Témoignages

Uju Peace Okeke Esq. lectures law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu Campus (UNEC)

À lire absolument ! La traduction française est en bas.Voici un témoignage poignant datant de 2008, écrit par une avocate et professeure de droit au Nigeria. Si vous voulez vraiment connaître le Professeur Yiombi Thona — son humanité, sa sagesse, sa générosité — alors prenez quelques minutes pour lire ce récit. C'est une rencontre qui en dit long sur l'homme qu'il est. Elle est sur Facebook:Professeure Okeke Uju Peace
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THE PROFESSOR YIOMBI THONA THAT I KNOW
Sometime in October 2008, I boarded a bus at Ojota garage to Abuja, Nigeria's federal capital territory. Ojota is one of the busiest motor parks in Lagos. Lagos was the federal capital territory of Nigeria and remains the economic and financial hub for West Africa. Lagos to Abuja is a journey of about 781 kilometers or 485 miles, taking over 14 hours by road. As I got into the bus, I realised it was a bit rickety but it was the last bus to Abuja from Lagos, in the particular Ojota park that I went to. It seemed every passenger in the bus came out late as all the good buses had left.
As we began our journey, I noticed someone snapping away. I took some time to observe a dark gentleman in an official attire, taking pictures of the scenery as the bus moved on. To me, the scenery was not deserving of snap shots as Ojota had not become the organised area that it is now. However, the gentleman was not deterred and on the contrary, seemed to enjoy the environment. Giving his complexion, he was just like every other passenger rousing our curiosity. It was clear other passengers shared my thoughts because of the way they also looked at him. Being a lawyer and professionally bold, I said 'Good day sir, why are you snapping everywhere?' He smiled. I asked 'are you a Nigerian?' He responded 'No'. I asked 'Where are you from?' He answered, 'Congo'. A stranger! Everyone in the bus became nice, telling him the names of towns and other objects of interests that we passed on the road.
I asked him why he did not go by air and he said he wanted to see Nigeria. That caught my attention. I wondered why a foreigner would choose to go through the hectic road drive. I would later come to know the professor who is humility personified and always chooses to relate with the masses so as to see things through their lenses which helps in advocating for their concerns. As the journey continued, we stopped at a place to eat, as is usual for such long journeys. The stranger paid for almost everyone's food. I would later know him as a magnanimous man who goes out of his way to assist others. That journey was unusually hectic and arduous but 'our stranger', who was visibly tired like most us, remained calm. Over the years, I have come to know this courageous, wise, intelligent, compassionate, generous professor and human rights advocate. Dear Africans and Congolese, join me in this series of 'The Prof Yiombi, that I know'.
Uju Peace Okeke lectures law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu Campus (UNEC)
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LE PROFESSEUR YIOMBI THONA QUE JE CONNAIS
Un jour d'octobre 2008, je suis monté dans un bus au garage d'Ojota en direction d'Abuja, la capitale fédérale du Nigeria. Ojota est l'un des parcs automobiles les plus fréquentés de Lagos. Lagos fut autrefois la capitale fédérale du Nigeria et demeure le centre économique et financier de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Le trajet de Lagos à Abuja couvre environ 781 kilomètres, soit 485 miles, et prend plus de 14 heures par la route. En entrant dans le bus, j'ai remarqué qu'il était un peu délabré, mais c'était le dernier bus pour Abuja depuis le parc d'Ojota où je m'étais rendu. Il semblait que tous les passagers étaient arrivés tard, car les bons bus étaient déjà partis.
Alors que notre voyage commençait, j'ai remarqué quelqu'un en train de prendre des photos. J'ai pris le temps d'observer un homme à la peau foncée, vêtu d'une tenue officielle, qui photographiait le paysage au fur et à mesure que le bus avançait. Pour moi, le paysage ne méritait pas d'être photographié, car Ojota n'était pas encore devenu l'endroit organisé qu'il est aujourd'hui. Cependant, cet homme ne se laissait pas décourager et semblait au contraire apprécier l'environnement. Étant donné son teint, il ressemblait à n'importe quel autre passager, ce qui éveillait notre curiosité. Il était évident que les autres passagers partageaient mes pensées, à en juger par la façon dont ils le regardaient. Étant avocat et professionnellement audacieux, je lui ai dit : « Bonjour monsieur, pourquoi prenez-vous des photos partout ? » Il a souri. Je lui ai demandé : « Êtes-vous Nigérian ? » Il a répondu : « Non ». Je lui ai demandé : « Vous venez d'où ? » Il a répondu : « Du Congo ». Un étranger ! Tous les passagers du bus sont devenus aimables, lui indiquant les noms des villes et autres points d'intérêt que nous croisions sur la route.
Je lui ai demandé pourquoi il n'avait pas pris l'avion, et il m'a dit qu'il voulait voir le Nigeria. Cela a attiré mon attention. Je me suis demandé pourquoi un étranger choisirait de faire ce voyage pénible par la route. J'allais plus tard découvrir que ce professeur est l'incarnation de l'humilité et choisit toujours de se rapprocher des masses afin de voir les choses à travers leur regard, ce qui l'aide à défendre leurs préoccupations. Au cours du voyage, nous nous sommes arrêtés pour manger, comme c'est habituel lors de longs trajets. L'étranger a payé le repas de presque tout le monde. Je découvrirais plus tard qu'il s'agissait d'un homme magnanime, prêt à aider les autres. Ce voyage fut particulièrement pénible et éprouvant, mais « notre étranger », visiblement fatigué comme la plupart d'entre nous, est resté calme.
Au fil des années, j'ai appris à connaître ce professeur courageux, sage, intelligent, compatissant, généreux et défenseur des droits humains. Chers Africains et Congolais, rejoignez-moi dans cette série intitulée « Le Professeur Yiombi que je connais ».
Uju Peace Okeke enseigne le droit à l'Université du Nigeria Nsukka, campus d'Enugu (UNEC)

