Author: Nanadadzie Ghansah

“Their association with outsiders has bought them nothing but harm, and it is a matter of great regret to me that such a pleasant race are so rapidly becoming extinct.”
– Maurice Vidal Portman, Officer in Charge of the Andamanese (1879 – 1901), in a presentation to the Royal Geographical Society titled, “The Exploration and Survey of the Little Andamans” on January 30, 1888.

On November 17, 2018, John Allen Chau, an American missionary was probably killed by the Sentinelese, an indigenous people of the North Sentinel Island in the Bay Of Bengal of India, as he tried to make contact with them in his attempts to convert them to Christianity. 

Though his death is heartbreaking then any death is sad –  there is a family grieving a loss and a life has been cut short – the young man may carry some blame for his early demise.

The circumstances of his death also present an opportunity to examine the history and shed some light on what indigenous people had to go through as Europeans colonized the world.

In spite of a ban on tourists making contact with this indigenous people to protect them from diseases, in spite of the fact that it is known that they do not want any outside contact, in spite of the fact that Chau could not even speak their language and the Sentinelese definitely did not understand English, Chau was so convinced of the need of the Sentinelese for salvation that he broke Indian law on three occasions  as he traveled to the island. He probably lost his life on the third attempt.

“The Sentinelese”. Image borrowed from “Business Insider India”

The stubborn insistence of Chau to reach the islanders resembles that of most missionaries. In their zeal to spread the Word, they often do not consider a very important issue – that of immunity and the spread of diseases to indigenous people. 

Let’s take the example of smallpox.

Smallpox was a terrible viral disease. Before its eradication was announced on May 8, 1980, at the 33rd World Health Assembly, it had a mortality of about 30%. Those who survived had to live with extensive skin scarring. Sometimes blindness ensued from corneal scarring.

The disease is believed to have originated in ancient Egypt and spread from there to Europe and Asia. Several ancient epidemics like the Plaque of Athens in 430 BC, the Antonine Plaque (165-180) and the Plaque of Cyprian (251-266)  in the Roman Empire are all thought to be due to smallpox.

The disease was still ravaging the European continent even as Columbus sailed to the New World. Smallpox till then, was unknown among Native Americans so they had developed absolutely no immunity to this deadly disease like the Europeans.

From around 1519-20 when Cortes landed in Mexico till about the end of the18th century, smallpox will lead to the deaths of around 90% of the Native Indian population in the Americas.

The introduction of smallpox by European colonizers would also lead to the wiping out of indigenous tribes like the Khoi Sai in South Africa in 1713 and the Aborigines in Australia and New Zealand.

Smallpox may have been the most devastating but the colonizers spread other diseases like the flu, rinderpest, and syphilis. 

Thus the appearance of European colonizers among the indigenous people of the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Asia meant possible deaths from the unknown diseases the colonizers carried.

Besides the actual spreading of diseases through contact, the forceful changing of the customs and practices of the indigenous people by the European colonizers lead to some deleterious health effects too. In Africa, for example, a lot of the diseases like cholera and sleeping sickness that ravage the continent were held in check through the nomadic lifestyle of the indigenes. Once the indigenous people were forced into towns by the Europeans, issues of clean water and sanitation become real issues and led to the spread of diseases.

This forceful changing of the customs, lifestyles, beliefs, and practices of indigenous folks around the world by European colonizers was often spearheaded by what could only be described as the cultural arm of the Colonizers – the missionaries. Wielding the Bible and promising salvation, they forced indigenous folks to not only forsake their traditional beliefs but also to change their lifestyles.

Now missionaries have through history done a great deal in places like Africa but they also in many cases spearheaded the western domination, providing a moral basis for it. They spearheaded the land grabs and provided a theological basis for colonization, the slave trade, apartheid, and segregation, even if the Quakers helped end the TransAtlantic Slave Trade.

Reports from the Congo tell of missionaries who sold the indigenes off to the slave traders. The sentiment is probably best captured in this saying made popular by Bishop Desmond Tutu:

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said ‘Let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.”

Thus the appearance of missionaries did not always fortell good things and so the Sentinelese have every reason to be suspicious. Events in the past did not help either.

In 1880, A British naval officer called Maurice Vidal Portman visited the island in efforts to make contact with the very reclusive tribe. They all hid from him but for an old couple and four children. He captured them and took them to the British post of Port Blair on the neighboring Andaman Island. The old couple died shortly afterward and Portman returned the children with gifts, that the islanders probably never saw as gifts. Over the years, they have resisted all attempts of foreign contact, even killing two fishermen who accidentally drifted on to the island in 2006. Even a National Geographic Team was attacked with their choice of weapons – arrows.

If one looks at what has happened to the indigenous people on the Andaman archipelago, of which the North Sentinel Islands are a part, one cannot blame the Sentinelese for being too wary. The Andamanese people, possible migrants from the African continent, have lived on those islands for over 25,000 years. There were 5 main tribes – the Great Andamanese, the Jarawa, the Jangil, the Onge and the Sentinelese. At the end of the 18th century, when Europeans first showed up, there were over 7000 of them. As of about 2010, there were 52 Great Andamanese , 380 Jarawas, about 100 Onge and maybe 100 – 200 Sentinelese left. The Jangil went extinct in 1921. They have been wiped out by disease, violence and loss of territory.

The Jarawa and Sentinelese have survived due to a stubbornness and refusal to make contact with the outside world. Can you blame them?

