By Gabriel Princewill-
Liverpool’s first black player, Howard Gayle, has rejected a nomination for an MBE, on the grounds that accepting it will would make his his African ancestors ”turn in their graves” following the brutal treatment they received in the hands of the British Empire.
58 year old Howard Gayle, who professes to be committed to battling racism, said on his Facebook page: ”most of you who are aware of the work that I do tackling racism and the work i do for show Racism a red card”. And for that work I was nominated for a(an) MBE’. Continuing, he added ”which unfortunately, I had to decline for the reason that my ancestors would be turning in their graves after how Empire and Colonialism had enslaved them.
This is a decision that I have had to make and there will be others who may may feel different and would enjoy the attraction of being a member of of the British empire and those three after their name. But I think it would be a betrayal to all of the Africans who lost their lives, or who who have suffered as a result of the Empire”, he stated.
Howard Gayle’s rejection of the MBE is not the ideal way to go about a protest of historical slavery. Much better would have been an acceptance of the MBE, after which he could have chosen to re-iterate his grievance with slavery. Any protest should ultimately be productive, and forward looking in essence.
More productive would have been an acceptance of the honorable award, subsequently used to marshal out a viable and efficient mechanism of tackling racism today. Education about the errors of history allied to a multi-faceted approach aimed at enlightening minds about the ignorance and stupidity of racism is a more tangible and insightful way forward.
Slavery was motivated by greed and the perpetuation of a baseless notion of racial superiority based on race. Its modus operandi was power, dominance, and elevation of racial status- an alarming shortcoming in the ethos of the evil perpetrators of that day, still present at lower levels in the mindset of some Europeans, and indeed Africans.
Internal slavery is alive among Africans today who subject their own people to a shocking level of deprivation, manipulation, and abandonment, culminating in abject poverty for the masses, despite the phenomenal wealth of natural resources that naturally makes some African countries naturally wealthy beyond words.
Howard Gayle is patently flawed in suggesting that an acceptance of the MBE would make him a member of the British Empire, how he arrives at such erroneous conclusion is baffling to say the least. The acclaimed ex footballer was hailed by many facebook users, many of whom I must say are, inclined to commend a seemingly positive stand made by an accomplished sports personality.
Celebrity status is not synonymous with overall wisdom; the latter is determined by foresight and innate gifts. How the consequences of slavery can be effectively redressed, is a perennial question, requiring sober contemplation bolstered by a wide pool of approaches. One of such approaches may be to educate British children about the errors of the past whilst marshaling out a prudent and effective way of eradicating the backward mentality that condones the continuance of racism today in certain circles.
Children should be taught that there is no logical basis for a condescending outlook on black people based on race or slavery, and the exploits of renowned black people in history should be taught too. A level plain field that enhances the understanding of children, all of whom are inherently receptive to learning knowledge properly instilled in them,is a positive recommendation that those who purport to champion a battle against racism should carefully consider.
It would have been far better for Howard Gayle to condition an acceptance of an MBE on a long term plan to stamp out racism in sports, schools, and anywhere observed, with fitting legal punishments that serve to reflect the gravity of the offense whilst simultaneously boosting multi-dimensional approaches of comprehensively waging an effective war against racism, with the government and parliament on side.
An approach along those lines is a more desirable and fruitful way forward.