Friday 26 October 2007

Stop Wasting Public Funds on Useless Black Programmes and Events.

Stop Wasting Public Funds on Useless Black Programmes and Events

Dear Mayor Ken,

What prompted me to write this letter was the brochure titled “Guide to African London” which was earlier this year displayed on some London Underground Stations and still being displayed in the City Hall as part of your celebration of Black History month and the abolition of slavery in Britain. I am not strictly condemning the fact that the Mayor of London is trying to promote Black cultural activities and businesses in London (even though it may not really be his job to do so), but deeply concerned about the message of inferiority which “the brochure” (Guide to African London) sends across as well as the ridiculousness of events like the Black History Month and other similar events.

The brochure bears on its front, a photograph of a beautiful Black girl wearing a ridiculous hair attachment. The problem with this is simply that it appears the Mayor of London is indirectly promoting inferior hairdos among Black women. It appears to be promoting the ugly trend of Black women rejecting their own skins by preferring to wear wigs and hair attachments that simulate White or Asian or even Somalian hair styles to maintaining their own hair.



I have shown the image on the brochure to over twenty ordinary people (including Blacks, Whites and Asians) and virtually everyone agrees with me that it is a disgusting image to be promoted by the office of the Mayor of London. Of course, it must have been chosen by Black individuals working for the Mayor, but the fact remains that such hairdos ridicule rather than promote Black beauties as the Mayor of London must have intended. I have no doubt that most enlightened Black people (and indeed people of other races) would share my view that it is disastrous for the majority of Black women to believe that they cannot be accepted in the society without inferior hairdos such as the one shown in your brochure and the types often worn by people like Naomi Campbell, Beyonce Knowles, Serena Williams and many other so-called celebrities.

Condemning hairstyles worn by the most famous Black women (excepting of course, well educated and enlightened ones like Condoleezza Rice), may seem odd and ultraconservative, but I belive that any honest observer who has taken a good look at the way most Black British school girls and boys dress to school would also agree that there is a disaster at hand. It is a well known fact that most Black British school girls and boys appear to be more concerned about their hairdos than their studies. The culture of Political correctness has not helped things at all as Black children are allowed to dress like pop stars in hair attachments(for the girls) and “corn rows” (for the boys). Promoting a shameful hairdo such as the one on your brochure would only worsen the already bad situation. It is unacceptable for Black British school children who are fortunate to be part of the most advanced parts of this world to dress less decent and clean than ordinary school children in an average Nigerian school because they feel inadequate to appear natural or unaware of how decent Black people should tidy their hairs. The efforts of the Mayor of London to promote multiculturalism would be sabotaged if Black children are encouraged to emulate inferiority!

I decided to write you this letter out of my deep concern for the enlightenment and improvement of the Black race. I sincerely believe that you are broadminded and genuinely committed to promoting Black history and cultures as can be seen from your sponsorship of most Black events. However, I humbly suggest that expending public resources annually on events like Black History month, the ‘Guide to African London Brochure mentioned above and other unjustifiable celebrations only helps some Black people in Britain to continue to escape the realities of the failure of the Black race. It does not help to enlighten and cause us to think about ways to sort ourselves out. Black people in Britain, having escaped poverty and deprivations in Black Africa and the Caribbean Islands ought to be in the forefront of discourses and attempts to change the shameful situation of things in Black Africa and the Caribbean rather than organising self celebrations and hopeless award ceremonies.

I believe it would be good for Britain and for the Black race for enlightened Black people in Britain to be engaging in efforts to take Britain to Black Africa and other failed Black societies. The fact that there is no organised or successful Black society anywhere on earth ought to concern Black people in Britain more than any other issue! We ought to be sending to Black Africa and the Caribbean, messages of good governance, equality and social justice from Great Britain. Having fortunately escaped from our failed societies to Britain, we are morally bound to be constantly addressing our minds to the situation of our people rather than engaging in purely cosmetic and “feel good” activities.

It may not be the responsibility of the Mayor of London to address the issue of the failure of the Black race, but I believe that stopping the sponsorship of useless self-seeking Black programmes and events and encouraging our people to think home would be appreciated by the majority of right thinking people. It would seem an impossible task to ask a White man in this era of political correctness to tell Black people the truth, but it probably would take highly respectable individuals like Mayor Ken Livingstone to help wake up Black British leaders to their responsibilities.

It is most irresponsible and hypocritical for Black individuals who have principally succeeded because they have benefited from the opportunities abounding in Britain and other civilised and successful societies, to be celebrating themselves and ignoring the majority of their people living in despicable conditions in Black Africa and some Caribbean Islands. Helping us to take responsibility for our failures would not only help the Black race in general, but would also benefit race relations in Britain in the long run. It is well known that the kind of racism experienced by Black people is particularly based on our historical inferiority and failures as a people. If Black people could build successful societies out of Black Africa like the Asians have done, the kind of racism we experience today would immediately disappear. Our children would also gain better sense of belonging and higher self esteem if we are able to prove that we are not inferior.


In my view, the global failure of the Black race (particularly the lack of civilised and successful Black societies) is the real cause of the low self-esteem and failure of the majority of young Black British people to reap the benefit of being in Britain. No amount of showcasing of successful Black super models, rap artists and sport stars would uplift the spirit of young Black British people like the rising of a Singapore or Thailand out of Black Africa or the Caribbean. What hunts and demoralises our children is the real fact that their people have no real story of success compared to Whites and Asians. The way out is not to fake such stories or find some ludicrous excuses as events like Black history month tend to do, but to face facts and seek ways to address the problems. The mayor of London can assist us in achieving this by refusing to support purposeless Black events in the future.

I am highly optimistic that you would think seriously about the issues raised in this letter and consider better ways of promoting Black peoples and cultures in the future.

Thank you for finding out time to read this letter.

John Iteshi

Rotherhithe, London.