Thoughts on Africa in these times… Contract with the state

(New York Contemporary Five plays “Consequences” – personnel: Archie Shepp, tenor saxophone; Don Cherry, pocket trumpet; John Tchicai, alto saxophone; Don Moore, bass; JC Moses, drums [recorded: live, Jazzhus Montmarte, Copenhagen, 15 November 1963])

The most salient contract a state has with its citizen(s)/constituent people(s) is to safeguard the latter’s security. This role is indeed the state’s raison d’être! If the state or its agent (designated or clandestinely) embarks on the murder of the citizen(s)/people(s) or is unable to protect the citizen(s)/people(s) from being murdered by other agents (domestic or extra-domestic), the state has clearly failed to uphold this cardinal contractual tenet. It is indeed extraordinary to observe that the citizens/peoples haven’t walked away from this relationship, consequently…

What are they waiting for? That the state would, perhaps, dissolve itself? But do they equally contemplate, quite clearly a graver, much more catastrophic possibility, that the state, all along, may also wish to annihilate the people(s)?

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe