Reflections On How Chiwetalu Agu Made A Bold Statement Without Being Violent -By Isaac Asabor

If there is anyone that has recently buttressed the scientific saying that a substantial part of our normal conversational communication is actually non-verbal, and that audience may actually get more information from how something was said than the actual words used, he is unarguably Chiwetalu Agu.

To those that do not know him, like members of the soldiers that undeservedly arrested him on Thursday, the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia” described him thus: “Chiwetalu Agu is a veteran Nigerian actor, comedian and movie producer who won the 2012 Nollywood award for ‘best actor in indigenous movie (non-English speaking language)’. His usage of specific language slang, phrases or clichés in each film has made him uniquely a household name in Nigeria and among Nollywood admirers abroad.

“While asserting that comic genres is a unique vehicle in projecting Nigerian culture globally as well as establishing the Nollywood brand, Agu is listed as one of the outstanding comedians who have contributed to the development of Nollywood comic genres by Prof. Femi Shaka of the University of Port Harcourt. Agu is married to Nkechi and has three sons and two daughters.”

In fact, there is no denying the fact that Agu brought his experience in acting to bear as he was able to demonstrate how humor can be used as one aspect of a strategy of nonviolent resistance to oppression and dictatorship.

His non-violent approach to passing a salient message to the power that be is reminiscent of the Serbian Otpor movement, which used humorous actions as a part of its strategy to bring down Slobodan Milošević from power, and which served to illustrate the dynamics of humor as a form of resistance. Experiential illustrations and obtainable theory exist to buttress the fact that humor can be brought to bear as a nonviolent means of resistance.

For the sake of clarity, it is expedient to recall that the Nollywood Actor landed in trouble with soldiers around Upper Iweka Bridge in Onitsha on Thursday for adorning an outfit with Biafra inscriptions.

In a viral video, the actor was seen seated on a bare floor with soldiers around him, and explaining to them, “I can wear this…this is rising sun, not Biafra, not Eastern Security Network…This is a civil dress.

“With my education, I know areas to go, areas not to go.

“I was sharing 10,000 worth of bread when he (soldier) came, no campaign, nobody was doing any demonstration or carrying people along. Even people who were hawking, I was giving them bread.”

The actor, who was later released on Friday, was also reported by a Nigerian journalist, Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu, to have been rearrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Ostensibly interpreting the words of Pope Francis that say, “Everyone must be committed in the matter of peace, to do everything that they can…Peace is the language we must speak”, Agu unarguably adopted a peaceful approach to the cause he believes in.

Though, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, has disclosed in a Statement on Thursday that the veteran actor was arrested for questioning after he was spotted in a well-known attire of the proscribed group while inciting members of the public to join the group, the explanation has unarguably remained unconvincing to most of his fans, including this writer, as they were unanimously of the view that he was not armed, and not mobilizing crowd as at the time he was picked up by the soldiers. Even the few people seen milling round him at the point of arrest where not gathered because of the clothes he adorned but for seeing a Star, which he is, in public. Whether we like it or not, he is a star that can at anything arouse the curiosity of the masses.

Debunking the claim that Agu was assaulted during the arrest, the Army partially said in the statement that “Though he attempted putting up some resistance when troops made effort to take him into custody, he was not assaulted or subjected to brutalization.”

He explained that “While the NA recognizes the inalienable rights of the citizenry to freedom of movement and expression as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is apparently a violation for any individual or group to incite the public to cause mayhem or break down of law and order.

“It is, therefore, pertinent to state that while exercising such freedoms, it must be done within the confines of the law, bearing in mind the imperative for peace, and national security.”

In as much as crisis and humour do not mix easily, there is nothing funny about arresting anyone for the clothes he or she chooses to put on.

In East Africa, particularly in Uganda, Bob Wine’s red beret has become synonymous with a fiery spirit of Ugandan resistance, long since thought to be extinguished after 33 years of ironclad rule by Museveni. The beret, which is fashionable among the youths is elegantly adorn, and no one is arresting the youths or the elders for adorning the beret.

As it is proverbially said that “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander”, it would be nice if the same treatment meted to Agu is extended to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi over his strident comments on bandits as he is reputed to be, by each passing day, appealing to the federal government to grant amnesty to bandits. Can any Igbo man or woman make such call or appeal on behalf of members of the IPOB?  Or is the power that be surreptitiously legalizing the banditry? The Islamic Scholar had for the umpteenth time said amnesty to bandits would help calm down the tensed insecurity situation in the North.

At this juncture, permit me to say that tribalism is one of the most disruptive influences confronting our great nation. Tribalism has become the basis for hatred between peoples in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. If Nigerians are to take their rightful place wherever they are across the country, the government must refrain from promoting tribalism. There is ample evidence, that the seed of discord is being sown by the government through its discriminatory actions or policies, and thereby destroying the fragile unity that the country is characterized with.  Be that as it may, Chiwetalu Agu has made a bold statement about the cause he believes in without being violent.