Colorism. Skin Bleaching & Hair Extensions.
Why is skin-bleaching still prevalent in Accra, Ghana? Why would a group of educated Africans, the Metha (the Mis-Educated Than His Ancestors), still hold-on to the mysticism of European exceptionalism and the paganism of European beauty, after several book-reading diets? Why do educated Africans, the Metha, still engage in the paralogism of self-hatred and Satan-worship?
Most people, that includes those of us in Africa too, only love God/Allah because they have promised Riches in Heaven/Afterlife. The power of the Abrahamic Religions over certain of its counterpart African Religions, like Vodun, is just that. Vodun promises no such riches in the Afterlife. In fact, Vodun only promises a chance to meet the Ancestors and to Reincarnate. This promise, I am afraid, is not as appealing as the gross promises of Riches, Virgins and 7-foot tall handsome giants.
Africans worship an Italian Saviour Trope like Jesus (a handsome, square-jawed, straight-long-haired giant) of the Catholic-Vartican Persuasion, because of the promise of Riches in Heaven. Without this promise this Italian man will be abandoned today! Morals, appeal and his height and all. Without this promise, Catholicism will die in Africa in one generation.
Colorism, skin bleaching, hair-extensions nose-jabs, lip-works, all are sincere attempts to prepare oneself to receive the Riches that Heaven has promised its followers. I submit to you that it is no sickness that the vast masses of Africans subscribe to these promises in much the same way that all people who play the lottery believe, at the same time, that they can all win.
For, Heaven’s promises are only promises! Nothing more, and a whole lot less. Yet, what seems to be true, and which I can agree with you, is that like the Lotto Players of today, despite their education in elementary statistics and all, Africans have demonstrated a peculiar ability to abandon themselves as the Gods, and opt to worship other People as a result. The love of the promise of riches has created a kind of self hate, which cannot be cured with further education.
However, the disease can be cured, irrespective of which religion, by re-Blackening the Abrahamic Religions and outlawing any show or presentation of a certain “handsome,” square-jawed, straight-long-haired Italian giant as the Portal to getting Rich (Riches in Heaven). The disease afflicting the educated skin-bleacher in Accra, Ghana, today, can be cured by re-centering the Blackness of Religion. That is, by curing religion of the disease of Redness/European-ness. That is a lot of work! And so, the Metha won’t do it. The Metha is, after all, lazy!
“Despite their education in elementary statistics and all, Africans have demonstrated a peculiar ability to abandon themselves as the Gods, and opt to worship other People as a result.” Yes, Africans have to learn to love themselves once more!
This is to say that we are all materialistic, so let us then tie that desire for materials and resources to a picture of ourselves (and not someone else) who can bring us those riches.