There is every possibility that if Chau had made contact with them, they could have contracted bacteria and viruses from him that could wipe them out. Even the contact with his corpse endangers their very existence. 

In the past, an army would have been sent to punish the Sentinelese for killing a missionary. They all would have been killed or enslaved. Even today, that could still happen then very little can stand in the way of the forceful conversion to Christianity that the West has touted as a prerequisite for civilization for centuries. 

I guess even if contact with Europeans killed off indigenous tribes, they all died saved. I hope the Indian government will keep protecting them and the rest of the world will learn to accept differences and diversity. We could all still learn from people who live in tune with the very Nature we are so busy destroying through civilization.

An Ode to Music

The invasion of Russia by Napoleon started in June of 1812. In the subsequent Battle of Borodino that September, a battle that had the highest number of casualties of all the Napoleonic wars, he routed the Russian army but did not completely annihilate it. He then followed the retreating army of Tsar Alexander I to Moscow, thinking the Russians were going to surrender.
By the end of October, Napoleon realized the Russians were not going to surrender. Moreover, the Russian winter was starting to take a bite. Of the 286,000 men he entered Russia with, he had only 95,000 left and those men were freezing, hungry and ridden with typhoid fever. Napoleon and the remnants of the Grande Armée had to withdraw. By December when he crossed the Russian border, he was only left with 23,000 men. Napoleon had with the withdrawal handed victory to the Russians and they were elated.

Tsar Alexander I commissioned the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to commemorate the victory. Even though Alexander himself died thirteen years later, work on the cathedral continued.
By 1880, it was nearing completion. Other upcoming festivities were the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II in 1881 and the All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition in 1882. With all these festivities in view, the composer Tchaikovsky was asked to write a piece that would capture the spirit of all these festivities.
Tchaikovsky began work on the project on October 12, 1880, and at the end of six weeks, had composed what was to become his most famous piece – the 1812 Overture.
A piece known for its powerful finale marked by cannon fire, the chimes of bells and vivid brass notes, it debuted on August 20, 1882, in Moscow.
Even though Tchaikovsky hated the overture, and described it as “… very loud and noisy, but without artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love”, it is truly one of his most remarkable pieces and suited the festive nature of all those events perfectly.

The power of the 1812 Overture truly lends itself for celebratory occasions and thus it is no wonder it is played during firework displays on July 4. It has also been used for movies and coopted into others’ work.
For me though, the overture is a piece that wakes me up and gets me going. It seems to summon my animal spirits and turns me into a doer, ready for the day. A lot of mornings, it is the piece playing in the car as I drive to work. Those crashing cymbals and cannon fire have a kick.

Which brings me to the crux of this essay.
There are musical pieces that get us into specific moods. On the other hand, we sometimes pick specific pieces to suit certain occasions.

I remember my bachelor days when I’ll set the mood for an impending date with some Barry White. His baritone could work wonders.
At parties, you want something bumping. Something with beats that make the diaphragm on the bass cone in the speakers bounce. Some hip-hop, R&B, hip-life, soukouss, salsa, merengue…something that helps with gyration and inspiration.
At worship, 50 Cent would not do. There, you want hymns by Charles and Joseph Wesley or even gospels by Cece and Bebe Winans.

On the other hand, hearing the notes of the trumpet flowing from Miles Davis might make you think of the concept of the Cool. What is the Cool? Billie Holiday’s voice might remind you of lynching through her song “Strange Fruit”. Whitney’s music may make you yearn for love and the warmth of the One. Phil Collins’ may make you miss the ’80s.
Music can do that.

Being the soundtrack of our lives, we tend to pick the right ones for the right occasions. However, it can also make us long for the situation to fit that soundtrack.
Music lifts, it exalts, it calms yet can also excite and invigorate. It makes us want to make love but it also reminds us of the one who got away. It makes us cry and yet can make us feel like we are floating on a cloud.
Music does that.

These seemingly conflicting roles of music always come to mind when I am listening to an opera or watching a musical.
Whereas the music of an opera takes you to a “certain” place, a musical, in mixing dialogue with music is more like picking the right music for the occasion.
Both genres seek to tell stories but that is not the most important thing with an opera.
With an opera, it is really all about the music. One does not have to understand the lyrics of the aria “Nessum Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot to feel the tug it exerts on the heart and the yearning one feels in the Tenor’s voice. Even though the opera tells a story too, that is not the essence of the experience. It is the music. The composer wants you to close your eyes and let the arias carry you to a special place.
Musicals, on the other hand, have dialogues that are important to understanding the story. The music is a bonus and the pieces set the mood and add a certain verve to the experience. Thus even though the music in “Wicked” is great, ultimately one needs to pay attention or the essence of the story is lost.

An unknown writer once wrote, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” How right he or she was.
The ability to immerse oneself totally into a swirling amalgamation of tunes and tones at the perfect harmony and pitch can transport one to a great place. Whether you play a piece to set the mood or the piece you heard has got you reminiscing, let yourself go. Like the German writer, Jean Paul wrote in his novel “Titan”, “Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.”

So be it the powerful pieces of Tchaikovsky or the unmistakable piano sonatas of Chopin; be it the unmistakable voice of Bob Dylan or the guitar riffs of Jimmy Hendrix; be it the soul of Aretha or the rock ‘n roll of Elvis; even the rhymes of Tupac, the melody of Egya Koo Nimo or the pitch of Makeba…let music seep through that night and light it up with beats, harmony, and soul.