This blog has moved to the Freethought blogs network, do join me there!

IMPORTANT NOTICE
 

This post is to inform you, my dear readers, that this blog has now moved to Freethought Blogs network. I have joined the Freethought Bloggers, therefore this blog will now be operating from my space on the Freethought Blog site, under the name YEMMYnisting. Yes, the only thing changing is the location,  the blog's name, aims and objectives still remain the same.

Wow, I am so honoured and elated to be invited to join Freethoughts blog (FtB)! I am not usually star struck, but I must say in the world of Atheism, Feminism and everything Freethought, my S/heros are on Freethought blog (FtB). I didn't even know some of them were reading my blog, so of course, I am excited to be invited to share a freethought space with them!

I do love Blogger and my pretty purple space here, but sometimes we just have to move on. However, this is not a break up speech, it is just a relocation which does not have to lead to a break up. If anything, we are expanding our family space!

I am not closing down this blog here and all contents will still be available. However, I shall be moving some contents to the new site and further posts, comments and interactions shall be on my space on the Freethought Blogs network.

I do hope all subscribers to my blog here would join me in my new space, also new subscribers are very much welcomed. 

Do check out my posts, subscribe, save my new link in your RSS feeds, and if you have me in your blogroll, do update the link. Peep in as often as possible, because I love having you around and literally your views count! 

Show your love, stop by and don't be too shy to say "Hi" on my new blog space! And on my side, I shall endeavour to keep serving you my opinions hot! I am also open to suggestions on issues you'd like me to blog about! See ya at YEMMYnisting! 

 

WHY ARE MANY NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS SO STUPID?

 

I often receive some very ignorant comments from believers, mostly Nigerian Christians who pompously inform me that I am going to burn in hell for not accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior. They claim if I do not stop campaigning for equal rights for all, which basically mean, I should stop the ‘gay agenda’ of promoting lesbians, gays , bisexuals and transsexuals as PERSONS entitled to human rights,  I will feel the wrath of their  all merciful, all loving but obviously vengeful and insecure in his sexuality God. Oh, how they love calling me a fool because their precious bible claim anyone one who says there is no God is a fool. But I must say, this comment on my fb wall by a deluded Christian is a prime example of just how stupid many Nigerian Christians are.

“Yemisi Ilesanmi the anti Christ. I am sure that you are a vessel of the devil in this end time but we are specially annoited and commissioned to frustrate and fail you.”

Ok, let’s forget that he got the spelling of ‘anointed’ wrong, although that is quite funny because that word is always on the lips of Nigerian Christians, e.g. “I am anointed” , “anointing fall on me” and the very popular “You don buy your anointing oil?”

I will proceed to critically scrutinize this comment as it shows the level of religious retardation the average Nigerian Christian suffers from.

“Yemisi Ilesanmi the anti Christ.”-

Who in their right mind still call people ‘Antichrist’? If, not accepting your blue eyed, blonde, sexy Jew, hanging half naked on a cross on your neck, makes me an Anti Christ, are the over 5 billion human inhabitants of this planet earth who are not Christians also Anti Christ?  Are we all going to burn in hell for not worshiping your God? You cannot use the word anti Christ and expect any intelligent person to take you seriously. You really come across as the epitome of stupid when you accuse someone of being an ‘anti Christ’.

 “I am sure that you are a vessel of the devil in this end time”- Really, Vessel of the devil?  Na locomotive, manual or electronically operated Vessel? Leave it to Nigerian Christians who are yet to free themselves from mental slavery to use such description.  

And this “end times” scary business, has it not always been end times?  If you truly believe you are living in end times wouldn’t you move into a monastery or church to avoid  temptations and wait for the rapture? Or don’t you want to ascend into heaven with your darling lover, the sexy Jesus Christ?  

You scream it is end times because some people say your God is only a figment of your deluded and colonized imagination. You think because gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals are demanding the same right you enjoy as a citizen, it must be end times. You believe legalizing same sex marriage is a sign of the end times. Funny, but did you not know that Jesus had two daddies?

