Rot, the rotten
Within the last decade, my team and I have committed ourselves to the vision of impacting society through storytelling. We have tackled very sensitive issues ─ from LGBT to corruption.
Our stories are intentionally written to mirror life and contemporary society as a whole, and we have been consistent with our mission of transforming society one play at a time.
One would assume that it has been a jolly ride on this journey. Presumably, as long as our purpose benefits society at large, it should be a decade of no hurdles at all. We should have had little or no resistance. On the contrary, it is not so. For example, many brands would want to have nothing to do with fighting a social canker.
Rot could be abused. It could be misappropriation. Any action or inaction that causes harm directly or indirectly to others is a rot.
Throughout this decade, one lesson I have learnt with ease is that fighting rot in society is a very hard thing to do.
Besides, the smell of every rot is what others live on. Any attempt to clean such rot means trampling on many toes.
Rot exists because it fills other people’s pockets. Have you ever wondered if Africa would ever have enough wealth to share with the rest of the world? That would only be possible if we were willing to clean the rot of greed.
Wars, for example, may have caused so much wreck to society. However, not everybody wants these wars to end. Even though they may have caused the death of many, they are the reason some people live.
Look at poverty in Africa. Some of our leaders are not interested in kicking this canker out. They may promise to do so whenever they want power.
They soon forget all those promises when they assume office because, without poverty, they cannot siphon more money into their pockets. Some foreign donors, on the other hand, wish we would always be poor because that is what makes them relevant. Without our vulnerability, they have no power.
Life will allow everyone to stop some rot. When that opportunity comes, be bold to stand with the truth… and not with the majority. Be bold to defend what is right, even if what is wrong is the trend.
The rot in our nation is what is to be blamed for our brokenness. Our systems will continue to be broken if we are not intentional about being fighters of the rot we see around us. They may call you names, but in their closets, they will reflect and understand why they cannot win alone with their selfishness. People may despise you, but they will trust your honesty.
They will live forever to remember that you were the difference.
There will always be rot ─ in our politics, churches, judiciary and everywhere. This is why the world needs you and me to fight rot with everything we have. When you see men and women promoting rape, for instance, life has presented an opportunity to fight rot. You may not know the victim today but the victim tomorrow may be somebody you know.
It is hard to fight rot. However, it is even harder when rot is not fought. That rot soon consumes everybody. Everybody soon becomes a victim. Like a spark, it soon becomes a wildfire that consumes an entire nation.
It is a dangerous thing to fight corruption. When people’s illegal livelihood is threatened, they will do anything to bury the fighter of the rot. They will go to any length to ensure that the rot is not cleaned, even if it means badmouthing the fighter.
Anyone who dares to make society a better place should know that they have put their lives on the line. It is inclusive in the package of their vision.
They must be ready to die for what is right. No matter the burden of wrong that is laid on them, they must not bow.
Anyone who wants to fight rot should gear themselves up to square off with the rotten. Fighting rot comes at a cost because wherever there is rot, there are rotten people. They are beneficiaries of that plague of corruption.
One needs a tough skin to fight rot of any kind because the rot benefits will fight back. When you fight rot, the rotten will fight you.
They will protect their interests ─ their selfish interests. However, we should always be reminded that any interest that is not in the interest of the masses… should be of no interest to anybody.
Don’t be silent about any wrong you observe. The silent ones are as guilty as the perpetrator. In this life, you are either part of the rot, or you are not.
If you are not, you should be fighting it wherever life places you ─ in your school, workplace, etc. You cannot sit on the fence!
Our world is what it is today because righteous people yesterday made a firm decision not to be on the side of the rotten.
Despite the abundance of wrong, some people swore never to stain their clothes. It may have cost them so much, but the joy of seeing a prosperous posterity was enough of a reward.
Today, it is our turn. We were the posterity of yesterday. Will the posterity of tomorrow count us as being part of the righteous or the rotten?
I invite you to come see my new original musical play, THE SAINT IN THE DEVIL’S SHOES. It is an experience of a lifetime.
The writer is a playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications (www.scribecommltd.com). His new play, THE SAINT IN THE DEVIL’S SHOES, is a one-cast original musical play slated for the National Theatre on April 18 and 19, 2025. For further inquiries, kindly call 0546098082.
