The great John Lennon, ex-member of the 'Beetles'
John Lennon once said he is famous than Jesus Christ. Many faithful Christians around the world weren’t happy over that defamatory statement he made. However; I’m not writing this article to condemn Mr. Lennon but to congratulate him on his concern over the political crisis in Africa in his period.
Africa has been a neglected continent for a very long time, even though most of the wealth in Europe was taken from that continent. In the sixties, the members of the Beetles were presented with MBE awards and John Lennon returned his award to the Queen in protest against UK foreign policy.
He wrote “Your Majesty, I’m returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts” with love John Lennon.
The Nigerian-Biafra war in the sixties between Yakubu Gowan and Ojukwu claimed thousands of lives. It was a catastrophe; a human disaster and a nightmare that still haunt Nigerians.
It’s astonishing that while the world does not care about the turmoil in Africa, just as the racist Margaret Thatcher does not care about the Apartheid, segregation and the discrimination going on in South Africa that time, a common musician like John Lennon cares much about the carnage going on in Africa.
To me, John Lennon wasn’t only a great musician. But a special statesman, an envoy interested in bringing peace to Africa. At the same time, he was bringing the problems of Africa to the awareness of the selfish leaders that do not care about the continent’s political crisis but only interested in the looting of the continent's rich mineral resources.
Fans of the Beetles want the rejected award that has been in storage at Saint James’ Palace, since 1969, to be placed at the museum but a spokesman for the Chancery Department of the Royal said that it’s only John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono could decide if it has to go on display or the museum.