WHEN WILL ENOUGH BE ENOUGH? By Akpoveta Valentine 'tejiri

When a new species is discovered, the scientific world usually is caught up in a frenzy of excitement, seminars are held, papers are read, dissertations are written, studies are carried out, experiments are made and, often, the discoverer is given the chance to name their discovery. Maybe an award too, plus recognition.

I may not necessarily feel bad if I don't get the awards and recognition for my great discovery- though I won't reject them if offered. But I reserve and will NOT give up my right to name this amazing species I have discovered.

HOMO RESILIENTUS

A round of applause please...

These species are found mostly in the African continent although several have been sighted in every imaginable place you can think of. Trekking through the Sahara, hiding as stowaways in ships, swimming the Atlantic, you name it, they are most likely there. My studies have proven that they are, however, located primarily around geographical coordinates 10 00N, 8 00E and number about eight-score million.

These species are one of the most interesting to ever study especially for a number of reasons.

If you want to find fishes, go to water bodies.

If you want to find kangaroos, go to the Australian forests.

If you want to find polar bears, you go to the Arctic regions.

If you want to find HOMO RESILIENTUS, go to RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN AFRICA!

Karl Marx must have had this specie in mind when he said in his famous quote, 'Religion is the opium of the people'.

They conveniently ignore the fact that they are endowed with creative powers and have given brains, and expect some unseen, white-bearded, flowing-robed, benevolent power to do their thinking for them. They pray as if there's no tomorrow and pray again for a better tomorrow. They pray for work and pray in order to avoid work. They pray when they should be acting and pray again when faced with the consequences of their inaction. They are more prayerful than the perpetual praying-mantis. And yet their level of religiousity is not commensurate with overall morality and best practices.

But that's not all.

This species comprise some of the most hopeful creatures I have ever had the singular opportunity of setting my two eyes upon. They hope for the possible and hope for the impossible. They hope for a better future when faced with a pathetic present. They hope for a magical messiah. They hope for divine punishment for enemies- real or perceived (their village old mama inclusive). They hope for everything remotely hopeable and hope never to lose their ability to hope. They have evolved a special place in their cerebral cortex called the Hope Gland which instantly releases juices that enable them escape into the utopia of 'e go better one day' when threatened with imminent challenges. They do not work to get to the better day, no way. They only hope to see that brighter day. Afterall, why work when you can hope?

My studies are yet to ascertain which is greater, their ability to pray or their ability to hope. And when time seems to be inevitably running out? They simply hope for paradise to compensate them for their gross lack on earth. Hope indeed springs eternal.

But by far the greatest attribute of this creature is the origin of their name- RESILIENCE. One definition puts it as "the ability to spring back into shape, to withstand or recover from bending, from stretching, from being compressed, from difficult situations."

Treat them in every harmful way possible and they'd just 'resilient' themselves back. Fifty years of competing with a pendulum, going back and forth without recording significant positive progress and yet they're ever resilient. Bomb some of them- resilient. Rob them blind off their rights- resilient. Deprive them off jobs- resilient. Dupe them in the name of governance-resilient. They are not resilient to a fault. They are resilient beyond a fault, resilient to a million faults.

When one of these species with a visage akin to that red-bottomed baboon said sometime in 2007, something like, "I understand that some people are complaining about the last election, that it was not free and fair and was massively rigged. For all that feel so, you will have another opportunity to vote... in four years' time.' The rest of this species who had heard this remained... You guessed right! RESILIENT.

When you push this specie to the wall, they won't turn and fight. They would break down the wall and keep 'resilienting' away.

For the resilient, enough is never enough until it may be too late.

And just before I rounded up my research, I decided to check my DNA, and nearly fainted in shock! I was one of the HOMO RESILIENTUS!

I end with a simple prayer...

'May God save us from ourselves'

Radical positive change never occurs in countries where courage is in short supply.