In a country enamoured of dark humour, a
common greeting among the middle class
now is Happy recession!" Read OP-ED by
acclaimed Nigerian writer Chimamanda
Adichie for the New York Times:
"I was 7 years old the first time I
recognized political fear. My parents
and their friends were talking about
the government, in our living room, in
our relatively big house, set on
relatively wide grounds at a
southeastern Nigerian university, with
doors shut and no strangers present.
Yet they spoke in whispers. So
ingrained was their apprehension that
they whispered even when they did not
need to. It was 1984 and Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari was the military
head of state. Governmental controls
had mangled the economy. Many
imported goods were banned, scarcity
was rife, black markets thrived,
businesses were failing and soldiers
stalked markets to enforce
government-determined prices. My
mother came home with precious
cartons of subsidized milk and soap,
which were sold in rationed quantities.
Soldiers flogged people on the streets
for “indiscipline” — such as littering or
not standing in queues at the bus
stop. On television, the head of state,
stick-straight and authoritative,
seemed remote, impassive on his
throne amid the fear and
uncertainty..."
Read the rest here
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