Despite the fact that people shared different perspectives about career success and what it is meant to serve. A distinguished historian and a scholar of African Studies Prof. Toyin Falola has argued that Africans should sympathize with those in diaspora more while those in diaspora also reciprocate the gesture to those in Africa on career success ground.
The University of Texas, Austin scholar submitted that life is determined by other factors other than Tier 1 publications. Prof. Falola emphasised on the grace one received in life especially during the depressing moment in a document obtained by an online newspaper; FRESHPAGE.COM.NG
The Professor of African History at the University of Texas, Austin, Toyin Falola cited COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the whole world as another factor why those on African soil should sympathize with those in diaspora.
“My father had four wives and he produced many of us, some full, some half, but all united. So good was his set up that I did not know my real mom until the age of ten! Those of you who abuse Africa may have limited knowledge about older practices.
“My brother has Covid and has been on the vent for over three weeks. That of my sister in Lagos was not expected. I did not even know that she was sick.
“The pain is unbearable, the trauma is compounded by the absence of communities in the US. Since March, no one has entered my house; I have not entered another person’s house. Because of preexisting conditions, gene-based that I inherited from my parents, it will be hard for me to survive COVID. None of my parents made it to the age of 60. But I also compounded my problems with vices of self-destruction. I consume alcohol in large quantities. My loving wife warned me, I did not stop. She held a meeting with my children to warn me, I did not stop. Professor Gloria Emeagwali warned me.
“It is a miracle that I am two years to becoming 70. It is grace. I should not be alive. The basis of my excessive work is not that I want to prove a point; rather, it is because of the fear that I may not live long. I have never competed with anyone in my life—my motivation has been different: if you won’t live long, burn your candles at both ends.
“I have received support from great friends. I reached out to them to call me. They did. Gloria spoke for one hour. Biko Agozino shared his thoughts, asking me to open all the windows in the house and drink lots of water. Anyone who saw the nasty review of my book on Writing Biafra would think that I won’t speak with him again! No, I send him my essays to read precisely for that reason. Alagba Biodun spoke endlessly and composed a poem. I have created a community of healing. We need people. If you complain to anyone that you are seriously down and the person does nothing about it, remove him from your list as a friend. Being down is different from being broke. Being down is that your emotions can lead you to thinking that you are worthless. And don’t respect the scholarship of anyone who writes about people and cannot assist people”.
