{"id":2072,"date":"2012-02-09T08:37:05","date_gmt":"2012-02-09T16:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/?p=2072"},"modified":"2012-02-09T08:37:05","modified_gmt":"2012-02-09T16:37:05","slug":"a-toast-to-the-good-people-of-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/2012\/02\/09\/a-toast-to-the-good-people-of-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"A Toast to the Good People of Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n

It was fun, the last post, with the hypothetical response to a Nigerian scam. Don’t worry though, it’ll never be sent. I avoid quicksand whenever I can.<\/p>\n

But today I want to speak up on behalf of most Nigerians, certainly all I’ve ever met.<\/p>\n

Nigeria is a country made up of the lawful and the unlawful . . . pretty much like another country we know. One difference is they see America as a whole country of one-percenters, while they’re very much in the ninety and nine–and the lower part of that. So the temptations may be greater to even the score.<\/p>\n

I’m not defending. These scammers are a criminal element, bent on identity theft. They see us as rich and gullible. That’s what I read in an article where one was interviewed. In the same article, however, I read how mothers down the alley were very concerned that their sons would get pulled into these devious doings against God and country.<\/p>\n

It’s lamentable that a whole country gets a bad name because of a few. Just like America that way, by what we export in cyber media. etc.<\/p>\n

But I found a lot to love when I was in Nigeria. I’d gone for some writing, reporting on the work of a multi-language, nationally-staffed Bible translation effort which was going gangbusters (and somehow that term fits well here). While there I met one Nigerian who, since then, I’ve seen every day. His photo is the screen saver on my computer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Above) My screen saver, a commercial artist’s studio in Nigeria. Even his work shirt looks like mine, and his jeans a good bit cleaner. Click the picture to view larger, and again.<\/h6>\n

His name is Ambi and in him I see something of my counterpart in Nigeria . . . a fellow artist and entrepreneur\u00a0getting by on his wits and his works. I was invited to impart to him some basic figure drawing, knowledge he needed from time to time as a commercial artist in a small city in Nigeria’s outback. He was Muslim and a man of noble character.<\/p>\n

I was most impressed with what he was able to do with basically no art training and only rudimentary materials. That hole in the wall is his complete studio. His paint comes in large cans, the kind from which we paint houses. From that he painted the portrait behind him. If he gets an order for an address stamp, he carves the tiny letters and numbers out of a piece of rubber tire with an x-acto knife! He makes any kind of sign. If you need a three-dimensional display, he builds it out of scrap anything.<\/p>\n

Before I left, he wanted a photo of us together saying he’d felt he’d met a great man. But I wanted a photo of him because I KNEW I’D MET A GREAT MAN. With my screen saver I’m continually reminded of something significant, and humbling. It’s how my life might be, born and living in another part of the world . . . and what somebody who was and is, is doing with it.<\/p>\n

So, that’s what I have to say today. My announced topic will have to wait.<\/p>\n

Today I propose a toast:
\nTo the good people . . .
\nYes, particularly the good<\/em> people . . .
\nof Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Will you drink with me to that?<\/p>\n

____________________________<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Currently writing and working in Toledo, Oregon.<\/p>\n

PS For more about Nigerian scams, including the account of one person who really did respond to one of these, see websites offered by Emma Clark in Comments<\/em>, “Letter to Nigeria,” upper right.<\/p>\n

Next:\u00a0Light is Sweet.\u00a0<\/em>Coming Sunday (maybe).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last post was all fun, but never to poke at a whole nation. Here’s a tribute to the rest, as represented by one man briefly met, making the best of his situation and unknowingly role-modeling for me. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2072"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2125,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions\/2125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}