“Our Dreams don’t fit in Their Ballot Boxes”:

Introduction

Our dreams dont fit in their ballot boxes is a phrase that I have borrowed from Rui Mourão (Lisbon, Portugal)- an international artist (the author of An Essay on Art-ivism: Video and Performance) who created a series (ACT I, II, III) of art-ivist performances with the collaboration of dozens of people, meant to stand up for a more democratic access to art, museums and culture. His works raised important questions about the relations between the individual and the collective, the private and the public, the self and the other. More, significantly, about the notions of freedom, justice, identity, power, knowledge, art and meaning in contemporary society and culture. Mourãos directed performances demonstrate how art can empower people and how the body is the most democratic and universal medium to seek justice and equality.

Although Mourãos idea represents or suggests an artistic gesture of protest against the devaluing of culture, its political resonance provides an inevitable tool for addressing the current democratic maladies that threatens our existence as a people in the state. I adopt the phrase to raise our consciousness (as in Paulo Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed) to the manipulative democratic structure consciously installed by our political class. Of course, we are told on campaign trails and on election days about democratic dividends, but soon after, we the masses become victims of the devices of the ruling elite and political class. For this reason, our dreams do not fit into their manipulative and appalling political boxes. We have been looted of our basic human rights by the malicious capitalist structure, where our leaders- ruling elite, feed themselves to political stupor, rather than provide our daily bread.

How and why have we become so wretched in the midst of plenty? Why is everyone getting so angry but not acting or engaging in the democratic process that will facilitate transformation or change? These are crucial questions indeed, and I believe my conversation here will serve as a political antidote for those who wish to make the road by walking. Thus, my agenda in this article is about our resilience and our collective hope as a nation and state purportedly governed by democratic ethos.

 

Our Context

Democracy as we all understand, has been the peoples companion in terms of socio-economic and political development, but in the last two decades, our society has witnessed the rise of political octopuses that have choked the masses with the toxic residues of bad governance such as extreme poverty, high rate of unemployment, high crime rates, state-sponsored crimes or un-tackled discrimination, inability to keep the population interested in politics (so that political dinosaurs prevail), national and state bankruptcy or debt etc.

For every citizen, therefore, we want to understand why our society is so undemocratic despite our constitution having a democratic framework which defines clearly the relationship between the ballot box and citizens welfare. One does not need to be a political pundit to give a good analysis on how our politicians have failed in their most basic statutory duty to the people. To such stunning depth of political hypocrisy, I ask this question- is it that we have just agreed to corrupt the system and live with the dire consequences or fight to defeat the cultures of chauvinism and bigotry, which are microcosm of the current political structure.

There is no doubt that in our country Nigeria, Benue state is a unique icon, with great cultural heritage, peoples and proud history, but all consistently ruined by the backwardness and sheer stupidity of elements within the citizenry too often playing the principal role in the states politics without sustainable development policies. The conscious decision to substitute our erudite and wonderful consciences (people) with the worst instincts has driven our society to near ruin and perdition. With this in mind, it is important for us to tell the story of the politics of the current moment and from my clear-eyed speculation, warn that the future of our state is sobering and austere.

Evidently, our democratic space looks gloomy and uninspiring, but I do not think the option is to succumb to the idea that we are mere pawns in the game of power politics. I believe we have the capacity and must be ready to take steps toward tackling the rise of autocratic and paranoid leaders as well as the media cacophony that has created a new depressing political reality. It is about the present and our future, hence, we must collectively work to strengthen our democratic rights or continue to sit on the political volcano that cannot escape eruption if ignored.

 

Democratic Vulgarity

Since Nigerias transition from military to civilian “democratic” rule in 1999, there has been endless debate among Benue citizens with regards to how democratic (or undemocratic) governance and the exercise of power has been in the state. It is frequently trumpeted (the media cacophony I mentioned above) that we have achieved the much-vaunted democratic pleasures since its arrival, but essentially what we have actually experienced so far is a bastardised version in which our politicians are elected and they appoint cronies to advance their interests unhindered, and not that of the people. It strikes ones imagination whether our democracy is truly of the people, but for the people? Ostensibly, the widely accepted ethos of government of the people by the people and for the people has been long committed to the flames, and it is the masses, as I argue above, who are bearing the dire consequences.

