Being and Becoming a Comrade
By, Salisu Mubarak Muhammad
AREWA AGENDA – The idea of being, or becoming a Comrade is surely driven by faith in the spirit of liberal tendencies, but certainly not by sight in material accumulation.
Addressing each other as Comrades gives one pride as it crystalized into struggle for justice that is characterized by discipline, resilience, courage, and shared commitment. It is a bond that exists in finding solace for all that we are no longer alone in the darkness, but together in the light of hope.
The idea of Comradeship therefore, is an expression of an encompassing love, a love that does not discriminate. Scholars like Maxim Gorky view Comradeship as “a word that has come to unite the whole world”. The toughness of the word Comrade however, does not provide an accessible platform whereby everyone can be one.
Being a Comrade is not by sharing a neighbourhood, political affiliation, a state, parents, or even a religion, but it is by equality and sense of belonging. The idea of equality in such activism has occupied a central place in the quest for socio-economic change.
In the world of unlimited space, complexities in dynamic circumstances questioned some fundamental forces perceived as anti-sameness cause. In this scenario, justice has been the stand by which human society is measured.
Within the Marxian paradigms, especially with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the notion of Comradeship gained acquaintances. Whereas capitalism that is deeply rooted in modern free market economy maintains skepticism of the whole idea, the Revolution further solidified the notion of comradeship. This development has no doubt, pointed to the production of the desirable effects on the state of mind, which must be surveyed from a certain point of view.
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If self-appointed ‘critics’ are to critique this thoroughly, they must have kept their minds free from all prejudices, allowing nothing to influence their consideration. The liberalization of human society to accommodate democratic principles is a way forward to meet certain desperate aspirations of freedom of speech and free choices. In all these endeavors, the life of a comradeship is strictly defined by the notions of independence and unlimited human freedom.
The recent debates generated by BBC Hausa of ‘Who is a Comrade?’ on social platform mostly justifies the inevitable polarization of Northern Nigerian mind-set and consciousness, full of envy, hatred against each other broiled by a deep-seated animosity. It seems obvious that the basic teachings of the Golden Rule are either totally absent, or generally overlooked.
The potential of creating a space for all to live an ultimate life in love and affection started to wane. People may often differ on certain general issues affecting a society whereby every individual ought to go along with his own sentiment, but to intoxicate oneself to the level of blindness by becoming self-centred is beyond the mental taste pouring insult on each other’s respective choices is completely unethical, unpalatable, uncivilized, and utterly immoral.
In Northern Nigeria however, almost all the Comrades have gained memorable experiences from active participation in various community projects to nearly confrontational scholarship by attending respective Universities and Colleges. They built a reputation over the years through hard-work and sincerity of purpose. The most insulted and ostracized amongst them have always been the females whose exceptional dedication and bravery keep them moving through thick and thin.
Salisu Mubarak Muhammad(Angon Kumbotso) is a Former ADC 2019 Governorship Candidate, Kano State and currently aspiring Federal House of Representatives Seat, Kumbotso Constituency.