Yes Jesus daddies were your precious God and the poor carpenter, Joseph, who had his fiancé raped and impregnated by Holy Ghost. Well, Jesus turned out fine except for that period when he thought he was, you know, the son of the creator of the universe, although, in all fairness, he was quite confused. One minute he said he was the son, then the next he said he was both the son and the father, you know, that holy trinity shitty business, where your precious Jesus is his own father, impregnated his own mother to give birth to himself, so that he could save your unborn ass from the sins he claimed your white ancestors committed in a garden of Eden where snakes used to talk.  What a story!

You do not think teaching such fables as facts in our public schools is the sign of ‘end  times’, but telling you that this story was the frenzied imagination of some dessert dwelling men and the people who colonized you is? Really, how much more stupid can you be?

“but we are specially annoited and commissioned to frustrate and fail you”

Now, this is the epitome of the stupidity of your average Nigerian Christian. Of all the imaginary anointing possible, this one is proud to be "anointed and commissioned to frustrate and fail” Yemisi Ilesanmi, and he is so proud of it too!

He was not anointed to heal the world, to find a cure for cancer, to end poverty, he was not even anointed to fight Boko Haram that are slaughtering his fellow Christians but he is proud to proclaim that his special anointing is to “frustrate and fail” Yemisi Ilesanmi the “anti Christ”. Even your God must think you are a moron if, of all the responsibilities in the world, that is the anointing he chose to give you!

What is so pathetic is that, this is the type of mindset that allows a rich country like Nigeria to spiral downhill.

While the fanatic islamist Boko Haram go on the streets to slaughter Christians and innocent people to earn 72 virgins in heaven and score a point in the name of their pedophile prophet, the average Nigerian Christian is content to bask in the delusion of a special anointing. They are content to buy anointing oil from their pastors vineyard, pay their pastors to turn the oil into some magic portion,  dab it on their forehead and pronto, that is their armour against bullets, accidents, corrupt government, rising unemployment, poverty and their evil step mother.  

Even the foreign missionaries that brought Christianity to Africa knew that they had to invade with weapons and devise ways to hijack the land and cart off many able-bodied Africans into slavery. They did not just rely on anointing oil; they created their anointing oil in the form of superior physical weaponry, not some imaginary floating skydaddy. Lazy Nigerian Christians still do not understand how the game is played. They are content to sit in their corner of the world and sigh “God is in control”.

Nigerian Christians bask in the euphoria of a special anointing, with a big ego that makes them feel they are special because they have Jesus. They brandish the bible like some sort of talisman to ward off so called ‘evil spirits’.  Don’t they even know that the bible says they are inferior beings and the very blackness of their skin, a curse?

And for the women who sing their heart out in church and dance like their life depends on it, did they ever read the part that says they are subhuman, not equal to a man and must not speak in public? Really, how stupid do you look preaching and praising a book that claim you are less than equal to another human being?

Now, to go back to this anointing business, if a Boko Haram member left a message on the wall of a Christian that he is specially anointed and commissioned to frustrate and fail the Christian, won’t it be seen as a terrorist act? Won’t other Christians cry out and demand that the state protect them from this fanatic Islamist? Why then is it acceptable for Christians to send such ‘threatening’ messages to atheists?  Double standards?

Wait a minute, could it be that everyone suspects that the average Nigerian Christian is just as useless as they come.  Maybe even deep down the Christian knows there is nothing like a ‘special anointing’. This special anointing business is just a cover for their helplessness, a fear they are not willing to face, since the thought of a superman or skydaddy figure watching over them from the clouds, shields them from facing the harsh realities of the world they live in.

But the tragedy is, even if the special anointing of this religitard Christian is a figment of the imagination. Although, for now, he is not actively throwing stones and bombs at 'antichrists', there are many other ways these Christians harm non believers.

Take for instance; what if I happened to be at the mercy of this guy who thinks his special anointing is to frustrate and fail me. What if this guy is my boss, would my employment still be secured? What if I had a job interview and this guy seats at the other end, do you honestly think he would recommend me for the job even if I met all the criteria? What if I was homeless, hungry and dying, do you think this guy who claims his special anointing is to frustrate and fail me would offer a hand of help?

