To the Editor:
Last Saturday I attended the "Crisis is Nigeria" discussion presented by AfriCaSo in which key note speaker, Hafisat Abiola, daughter of the imprisoned president-elect, described the plight of her family and her country. Her father was democratically elected in 1993 and then promptly thrown into jail to await trial for treason following a military coup. The last time that Hafisat saw her father was 15 months ago.
This might seem burden enough for a Harvard senior to bear. However, adding to Hafisat's cross is the more recent arrest of her mother for the dissemination of information that was not sanctioned by the military government. Mrs. Abiola now awaits her fate in a Nigerian jail cell.
As I sat there listening to this young woman's account of real-life tragedy and turmoil, my heart went out to this amazing symbol of strength and courage. Curious to know the reactions of my fellow Dartmouth colleagues, I looked around from my seat to scan a total of 25 faces, mostly African Studies professors, African students, and AfriCaSo and AAm members: essentially, people already familiar with the current crisis or directly involved with it in some way.
This confused me. I was expecting more "non-affiliated" students, especially given the recent hype on campus for "diversity" and inter cultural "education." I'm curious, what exactly do such terms mean to Dartmouth students anyway? I thought that they meant a thirst for learning about the political turmoil and prominent issues which affect the daily lives of people from different nations and cultures. Perhaps I'm wrong though, maybe it means going to see some grass skirts, eat some "spicy" food and admire some "cool," indigenous art and then getting to say how "cultured" we are?
Please don't misunderstand me! I sympathize, really I do! After all, there were many formals to get dressed for and "earth-shattering" assignments to complete that night. Priorities first, right? By now you are probably saying to yourself: "Wow! What a cynic!" That may be true. A friend once told me that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit so it certainly is not something to which I aspire. However, the attitudes at this school tend to make me that way. It upsets me when Dartmouth students ignore the international scene and focus only on College life ... quite selfish really!
This is an institution of learning. While our primary purpose here at Dartmouth is to study academics, there is also a need to study the events of the wider world. Call me crazy but I firmly believe that Hafisat's speech taught me something "real" and important about my world and the amazing, diverse people who inhabit it.
What did you learn this weekend?
