Kansas City Kansas Community College

The Kamenic Verses

Ewa Unoke Political Discourses: 1

"The Kamenic Verses."

By:  Ewa Unoke

Kamenism
THE TIMES CALL
FOR AN AFRICAN
Liberation Theology

Kamenu
The word is Kamenu. It is the spirit of the ultimate truth. It has always been there. Kamenu has no beginning and no end. It has no founder. Like the river, Kamenu flows serenely and silently through its own course. It seeks nobody"s approval for its existence and its power. Unlike most religious paths, it has no evangelizing mission. It does not seek to convert or to condemn the agnostic, heretic or the pagan. Rather, it testifies to something that is undoubtedly true because of its immediate reference to the source of Truth. Its original verses are presumed to be stored in African shrines and temples of golden wisdom. From generation to generation, the oral version has been passed on by words of mouth only. Until now, there had never been evidence of any documentation or written literature on kamenu-humanity"s first spiritual path.

Kamenu: A Conflict-Resolution Model
When citizens present their disputes to the palaver huts, seeking justice from the elders of the land, the plaintiff and the defendants are usually asked to speak from Kamenu point of view, in order that the veracity of their statements might be trusted. When an accused individual is called to speak from Kamenu perspective, the person would not wear any shoes but must stand on Mother Earth, bare-footed, to give testimonies in the alleged breach against spirit and society. This is a practical way of attesting to the fact that the person is speaking from Kamenu's view-point, namely, truth. Kamenu is similar to Nhamuha or honesty. Both Kamenu and Nhamuha are opposed to Iwhe gbaru ngo or corrupt and unjust way of life. As a result, Kamenu is associated with Chi, God. Our earliest ancestors communicated with Chineke, the Supreme Creator through chanting and incantation. The original Ezza chant goes this way:

Gube Ali !!!!
Gube Igwe !!!!
Kamenu !!!!
Iwhe e meru emekotara !!!!

(You earth, you the universe, kamenu, what ever is done in the spirit of harmony and success)

This is humanity"s first contemplative chant. Upon this spiritual rock stands the rest of the human plea to Chi, God. Theologically, therefore, this path makes direct and indirect references to Chineke, the Supreme Creator, who is ultimately at the base of these concepts.

The Spiritual Impulse
Render to Africa the things that are African and to God the things that are God"s.

Most great religions of the world help to transform the spiritual and physical values of those who follow their teachings. Most of them emphasize contemplation, inner-self and preparation for life after death. "My kingdom is not of this world," proclaimed the Christian Savior. This is an acknowledgement that the spiritual world is separate from the physical world. "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar"s and to God the things that are God"s," St, Mark 12:17. However, if there is any truth in this separate-existence theology, then, what is the relationship between secular power and spiritual power?

Why did colonial Christianity, colonial power and alien Muslim religion refuse to render to Africa the things that are Africa"s and God what is God"s? Why have alien, Arab and European religions conquered and declared the original African spiritual traditions as satanic?  The times call for the restoration of Africa"s historic, social teachings of which kamenu and nhamuha belong. The languages of alien religions have increasingly become quite incomprehensible, incompatible and repugnant to the core values and moral conscience of the African people, as the case studies below, demonstrate:

African pope: As the Catholic cardinals began the process of selecting a new pope, why did the church not consider that ‘most of the world"s Roman Catholics live in the developing world." In 1990, there were 8.7 million African Christians, 143 million in 1970, and an estimated 400 million today, which would mean that about 1 out of 5 of all Christians are in Africa, according to the World Christian Encyclopedia. My fellow Bison, Barbara Reynolds raises critical questions in a recent essay: Why not elect or select a pope from the Third World? Why not an African? And if not now, when? The name of Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria was suggested as the prelate, who could potentially step into this role as leader of more than 1 billion Christians, making up 17.4 percent of the world"s population. In fact, Newsweek, in its April 16, 2001, edition, went so far as to say that Cardinal Arinze would become the first black pope. In the same essay, Barbara argues, first, that the times call for a representative pope. Second, that there is no better time than now to correct some of the ignorance and major inaccuracies about Blacks and their contributions to Christendom.

Priests and young boys: The African people, especially Nigerians and other Third World citizens, are "sorely distressed," "utterly dismayed," and quite uncertain about the   so-called Christian faith, its assumptions, credentials and veracity. Peoples" faiths influence their family life, work, education, morality and the way they raise their children. But, the ‘abominable scandal of priests molesting young boys" has caused an irreversible damage to the African Catholic community. This is not the way of the Africans.