LA SUITE

Prof. Yiombi Thona: The Resilient Hero

After my initial meeting with Prof Yiombi Thona in Nigeria, some years later, September 2015, I had cause to sit through his lecture in Gwangju, South Korea. It was during the May 18 Academy, an educational institute that promotes human rights, scholastic and cultural exchange by convening civil society activists on human rights, democracy and peace, from different countries.

We were taught by many experts. On the 14 dayof September 2015, Prof. Yiombi took us on a lecture titled ‘Korean Society and Refugees based on My Experience’. The lecture was thought provoking and remains green in my memory because Prof left an indelible mark in our hearts. I still remember that day like it was yesterday, because standing before us was a man who did not look like what he had been through. That was the day I agreed with Nietzsche who said that ‘that which does not kill us makes us stronger’. His harrowing experience of how he fled his country Democratic Republic of Congo to South Korea to escape death and his suffering in Korea sounded like a tale from a horror movie. It dawned on us that anyone could become a refugee, giving credence to his assertion that ’a human rights activist should see himself in every human suffering and fight every form of abuse’. He received a standing ovation for not only living what he preached but that day, we adjudged him a hero, who according to Christopher Reeve, is ‘an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles’. He fought for every one that would eventually get a refugee status in South Korea and like the Biblical Joseph, rose to prominence in the same place where he was almost a slave.

Prof. Yiombi Thona speaking on ‘Korean Society and Refugees based on My Experience’.

Like Basil Fernando said ‘a human rights activist is one who has a story to tell and voices it through documentation that communicates.’ Prof. Yiombi effectively communicated his ordeal through his excellent book ‘I am Yiombi’. After that lecture many of us, adopting Prof Yiombi as our mentor, perished the thought of selective activism and just like him, became wiling to see ourselves in every human suffering and fighting all forms of authoritarianism and abuse. We do this knowing that, according to Ambrose Redmoon, ‘courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.’ For us, freedom and the enjoyment of human rights is as important as life itself. One thing that has become very clear in Prof. Yiombi’s refugee status journey in South Korea is that Life has a very interesting way of turning one’s greatest pains into greatest strengths.

Celebrating ‘the Prof. Yiombi Thona that I know’.

-Uju Peace Okeke Esq. lectures law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu Campus (UNEC)