 If he did offer help, you can be sure that it would come with a condition attached, and of course that condition would be that I first accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior.  Of course, you can be sure that he would give me a lecture on how all my travails are a backlash from my mocking Jesus and saying there is no God. He would be so pleased to tell me that all my calamities are God’s ways of showing me his supremacy as he is ‘Papa God’, the lord of the universe, he who must not be mocked. Really, what person of ethics, with an iota of morality rejoices at the misfortunes of others and claims it is God’s way of showing his superiority. It takes a special brand of stupid to find joy in such dastardly acts.

Now, the point is, even though the average Nigerian Christian does not have the conviction of his religion to go out there and throw stones and bombs at the antichrists, there are many other ways your average Nigerian christian terrorizes those who do not share their faith. They economically disempower, politically castrate and socially estrange atheists. These are all acts of terrorism.

Nigerian Christian terrorism is when thousands of church goers watch and applaud their pastor as he publicly slaps a defenseless young girl whom he accuses of witchcraft. Christian terrorism is when Catholic Popes and priests cover up the rape of altar boys. Terrorism is when you send atheists threatening messages or refuse to employ an atheist even when they are qualified for the job. Religion terrorism is when you oppose public appointments of atheists because they do not share your faith.

The average Nigerian religious retard would definitely not vote for an atheist even if the atheist would help grow the economy, fight poverty, ensure stable power supply, improve national security and provide employment. 

The many stupid Nigerian Christians are more concerned about their special anointing to frustrate and fail the anti Christ who demand for equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. They are not concerned about devising practical means to change their oppressive government whose policies are responsible for the hardships that is frustrating this one life they have. While everything around them falls apart, they are content to dream of a better world somewhere in the clouds even though none of them want to die, heck, none of them even want the rapture to happen.  Really, why are so many Nigerian Christians so stupid?  

 Related article- SLAP SOME SENSE INTO BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO!

 

STOP TELLING BLACK WOMEN WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR HAIR OR SKIN!

A woman’s body seems to be the one thing everyone wants to control. Country, religion or even gender is not a barrier, everyone wants to tell a woman what to do with her body and that include her fellow women.  No surprise there, even ‘gods’ seems obsessed with women, but really what is this growing trend about women who should know better, telling other women what to do with their hair and/or skin? Why are many black women focused on controlling other sisters’ body, hair and skin? What is all this talk about black African women accusing other black sisters of not being African enough because of their choice of hair style or body cream?

Since the craze for Brazilian weaves, Chinese weaves and even human hair amongst black African women, with a large demand from Nigerian women, many African men and some women have come out to condemn this as a sign of inferiority complex. It is becoming mundane to come across yet another post from fellow women and some self-styled ‘Real Africans’, questioning the choice of black women who use chemicals on their hair or skin.

Recently, there was a furore when a respected, award winning female novelist of Nigerian origin was ‘mis’ quoted as saying. “African women wearing artificial hair attachments have low self esteem and inferiority complex”.  I am glad that she didn’t use the words attributed to her but even the words she used are not totally free from the “If you do not do it this way, you have some underlying issues and therefore not a real African woman” tone.  To quote her: “For many black women, the idea of wearing their hair naturally is unbearable”.

Sentiments like these are unfortunately gaining grounds amongst black women. It is no longer surprising to read such comments from female friends on facebook newsfeeds and even amongst a few male atheists, some of whom confuse non belief in God with a condemnation of colonialism, rejection of its Abrahamic God and so called ‘western values’.  

Of course some of us find the idea of wearing our hair the natural way ‘unbearable’. No, this has nothing to do with inferiority complex or self esteem, it is just that for some African women, leaving our hair the natural way causes headache. If only I had a penny for the number of times women have said that when they start having headaches, they know it is time to bring out the relaxer and retouch their natural hair underneath their weave on!

Also, some of us do not have fond memories of plaiting our hair. As a young school girl, I used to dread going to the local hairdresser, which btw is not a fancy hair salon, but just a woman down the street with a stool, and a queue of young school girls waiting to braid their hair in the style chosen for the week by their schools. Flashbacks of being squeezed between the laps of the hair stylist and my head forced under the sometimes smelly thighs of the ‘onidiri’ do not invoke good memories. I also remember tears falling down my face because plaiting natural hair could be painful. As soon as I had a choice, I decided to do away with plaiting my hair and immediately settled for ‘punky’ low cuts in high school.  

