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This African American son of slaves became so rich in Nigeria that he sent his U.S. family bags of gold

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James Churchwill Vaughan

Like every other average African American, James Churchwill Vaughan lived a decent life trying to make ends meet in America despite several societal issues that always put the black community several steps behind the white community.

Born in South Carolina in 1828, James lived with both his nuclear and extended family where they lived knowing no other place to call home. Although he was born free, James’s dad was born an enslaved black man working all his life on a plantation until he was too old…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

It was a wish of his father that would change the Vaughan name from a regular family of black people in the U.S. with no recognition to a name of eliteness, respect, wealth and power in parts of West Africa especially Nigeria.

On his dying bed, James’ father wished that his family relocated to Africa to be in their true home and make something better of themselves. After the death of his father, James set out to honour his late dad and decided to move to Africa with no specific plan in mind.

With the support of the American Colonization Society, James Churchwill Vaughan made the trip to Africa leaving his family behind. He arrived in Liberia with high hopes that were immediately shattered. For one, James did not find it easy in Liberia, he also found the same social problems that his father had wanted his kids to be free of in the African country.

Although disappointed, James stayed on in Liberia for a little longer until he accepted a job in Yorubaland, present-day Nigeria, to work as a carpenter for the missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention. Luckily for him, the church paid for his travel to Nigeria offering him accommodation and a stable income while he worked for them.

Nothing much is known of why he left his work with the missionaries but his later involvement in activism against racism and missionary work in Nigeria and West Africa give hints of a little bad blood before his departure.

James became a millionaire merchant in Nigeria but according to an article by Metropole, he went through very difficult and interesting moments but escaped before finding his feet. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

He persisted despite the odds being against him after arriving in Nigeria at the time of the total takeover of the country by the British after the Oyo Empire broke down. This period was known as the ‘Age of Confusion.’

In 1860, during the war, he was captured and almost shipped into slavery but managed to escape. After escaping, he made it back to Abeokuta where he settled and married a refugee from the nearby Kingdom of Benin who he had several children with. He, however, did not forget his family abroad.

After issues with the missionaries, Churchwill decided to move back to Lagos, making the trip with his family on foot. While in Lagos, he became a rich merchant trading and doing construction work until he became a millionaire. By the late 1860s, James Churchwill had risen from a poor immigrant to one of the most influential men in Nigeria joining the elite and political class.

James made efforts to connect his family in the USA and Nigeria and in 1869, he sent his struggling family in the U.S. canvas bags filled with gold.

James used his influence to speak against slavery and the fact that several wealthy Nigerians themselves owned slaves. He preached that, rather than own slaves and exploit them, they should be employed as workers and get paid for their hard work.

James Churchwill Vaughan Tombstone

In 1888, Vaughan, together with several other successful immigrants established the Native Baptist Church, the first non-missionary church in West Africa. In 1893, he died at the age of sixty-five and was given a befitting burial. His tomb can still be visited today over 100 years after his death.

 

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METRO

5 reasons why men always cheat

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Cheating occurs when one partner betrays the other’s confidence and violates the promise of emotional and sexual exclusivity with them.

Being betrayed by someone you love deeply can be painful. People who are defrauded suffer greatly. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Let’s talk about the reasons why guys cheat in relationships and what you can do about it…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

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METRO

How and Why “Unknown Soldiers” Attacked Fela’s Home, Kalakuta Republic, in 1977

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Kalakuta Republic was the home of the late musician and political activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The commune, located at No. 6 Agege Motor Rd., Moshalashi, Lagos, enclosed Fela’s recording studio, nightclub and a private clinic which was operated by his younger brother, Beko Ransome-Kuti. The two‐storey yellow building also housed Fela’s family and band members…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

The name ‘Kalakuta‘ was a parody of Calcutta prison in India where Fela served a sentence in 1974 for possessing marijuana which many believed was politically motivated. Fela declared Kalakuta an independent republic from Nigeria due to his hatred for the then military government which he believed ruled Nigerians with dishonesty. Having a republic inside a republic did not go down well with the military government.

Military men outside Kalakuta republic
Military men outside Kalakuta Republic

Fela’s relationship with the military government deteriorated when he released a best-selling track titled ‘Zombie’ which mocked Nigerian soldiers. The song gained nationwide attention which angered the military government of Olusegun Obasanjo. A line of the song says, “Zombie no go walk unless you tell am to walk“, i.e., a zombie (fool) won’t walk unless commanded.

Download Zombie by Fela Kuti

Their already strained relationship got severed on a fateful day when two of Fela’s boys got in a heated argument with a military police officer for driving one of Fela’s vehicle which had no plate number at the front; this was on the 18th of February, 1977. Fela’s boys, identified as Segun Adams and Segun Ademola, argued that since there was a plate number at the back, they would not let the officer impound the vehicle.

