#1
I do events a lot. And I have to carry lots of stuff into big hotels - plenty load that you have no choice but to use the trolley.
Now, those hotel porters are a wonder. I have not seen a chameleon that camouflages
faster than them in response to skin colour. Any time I have any of the oyibos
with me, ah! they can want to carry all the load including the trolley on their
head sef. But when it is myself alone or alongside my two tiny colleagues that I
have been feeding for two years but they refuse to grow fat, chai, comman see
the attitude of the porter reminding you that he is old enough to be your
grandfather. I am talking about the actual situation where the guest really
needs the help of the porter. On three different occasions, the porter actually
just stood there, watching me load my stuff onto the trolley and watched again
as I offloaded without offering to lift a pin. On another occasion, it was the same
porter that had appeared miraculously out of nowhere when he spotted my oyinbo
oga helping out with the load from the booth of the car. When oga saw that we
had help, he left us with daddy porter to check into his hotel room. Darris how
daddy remembered that I cannot pass the age of his great granddaughter and stood
there like log of wood.
‘Daddy, please help load onto the trolley’ I asked
respectfully
‘We don’t assist with taking things to that side of the
hotel” daddy porter responded.
My pincholo colleague couldn’t take the hypocrisy anymore,
she starts talking to granddaddy porter one kain, me I just ignored. (Yesterday though, I couldn’t take it anymore so I called the manager’s attention after the porter had blurted back at her "why you no be white")
#2
We had everything set at last. The day had been busy at work
in preparation for the upcoming awards that same evening. We just had to move
the last set of supplies to the venue. I put a call through to one of the
office drivers to come pick us up and he replied that he was still in Lekki. I
volunteered to wait for him as Lekki wasn’t that far. I could practically feel
the reluctance in his voice as he further reiterated that he had no idea when
he would be back, he couldn’t predict the traffic etc.
‘Oyibo is there with you? I am coming now now now now, you
should have told me before.’
I was appalled! Immediately, we made other arrangements and
got our stuff to the venue. D kept calling to tell me he will be at the office soon.I couldn’t help but wonder. I remembered
the last time D had dropped Taichi at the airport and he had come dancing back
with the 20 cedi note he got as tip. At that time 20 cedi was one thousand in Nigerian naira. Na me pity this guy to epp his life to change the money as the
cedi was of absolutely no value to him. He would have spent close to one
thousand going back to the airport to change the money. 20 cedi? The same
driver that will comman give me one envelope from his church or ask me for
celebration something during the festive periods.
#3
This same hotel story. If you have noticed closely, it seems
British men find it uncomfortable when ladies lift or carry heavy load. We had
another event and my Britico Oga was with us helping as we took the things out
of the car into the hotel scanning machine. He entered the hotel to receive the
items on the other side of the scanner while I joined my colleague who was
apparently having issues with the Uber driver. Britico was at the other end
assisting the porter to put the items on the trolley. Next thing I hear is the
door man screaming “both of you are just standing there gisting, go and help
your oga carry the load’
1.
Where did the assumption that once you see
oyinbo and black, automatically, oyinbo is the boss come from?
2.
What gives you the audacity, the effrontery or
the right to tell a hotel guest what and what not to do?
3.
If the matter pained him so much, why did he not
leave his duty post, carry all his generation to assist the oyinbo since the
black skin was created for the menial jobs.
I just looked at him, shook my head and returned to my
conversation.
My fellow Nigerians, my heart bleeds at this evil mentality and bondage we have put ourselves in. Automatically, a lot of employers will pay more to a foreign degree holder from CUBA over my OAU certificate. My colleague that had her baby in the US is automatically a better advisor on maternal matters because of the foreign experience. International exposure is good and desirable, don’t get me wrong but that is what it is and it should end there. Every individual, black, white or red should be analysed based on mutual respect and intellectual capacity not the colour of their skin or the location of birth or study or even their fake accents.
My fellow Nigerians, my heart bleeds at this evil mentality and bondage we have put ourselves in. Automatically, a lot of employers will pay more to a foreign degree holder from CUBA over my OAU certificate. My colleague that had her baby in the US is automatically a better advisor on maternal matters because of the foreign experience. International exposure is good and desirable, don’t get me wrong but that is what it is and it should end there. Every individual, black, white or red should be analysed based on mutual respect and intellectual capacity not the colour of their skin or the location of birth or study or even their fake accents.
I look forward to the day our minds are fully liberated. The
day the average African no longer looks up to anything foreign for some sort of
help or direction especially over his own equally qualified black skinned dude.
written in Nigerian English
Photo credits: uptownmagazine.com binscorner.com nairaland