Yes, some of us find plaiting our natural hair “unbearable”, not because we hate it or its ‘Africaness’, but because the hard texture often makes plaiting our hair physically unbearable. Of course, strengthening it with chemicals makes it less painful to plait.  Even now, I wouldn’t dream of braiding my hair without first applying relaxer to the hair undergrowth, to not do that would be pure torture! Men who really don’t know a shit about women’s hair should shut the fuck up!

Women who are advocates of natural hair should stress the importance of choice. Natural hair might be your pet project, do not present it as anything more than that, it is a matter of individual choice. You would be bigoted to present it as a right or wrong thing; opinions are a dime a many, stop forcing your opinions down the throat of others.

I must confess that I am not a fan of weaves.  All that weaving and plaiting gives me headache. Also, I like to run my fingers through my hair and be able to feel my scalp; this wouldn’t be possible if I had weave on, as the tight cornrows, plaits and added weave covers the scalps. I am a ‘braid’ person, I find that long braids satisfies me in more ways than one. OK, I have a fetish for sensuous long dreadlocks in men and women! 

However, I find it hypocritical that some black women condemn other black women for wearing weaves. You claim any African woman who wears weaves is suffering from low self esteem and not a real African, yet you make this claim while batting your false eye lashes, clawing with your fake nails, standing menacingly in  your high heels, your pouting lips covered in red lipstick and your heaving boobs heavily supported by a Victoria secret bra. In what universe are these accessories African?  

The hypocrisy surrounding the condemnation of skin lightening.

While some black women vociferously defend the use of weaves, they however have no qualms about condemning black women who tones, lightens or bleach their skin. They gleefully accuse such women of suffering from inferiority complex. They claim that black women who use lightening creams hate being African. Basically, they throw the same words used against the use of weaves to condemn the use of skin lightening creams. Even though they reject and speak against using such condemnations to refer to women who use weaves, they have no qualms about throwing same words at black women who use lightening creams. Sounds like double standards to me.  Those claims are in most cases absurd and definitely constitute a fallacy of generalization.  What about white people who tan their skin or use tanning lotions to have a darker skin tone?  Are they suffering from inferiority complex from nonexistent black colonialists?

Very high percentage of African women uses lightening creams. The use varies from mild toning to heavy ‘bleaching’ which I’d rather refer to as ‘skin  lightening’ due to the derogatory and offensive meaning the word “bleaching’ has acquired within the black community. We must understand that people have a right over their body; they have the autonomy to choose how they want to treat their body. We might not like their choice, but it is their body. Yes, using lightening creams have side effects; it isn’t the healthiest choice out there. But then, so do smoking, drinking alcohol, constant consumption of fatty foods, fizzy drinks, wearing high heels and having consensual unprotected sexual intercourse. When adults make choices that do not harm others, we really should learn to keep our opinion to ourselves unless asked.

Many who condemn women who use lightening creams have little or no regard for the women’s health; they are just interested in forcing their unsolicited and unprofessional opinion down the throat of others.  They are more concerned about expressing their half baked, psychoanalysis of the reasons they think the stranger they do not know is using skin lightening creams or wearing weaves.

There are cases where black men use skin lightening creams and those men do not have it easier. Recently, a colleague mentioned how he threatened to throw out a male friend who suddenly started lightening his skin. He speculated that the friend must have started using lightening cream because he was new in UK, had a white male lover whose family was not accepting of him and therefore must have felt he needed to lighten his skin so he can be accepted by his white lover’s family. I wondered if he actually asked the friend why he chose to use lightening skin before coming to his personal conclusions. Even if the friend made his choice to lighten his skin for whatever reason(s), why threaten to throw him out for a choice he made? As a fellow lgbt rights advocate, I had to remind him about the right to choose, tolerance and acceptance. Imposing your views on another especially when their choice does not harm anyone is indeed another form of oppression.  It is sad that people who know what it is like to be oppressed do not check their own privilege meter when they oppress others.

Who is a Real African?

This obsession with who is a real African woman seems to know no bounds.  Where exactly do we draw the line? Who defines who is a real African? At what point do we draw the boundary? When do we admit that adult human beings have a choice to do whatever they like with their body whether or not we agree with their choice?