To the above reality, the Cameroonian philosopher and political theorist Achille Mbembe talks in his book, (On the Postcolony) about the complexities of African life for the Africans. How our leaders have become instrument for transforming public good into private gain- the unfriendly relationship between salary, citizenship and clientelism. Of great interest is that under certain regimes of arbitrariness, the salary is tied to government allegiance. The case here is that we have lived with this unfortunate version of democracy for 21 years as a nation-state, and one does not need to be an intellectual to see how dismally it has failed, and continues to plummet into the political abyss.

The remarkable failure of this political system has accelerated the development of social inequalities, reinforced the role of class and ethnicity and has encouraged the greater marginalisation of people. In many ways, for example, youth individualisation of risks and responsibilities has never been facilitated in our state; rather, it has always been restrained by the social, political and economic opportunities made available to young people. As acknowledged by the Indian economist, Amartya Sen, there is a deep complementarity between individual agency and social arrangements. Therefore, in contexts of partial or absolute absence of individual freedoms, as in the case of our state, we might, as a consequence, witness (if not already witnessing) the development of a rebellious youth culture in search of radical alternatives, which I leave to everyones guess. Evidently, struggles against these forms of dominations end up in violent actions rather than steps towards the restoration of a true democratic process.

If our managers (I mean our actors in power) are serious about acting on the will of the people- that is, our dreams be considered in their ballot boxes, as dubious and treacherous as their ambitions might be, reforming our electoral system should be top on the agenda. With regard to reformation, I mean substituting the present Machiavellian sneaky, cunning, and lacking a moral code version of democracy with the truest, people-centred and participatory approach. The ability to effectively practice this is not rocket science. It is simply about making conscious efforts with regard to respecting our informed moral will. I relate this to our educational institutions (the seat of intellectual wisdom) where citizens must be schooled in the idea of what (capacity) they can contribute to the growth and development of our society (my idea here is independent of the current political rhetoric and cliché of change begins with me), rather than who (cultural or ethnic affinity) they are for the purpose of political cronyism.

It is the case that political philosophers have a long history of debating whether the will of the people can be determined or whether we can ever know if the people have spoken. The fact is that, popular references to the people and their will tend to be oversimplified. More often than not, it is used as a political weapon to shut down debate. I am not in any way calling for a total reformation of the constitution, but for the fact that we have been subjected to speaking once in every two, three or four years (depending on the office one holds), or even eight years in the case of the anointed political dinosaurs who go for three or four terms (not to mention the smart guys who have been on record for their hopping on the moving political wagon skills), there must be a total revisit to our democratic social contract. Our lives will be looted out of our bodies if there is no reformation from the point of view of just food for the masses.

The events in other domains (states) make a more concrete point. Elections are heavily contested and also controlled by political giants in these domains, yet there have been great achievements from both economic and infrastructural points of view. This premise reveals there is need for democratic discourse and advocacy in our state. One which speaks forcefully to the neglect of good governance and democratic tenets. We have to acknowledge the dangerous reality, and then we can seek to resist it. Thus, democracy is not a winner-takes-all scenario where those who win the election become the rulers with a sacred mandate to govern (which in our case they rule) as they see fit. It is an ongoing process of deliberation, monitoring, inclusion and resistance. To work properly, therefore, it requires voters and their representatives to work together to achieve the most palatable ends.

 

Our Direct Action

If our ideas (basic human rights- food and social security at least) no longer fit into their (politicians) ballot boxes, it is necessary or we are left with no alternative but to explore other potential transforming approaches in relation to questioning and demanding a fair share of our common resources.  Here, I speak of social activism- an ethical attitude of resistance which subverts the status quo in a symbolic yet effective way. However, in a society such as ours where the word activism is misconstrued by some people giving it a one-definition as revolution or violence, it is important for me to be clear as possible as I can, that my submission here is about exercising our citizens rights through nonviolent way, to hold our elected or public officials accountable. This approach is at the heart of any healthy democratic structure across the globe.