Fela’s boys drove away as the argument got intense. Some military men chased them to Kalakuta Republic but were denied entrance. This infuriated the military men and they set fire to the generator that powered Kalakuta Republic and cut its electric fence as well, then called for back up to fully invade the commune.

Fela Kuti explaining a point to Mr. Justice Anya after the Kalakuta raid
Fela Kuti explaining a point to Mr. Justice Anya after the Kalakuta raid

Shortly after, about one thousand soldiers arrived with machine guns. Stampede ensued in Kalakuta Republic as the soldiers mercilessly beat its occupants including Fela and his brother. Fela’s brother, Beko, claimed they were almost killed during the attack. Women were beaten and molested. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Fela’s mother, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was beaten and thrown from an upstairs window. She eventually died from the injuries she sustained during the attack. The soldiers set fire to the commune which razed to ashes in no time.

Fela being rushed to the hospital after he was beaten by soldiers
Fela being rushed to the hospital after he was beaten by soldiers

Properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed; most of Kalakuta’s 60 occupants were in the hospital and so were a number of innocent bystanders who ran past the flames with their arms held straight in the air, a gesture of surrender, but were clubbed anyway by drunken, red-eyed soldiers. It was indeed a horrible day for Fela and his family. People believed that Fela’s beef with the military government culminated in the attack on Kalakuta Republic.

Fela and band members during a dance rehearsal at Kalakuta Republic | TheNetNG
Fela and band members during a dance rehearsal at Kalakuta Republic

However, the Kutis did not let the military go away with their assault. They filed a N25 Million lawsuit against the Nigerian military. The Kutis’ lawyer, Mr Tunji Braithwaite, handled the case brilliantly but eventually lost to the military government on the ground that the soldiers who attacked Kalakuta Republic were unknown soldiers. Thus the case was dismissed!

Kalakuta Republic in ashes
Kalakuta Republic in ashes

An infuriated Fela who later lost his mother as a result of the attack carried a replica of her coffin to the Dodan military barracks and dropped it off. He later released a song titled ‘Coffin for Head of State’ in 1980 which narrated the attack on Kalakuta and the death of his mother.

Fela and his mother, Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Sad faces of Fela Kuti and his mother, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti, during the probe on the Kalakuta attack

The military government of Olusegun Obasanjo revoked the Kutis’ Certificate of Occupancy of the commune. The site of the demolished Kalakuta Republic is now occupied by a school, named after Fela’s original surname: Ransome-Kuti Memorial Grammar School.

 

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METRO

How The People of Ara-Ekiti Committed Mass Suicide To Avoid Enslavement in 1855?

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As at 1850, Ara was one of the most powerful towns in Ekiti with a settlement spanning as big as that of Ijaye in Egbaland. In August 1855, the people of Ara (also called Ara-Ekiti) committed mass suicide to avoid getting enslaved by Ibadan.

The mass suicide was initiated by the leader of Ara town, Alara Elejofi, who (with the help of his first son) destroyed his properties, killed his family and himself. Many other households in the town replicated this act, and when the Ibadan army arrived with their wide array of weaponry, they turned back at the gory sight of dead bodies that littered the town…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Earlier, the people of Ara had rebelled against their former Alara (ruler) because of his bad governance and the grevious offences he had committed against his townspeople. He was exiled. It was during his exile that Chief Elejofi took over the rulership of the town.

The exiled Alara was not willing to let go of his throne and thus sought help from Ibadan. His request was granted because Ibadan, which as at then was gradually filling the vacuum created by the fall of Oyo, was hungry for towns to shove under its administration. The Ibadan army had just returned from an expedition in Ijebu-Ere and with their help, the deposed Alara returned to Ara and was fearfully accepted.

Shortly after Ibadan restored the deposed Alara of Ara, its army attacked Ikoro, another town in Ekiti, because they prevented Ibadan army from foraging on their crops, and also because there were rumours that Ikoro was planning to attack the Ibadan army. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

During the attack on Ikoro, some other towns in Ekiti, including Ara-Ekiti, tried to defended Ikoro. The restored Alara prevented his townspeople from joining the fight against Ibadan, hence another unrest ensued in the town. Ibadan eventually defeated Ikoro and went ahead to punish the towns that helped Ikoro during the war, including Ara.

During this period, Chief Elejofi had again taken over the rulership of Ara and held on to it for some months before it eventually crumbled due to starvation, and to avoid being enslaved by Ibadan, the people of Ara-Ekiti committed an unprecedented mass suicide. This incident is quite similar to the mass suicide of Igbo slaves off the U.S. coast in 1803.

The town of Ara was left deserted for many years before some of its exiled descendants returned home. Ara suicide remains one of the most disturbing chapters in the history of Ekiti and the entire Yoruba land.

 

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