African men who claim African women should not wear weaves-on should ask themselves why they wear three piece suits and don ties in tropical weathers especially in hot climes like Nigeria. You sweat like a Christmas goat under your suits, yet you had the audacity to say an African woman who wears weaves or lightens her skin suffers from colonial induced inferiority complex.  When next you want to condemn a woman for wearing weaves or lightening her skin, think of how you smoke your cigarettes nonstop even though you’ve been shown the damage smoking does to your lung. Ask yourself how you would feel if someone accused you of smoking because you have inferiority complex and only wants to be like the Europeans who brought cigarettes to your colonized land. Does smoking cigarettes mean you suffer from inferiority complex?  Does it mean you are not a real African man? After all, your forefathers didn’t smoke cigarettes; they snuffed ‘tabba’, why not go back to snuffing ‘tabba’, just to show you are a real African man.

You drink beer and boast about your champagne collections, but you steer clear of your forefathers palm wine and ‘burukutu’ yet you stand there with your glass of foreign wine in hand, accusing women who wear weaves or lighten their skin, of wanting to be like Europeans. Is your beer, wine and champagne an African thing? You should know that your alcohol is not just only dangerous to your health but also likely to harm others when you are in an alcohol induced state, this is far worse than any harm weaves or skin lightening could cause. Whatever makes you think you can stand in judgment of the non harmful choice of others? 
You worship foreign Gods and have pictures of a blue eyed, blonde white man hanging on your wall, neck while you firmly clutch the image of a pale ‘Holy Mary’ as if your very life depends on it, yet you accuse black women who wear weaves and use lightening creams of not behaving like real Africans and of wanting to be like Europeans. Why don't you first remove the log in your eyes before you attempt to remove the speck in the eyes of another? 

There are white women who wear their hairs in braids and cornrows; do they also suffer from low self-esteem and inferiority complex? Many  women regardless of skin colour,  wear hair attachments. Even to make the many African braids styles, you need hair attachments. Some African women also wear very short weaves, it is not about wanting long flowing Brazilian or Chinese hair. It is about convenience and what suits one at a particular time or for all time.

My hair is not your political statement  

I once dated a much older gentleman who was an ardent pan-Africanist, he wanted me to change my hairstyle to ‘Shuku’, a popular hairstyle amongst Nigerian women and Yoruba goddesses. I made it clear that unless I was contesting for Miss Osun state or the ‘Arogba’ of Osun river (which wouldn’t happen even if there was a hell that could freeze over), I wouldn’t plait my hair in shuku! Looking at his pleading eyes, I realized it was his way of projecting his sexual fantasy on me. He was just another male who wanted to use a woman to fulfill his sexual fantasy. As a pan Africanist, his sexual fantasy most probably does not evolve around Barbie dolls but around a curvy, African woman who looks and dresses like an African female deity!

But the thing is, it does not matter whether the man or woman directly or indirectly coercing me to conform to their peculiar sexual fantasy is African, European, or Asian, coercion is coercion, regardless of the gender or colour of the perpetrator. Nobody should be made to live as an object to fulfill the sexual desires or sense of righteousness of others.

Black woman hair is unfortunately seen most often as a political statement. Anyone, be it black or white, can make a statement with their hair. Some lgbt advocates dye their hair the rainbow colour to make a political statement, “we are lgbt and proud”. But sometimes, it is just about having fun. I used to think dreadlocks was about making a political statement, a symbol against oppression because I was influenced by great stars who had luscious dreadlocks like the legendary Bob Marley and super talented, beautiful musician,  Tracy Chapman. When I started braiding my hair in dreadlocks style, I’d say every strand of my hair stands for struggle against oppression. But then, I broadened my horizon, and met people with dreadlocks that never cared for political ideology.  Dreadlocks to them, was not a political thing but something they were born with or just the latest craze in town. Not every hairstyle of a black person is a political statement. We have the right to have fun with our hair without any political or spiritual undertone!

Do not berate other women for their lifestyle choice. We should learn to respect the right of adults to make decisions about their own bodies. Before you make that snide remark about a black woman’s hair or skin, check your bigotry, ignorance and definitely check your privilege.

Always remember: My Body, My Choice, My Right.