The Revolution Starts With Us

 In December 2018, a revolution was started in Sudan that has not only impacted the nation, but could also end up impacting the whole world. The cause of the revolution: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. President Al-Bashir had been in power in Sudan for 30 years, and when the price of bread was tripled, the people had decided that his time was up. What ensued was a back and forth battle-the people demanding change vs the authorities fighting to maintain their power. The powers that be were desperate, banning social media to try to quell the protests, even resorting to murdering protesting citizens in hopes of dissuading the brewing revolution, see the Khartoum massacre. By the end, the will of the people persevered, and Omar Al-Bashir was deposed. A victory for that shows the world the power that a united people have.

 Image from Sudanese Revolution

As a Nigerian national, I see the current state of the nation, and recognize that for decades the government has totally failed the people. Nigeria hasn't always been in such a hapless state, infact during the 1970s, the Naira, the Nigerian currency, was more powerful than the British Pound and the U.S. Dollar, a sign of a strong economy. Today, the Naira is practically useless, corruption and over inflation contributing to that, however the personal impact is what concerns me. Corruption and mismanagement of funds have resulted in a state in which there is an overabundance of failed public systems. Long story short, I see the government as a total abject failure. I look to the revolution in Sudan and see a potential seed for change. The people in Sudan were fed up, their thirst, their hunger, their desire to see their future children see a better tomorrow was so deep that they were willing to die for that dream. United, they were unbeatable. Looking at Nigeria, recognizing how rich the nation actually is and seeing much has been stolen from the people via a greedy corrupt state system, I can only see one way out of this valley: a revolution. In order for it to be successful, the Nigerian people will need to be willing to sacrifice everything, their freedom, their lives, but if they are united, like the Sudanese people, then victory will be inevitable.

Chiyaka