Investment banker and Blogger Joseph Edgar ran into Nigerian music legend Majek Fashek this morning in Lagos on his way to work. He shares this pathetic story:
On my way to work this morning, I spotted a loony figure. Pants sagged, dirty black underwear showing, a caftan perched precariously on his extra lean shoulders, shock of long unkempt dreadlocks cascading down his head and teeth yellowed by years of hard living and a face still surprisingly handsome despite the ravages of illicit living. This was Majek, my hero, the one who brought down the rain.
He, it was who redefined Reggae and in that one album forced us to look deep into our consciousness, calling us prisoners of conscience. He, it was who took that Bob Marley piece, Redemption Song into the sublime. He infused it with his pangolo rhythm and turned it into an anthem of social and spiritual awakening. Majek was a god, strong Adonis like looks, talent yet to me replicated in our clime and charisma of the gods.
This same Majek, I just saw like that in Fadeyi, begging for ogogoro becuase he did not have 100 Naira to pay for it. I stopped brought out 1,000 Naira and was immediately struck by confusion. Should I give him this money and contribute to his death or should I refuse him and watch him throw a tantrum like a disposed toddler. He saved me the dilemma as he grabbed the money from me and rushed to the ugly, black dirty merchant of death, who gleefully poured him a glass full.
Majek downed the drink and hugged me like I had just saved him from the hang mans noose. I looked deep into his eyes and saw a lost soul. He was actually begging for help, the demon inside of him peered at me from his once very beautiful eyes, daring me to do my worse. Assuring me that he had no intention of leaving this host until it finished it’s dreadful task of killing him ever so slowly.
He called me a fine boy and wished he was as good looking as I was, I laughed. A laugh that was more of pity, a laugh that was laced with internal cry of pain. A pain that cascaded through every pain in my body. If only I had one tenth of this talent, I would be far from fadeyi begging for N100 worth of ogogoro.
Did we fail him as Nigerians, did we put an umbrella over the Rainmaker, did the flood of his talent wash away his life, what can be done, do we continue watch him make a mockery of a Life once blessed?
Majek in his destitution represents Nigeria. Blessed with more than enough resources., rich in human capacity, more fertile land than the whole of Asia and filled with gifted and talented people, but yet beggerly and poor. Daily our leaders go to ‘jibowu’ to beg poorer countries for aid, for debt forgiveness. The contradiction never leaves me. Japan with no known Natural resources is so developed that we can only look in shame.
Majek with all the talents of a thousand people, begging the woman who can’t lift a finger beside him for N100, Majek being laughed at by miscreants and being mocked with so much joy by those who were not half as blessed by God.
What can I do, but to write this piece and just walk away, lest his guest demon attempt a move on my life. I saw it and felt it look into my soul and with one withered hand, offered me a shot of the Devils brew. A shot I knew would throw me into the darkest pits of Majeks torture, a shot that will take me spiraling down the tunnels of oblivion, destroying the innocent dependent lives of my children while giving Majek solace that he has finally found a room mate albeit a very reluctant and scared one.
I pray for you sir. I pray God gives you peace. God bless you Majek.
Joseph Edgar is an investment banker who writes as a hobby. (The photo above was taken this morning)
LIB.
lam indeed sad to see that prophet in that form.please can you link up something that could be in form of donations towards taking him out of the street and then look at the modalities of the next steps. is it a crime and a sin to have talents as a nigerian? Nollywood actors dying because of lack of equipments in our Hospitals and Pastor preaching the good life of christ and squeezing the last dine in the common man who has made himself a slave to lies told by those collecting and making money in the name of fear. unless we are bold enough to call a spade a spade, no one is going to help us. one of your commentators was even blaming him for going back to Nigeria ask him if he himself is a happy person in Amerika he might be honest enough to tell you things are good but ask him again and he would tell ” things could have been better” we in Diaspora are all living in a cave pretending we live in houses.we are existing but actually not living. every day is s struggle no matter where you live , no matter what you have achieved and how long youve been in thst country you are and would remain an alien especially your colour or our colour considered s stain by White people. here in Germany you might even be killed because of your colour in the eastern part of the country. now we have every assets to make white come to ud soliciting for Business but we destroyed it with corruption and greed , so we love it to come down here and be omo ollanke. you can be a doctor , a lawyer just about anything so long as you are carefully watched for any slightest mistakes to be made so that you can be sacked and be replaced by your White colleagues , who by the way is not better than you, so we are all ” omo olanke”
Thank you sir @Omoregbe for your comment and care for MF. A trust fund could be created for him, but it should not be done by a singular person to avoid being abused. If it must be done, there must be a bank account for it and those in charge must render account from time to time so that its purpose is not defeated the Nigerian way. All people of integrity can come together for that purpose and make it happen. It may start from you sir.
His addiction to drugs and alcohol is the reason that he is in this situation today. Without curing those two debilitating diseases, there is nothing a trust fund, no matter the amount, can do for him. I am not sure that addiction clinics exist in Nigeria, that was why I marveled that someone who was battling chronic substance addiction could return to Nigeria where treatment for such ailment is almost lacking. This is the time for his family members to step in — he must have children or brothers and sisters, or uncles, nieces and nephews, etc. What he needs now is intervention, not necessarily monetary contribution. It has to take his family members to intervene, first by removing him from that environment in Lagos — take him back to his village. Also, it’s about time he shaved his hair — the dreadlocks can go after 30 years or so of wearing them.
Without a doubt, Joseph Edgar is an excellent writer but he should have not contributed to Majek’s misery by divulging this information.
On or about 2005, I saw Majek in Manhattan, around Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. He was sharply dressed in jeans and was very clean, although his eyes suggested that he was high. I hollered at him and we approached each other and exchanged pleasantries. I am shocked that he returned to Nigeria to become a bum. Addiction is a serious disease; that’s the only demon that torments him.
One way of helping him is not publicizing his misery/showing pictures of him looking like a bum.