Bloodlines…..

Missed me? Yes you did, so don’t even deny it. And I know you wondered where I was and what I was up to but did you look for me or ask? You didn’t! If you must know, Crunchy had writer’s block with a healthy dose of procrastination but it’s all good because I’m back on board.

A lot happened the few days I was away, the most intriguing being Aswad Ayinde’s conviction for repeatedly molesting his daughters to the extent of fathering children with them between mid 1980s – 2002 ! As in he was 'knacking' his wife and kids at same time over this long period? And I thought it was an oyibo disease, this one is closer to home and I wonder how Nigerians are reacting this revelation. 

I won’t go into details because I know you’ve all read it in newspapers, online sites and even television, no need rehashing what’s been said, I’m more interested in his reasons and the role his wife played in this macabre dance.

First of all, Aswad’s reasons were that he wanted to maintain a pure bloodline and that the world was coming to an end and like the biblical Noah, he and his offsprings would be the chosen ones. What does that tell you? Who are you dealing with here? A mentally deranged man? A man who has been brainwashed by whatever sprout of religion he’s adhering to? Or is it just a pure case of using science for self preservation?

For centuries, there has been cases of people applying almost same methods for different reasons, so it’s not like it’s a new phenomenon. In order to maintain pure royal bloodlines, ancient Egyptians encouraged direct siblings to marry.

I once read about an Italian outpost called Talana in Sardinia , they didn’t have electricity  until 1957 and their first paved road was constructed in 1970, so also did they have their first television.What made this outpost different from the rest of the modern world was that they were a homogenous enclave. And as little as they were, they’ve been strictly marrying within themselves for over 300 years so you’re dealing with a group of people who are pure bloodlines with the sole aim of preserving themselves through ensuring pollution free genes from diseases and external influences.

Which of these would you ascribe Aswad’s case to? Is he a mere peadophile using an incoherent belief system to defile his daughters? Does he actually have grand illusions of the endtime? Or is he just using science as a self preservation tool like the Talanans?

Society regards the family as it’s smallest unit, this is the bedrock of every child’s socialization, get it wrong here and you have a society with dysfunctional members who are unable to fit in. the couple is seen as co-workers, striving and checking each other to raise well balanced kids. Aswad’s wife claimed she was too scared to question her husband’s activities because of the backlash. And I ask, in which country? Same country that champions the protection of women and children? How fearful can a woman be of her husband that she would neglect the protection of her kids? Even after she had left the union?

This, I’m aware is the case of so many women out there who turn a blind eye when fathers molest their children. In Nigeria particularly, it’s rare to see a woman who would actually blow the whistle on her husband when necessary, they would prefer to hide the truth just to keep up appearances and thereby end up enabling the man.

Like I’ll always stress, you can never detect a pedophile just by looking at them but rather by their actions. There are so many out there with different character flaws and It only takes well developed societies to detect who is sane and who isn’t. apart from that, the responsibility lies with couples to take responsibility when necessary. And just like my earlier post months ago stressed,  it’s You Vs Pedophiles….