As I alluded to above (ethical attitude), I advocate for a nonviolent approach to seeking change. Since our dreams no longer matter or fit into their ballot boxes, yes, we must encourage activists or social movement agents to engage in a variety of deconstructive strategies that provides them with a special capacity of communication aimed at bringing to light, in a critical way, situations that are perceived as oppressive, unfair, unequal or constituting poor options for public policies. In a nonviolent way, we must assert our dissenting (e.g. playing provocatively with aesthetics and emotions, making use of a variety of idioms like satirical, poetical, realistic, bizarre, etc.) voices in order to defeat what I call toxic democracy which remains the bane of our development. We must act in defence of our human rights. Sure, they have amassed wealth and the energy to clear potential protests, or engage in mass arrests, but as experience show, the tidal energy of a protest or social movement is an irresistible current.

The main objective here is to strengthen our civil society organisations (CSOs) in order to become more organised, cohesive, confident and effective to bring about social change in our society. For these to be effective, I suggest they engage in well-coordinated, cohesive and properly managed civil society platforms that are inclusive, gender sensitive and visionary in deportment. They must be committed to confident leadership who must think of capacity building programme that facilitates, strengthens and sustains the civil society platforms. From a community and social development point of view, these organisations must involve activities such as training on conflict transformation and organisational management skills; consultations within and amongst existing coordination platforms of CSOs, as well as facilitated strategy sessions and retreats, and public meetings aimed at engaging with political decision-makers. By performing these actions, we can change something in our society.

The quest to get our dreams fit in their ballot boxes requires every conscientious approach and the fact of the matter is that, it is we ourselves who can be transformed by the examples of these actions illustrated above. It is a change that comes from expressing a civic awareness that is more critical, more daring, creative, interventional, felt and free, that does not drain away into institutional norms, or merely voting once in every 4 years. A change that must drive us into living a political experience with much greater intensity. Living a greater intensity through the emotion of having faith in values in which we firmly believe, and which can be equally inspiring to others; of sharing with others in the fight for what we consider to be the common good. Hence, I present this piece to you as a project of resilience and hope, suggesting that we have the capacity to break the status quo, with the excellent reason that we do not submit to unfairness all around us.

Conclusion

Driven by experience and for my passionate commitment and option for the poor in our society, I have chosen to write and send out this piece in order to contribute and to encourage a healthy political discourse in the state. Through history, we know that my choice (political discourse) has played pivotal roles in facilitating good governance. The mobilisation of youths as thugs or political foot soldiers, instead of creating them into better conscientious citizens, has been orchestrated by both politicians and revolutionaries in search of political equilibrium. For this reason, it is of great importance to understand the social, economic and political contexts in which the masses are placed, and the problems we are facing at present. Likewise, it is of great importance to promote participatory assessments of our specific needs in order to identify and implement policies which better support them. If this and other similar constructive advice are ignored, and the masses, continue to be subjected to dehumanised conditions, again, the resulting effect is left to everyones guess.

Conclusively, this piece has left us with two possibilities- to consent to the plane-crashing democratic principles outlined above, or to engage in a coercive (nonviolent persuasion) action, which is, to engage in constructive criticisms of the system without threatening our public institutions, and to intervene without establishing a permanent game of tension or disowning the system out-rightly. Ours must be to look for a better system that renders the current dominant selfish system obsolete. Objectively speaking, there is one thing that is certain- choices are not easy and they are fundamentally made between interests and values; also, total democratisation takes time. However, we can achieve this, but only through consistent dialogue, positive practical approach and implementation of sustainable policies.

I would like to end by warning my readers that this piece is written for human beings who live in a human society. As such, the existential comment by Achille Mbembe (also in Albert Camus Myth of Sisyphus) becomes a crucial point of interest- that is, in order to live as complete people, we must learn to exist in “uncertainty, chance, irreality, even absurdity”.