonialists?

Veryhigh percentage of African women uses lightening creams. The use varies from mildtoning to heavy ‘bleaching’ which I’d rather refer to as ‘skin lightening’ due to the derogatory andoffensive meaning the word “bleaching’ has acquired within the black community.We must understand that people have a right over their body; they have theautonomy to choose how they want to treat their body. We might not like theirchoice, but it is their body. Yes, using lightening creams have side effects;it isn’t the healthiest choice out there. But then, so do smoking, drinkingalcohol, constant consumption of fatty foods, fizzy drinks, wearing high heelsand having consensual unprotected sexual intercourse. When adults make choicesthat do not harm others, we really should learn to keep our opinion toourselves unless asked.

Manywho condemn women who use lightening creams have little or no regard for thewomen’s health; they are just interested in forcing their unsolicited andunprofessional opinion down the throat of others. They are more concerned about expressing theirhalf baked, psychoanalysis of the reasons they think the stranger they do notknow is using skin lightening creams or wearing weaves.

Thereare cases where black men use skin lightening creams and those men do not haveit easier. Recently, a colleague mentioned how he threatened to throw out a male friend who suddenly started lighteninghis skin. He speculated that the friend must have started using lightening creambecause he was new in UK, had a white male lover whose family was not acceptingof him and therefore must have felt he needed to lighten his skin so he can beaccepted by his white lover’s family. I wondered if he actually asked the friendwhy he chose to use lightening skin before coming to his personal conclusions.Even if the friend made his choice to lighten his skin for whatever reason(s),why threaten to throw him out for a choice he made? As a fellow lgbt rightsadvocate, I had to remind him about the right to choose, tolerance andacceptance. Imposing your views on another especially when their choice doesnot harm anyone is indeed another form of oppression. It is sad that people who know what it is liketo be oppressed do not check their own privilege meter when they oppressothers.

Whois a Real African?

Thisobsession with who is a real African woman seems to know no bounds. Where exactly do we draw the line? Who defineswho is a real African? At what point do we draw the boundary? When do we admitthat adult human beings have a choice to do whatever they like with their bodywhether or not we agree with their choice?

Africanmen who claim African women should not wear weaves-on should ask themselves whythey wear three piece suits and don ties in tropical weathersespecially in hot climes like Nigeria. You sweat like a Christmas goat underyour suits, yet you had the audacity to say an African woman who wears weaves orlightens her skin suffers from colonial induced inferiority complex. When next you want to condemn a woman forwearing weaves or lightening her skin, think of how you smoke your cigarettesnonstop even though you’ve been shown the damage smoking does to yourlung. Ask yourself how you would feel if someone accused you of smoking becauseyou have inferiority complex and only wants to be like the Europeans whobrought cigarettes to your colonized land. Does smoking cigarettes mean you sufferfrom inferiority complex? Does it meanyou are not a real African man? After all, your forefathers didn’t smokecigarettes; they snuffed ‘tabba’, why not go back to snuffing ‘tabba’, just toshow you are a real African man.

Youdrink beer and boast about your champagne collections, but you steer clear ofyour forefathers palm wine and ‘burukutu’ yet you stand there with your glassof foreign wine in hand, accusing women who wear weaves or lighten their skin,of wanting to be like Europeans. Is your beer, wine and champagne an Africanthing? You should know that your alcohol is not just only dangerous to yourhealth but also likely to harm others when you are in an alcohol induced state,this is far worse than any harm weaves or skin lightening could cause. Whatevermakes you think you can stand in judgment of the non harmful choice of others?
You worship foreign Gods and have pictures of a blue eyed, blondewhite man hanging on your wall, neck while you firmly clutch the image of apale ‘Holy Mary’ as if your very life depends on it, yet you accuse black womenwho wear weaves and use lightening creams of not behaving like real Africansand of wanting to be like Europeans. Why don't you first remove the log in youreyes before you attempt to remove the speck in the eyes of another?

Thereare white women who wear their hairs in braids and cornrows; do they alsosuffer from low self-esteem and inferiority complex? Many women regardless of skin colour, wear hair attachments. Even to make the manyAfrican braids styles, you need hair attachments. Some African women also wearvery short weaves, it is not about wanting long flowing Brazilian or Chinesehair. It is about convenience and what suits one at a particular time or forall time.

Myhair is not your political statement

I once dated a much older gentleman who was an ardent pan-Africanist, he wanted me to change my hairstyle to ‘Shuku’, a popular hairstyle amongst Nigerianwomen and Yoruba goddesses. I made it clear that unless I was contesting forMiss Osun state or the ‘Arogba’ of Osun river (which wouldn’t happen even if therewas a hell that could freeze over), I wouldn’t plait my hair in shuku! Lookingat his pleading eyes, I realized it was his way of projecting his sexualfantasy on me. He was just another male who wanted to use a woman to fulfillhis sexual fantasy. As a pan Africanist, his sexual fantasy most probably does notevolve around Barbie dolls but around a curvy, African woman who looks anddresses like an African female deity!

Butthe thing is, it does not matter whether the man or woman directly orindirectly coercing me to conform to their peculiar sexual fantasy is African, European,or Asian, coercion is coercion, regardless of the gender or colour of theperpetrator. Nobody should be made to live as an object to fulfill the sexualdesires or sense of righteousness of others.

Blackwoman hair is unfortunately seen most often as a political statement. Anyone,be it black or white, can make a statement with their hair. Some lgbt advocatesdye their hair the rainbow colour to make a political statement, “we are lgbt andproud”. But sometimes, it is just about having fun. I used to think dreadlockswas about making a political statement, a symbol against oppression because Iwas influenced by great stars who had luscious dreadlocks like the legendaryBob Marley and super talented, beautiful musician, Tracy Chapman. When I started braiding my hairin dreadlocks style, I’d say every strand of my hair stands for struggle againstoppression. But then, I broadened my horizon, and met people with dreadlocksthat never cared for political ideology. Dreadlocks to them, was not a political thingbut something they were born with or just the latest craze in town. Not everyhairstyle of a black person is a political statement. We have the right to havefun with our hair without any political or spiritual undertone!

Do not berate other women for their lifestylechoice. We should learn to respect the right of adults to make decisions abouttheir own bodies. Before you make that snide remark about a black woman’s hairor skin, check your bigotry, ignorance and definitely check your privilege.

Alwaysremember: My Body, My Choice, My Right.