Africans as human animals: What is wrong in allowing priests to get married? Will all married men go to a designated Christian hell? What is wrong in allowing women to be ordained priests?  Are women also not children of God?  Are males better and holier children of God than females? From an African perspective, there is so much ignorance, hypocrisy and lies in the so-called evangelizing mission of these alien religions. As Africans, we remember that the same great theologies and constitutional mendacity provided justifications for colonial dispossession, oppression and for the slave masters to treat Africans as property and as human animals.

Same-sex 'marriage': In August 2005, The Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, The Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, D.D. responded to a statement on the church of England"s response to civil partnerships: "I read with utter dismay…the church of England House of Bishops…I was sorely distressed….the language of the Civil Partnerships Act makes it plain that what is being proposed is same-sex marriage…I find it incomprehensible…that the House of Bishops would not find open participation in such ‘marriage" to be repugnant to Holy Scriptures and incompatible with Holy Orders. The proposal…is the height of hypocrisy. It is totally unworkable and it invites deception and ridicule. How on earth can this be honoured? The Nigerian Primate concludes his no-nonsense letter with a warning and an unequivocal resolution to secede from the tainted Episcopal Communion; "Let it be known that it is not a path that we can follow. It is also a path that is clearly at odds with the mind of the rest of the Anglican Communion." Akinola finally calls on all those who cherish and uphold the integrity and sanctity of the Word of God 'to pray for our beloved church' Emphatically, what my fellow countryman, Akinola is voicing out is the mood of the African moral majority. Enough of colonial spiritual dispossession is enough. Africa gained political freedom but remains culturally and mentally colonized, despising the ways and wisdom of their ancestors.

African condition: The mission of the African spiritual path is primarily to promote a just and virtuous society built on truth, justice and true freedom, while the mission of the colonial faith has always been to save its members from a wicked world of sin and suffering. Alien religions have failed to stop civil wars, corruption, poverty, exclusion, crime and protection for the African children. Rather, all these immoral behaviors are perpetuated by African Christian and Muslim leaders. Faced with these African conditions which cry out to higher heavens for remedy, how can the postcolonial church, synagogue, mosque and other great religions of the world, avoid being accused of apathy and conspiracy theory, unless they begin to speak the language of truthtelling, justice and reconciliation which are the true marks of kamenu and nhamuha?

Secular and spiritual swords
Why do the secular swords and spiritual swords, sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete and sometimes wage war against each other?  Wherever we turn, it becomes evidently true that religion influences our government and society"s political culture. Spiritual energy is less visible but it remains a potent moral power and political ideology in today"s world. And it is with Kamenism as an ideology and political theology that we are concerned in this discourse.

World of unhappiness
There is too much discontent and unhappiness in this world today.

What type of true government or true theology remains silent in the face of political injustices and social wrongs which cry out for justice? The strong, the weak and the powerless live together and share the same world. The politician and the ordinary citizen live in a world in which faith clashes constantly with politics. This clash exacerbates the misery, injustice and suffering of the inweronye, the powerless, non-person. Kamenu is concerned with the quality of life which the powerless society lives. The kamenists follow in the foot-steps of the ancient African sages who had been engaged in similar inquiry; seeking to build a more just and more ethical society.

For too long, most world religions have remained unquestionable and absolute in their traditional faith. In the 21st century, such rigidity and tainted centuries-old traditions can no longer represent the realities of the modern world in which we live. Many traditional, religious assumptions and beliefs continue to fall apart in the aftermath of pseudo-clergy abuses, deceits and scandals. The modern world is in search of a new theology which can combine religion with reason in order to unleash the new spirit of uwaoma- the common good in a world of true freedom and happiness. Society cannot continue to evade the reality that politics governs everything in peoples" daily lives.

Happiness
The desire for happy life is a universal phenomenon. Is there anyone who would not like to be happy? The quest for happiness is an endless struggle that drives human life.  Yet,   there is nobody who can sincerely say that absolute happiness is achievable.  Yet, many people spend most of their lives pursuing happiness in one way or another. We constantly   want our happiness to last. People search for happiness in relationships, careers, making money, having sex, reading books, going to the movies, consuming alcohol, taking drugs, going out to eat, going shopping, buying clothes and seeking power, popularity or fame.

With kamenu consciousness, you will discover that physical objects or possessions do not guarantee lasting happiness. Yet, from within the mind of the non-kamenist, there is a persistent feeling that somehow, it is possible to attain joy and happiness in this world. Seekers of successful life and happiness must first, find out who what the true nature of man is. Is man by nature good or bad?

Kamenu and Man
The concept of Kamenu in relation to man is founded on three spheres of life: the emotional, physical and spiritual.  All three realms affect life and the human society. From a kamenu perspective, all people share a common destiny. The world is one. People are linked together by natural law. This natural law is also known as the higher law according to ancient Ezza social teachings. This law is attributed to Chineke, the God of creation. Since natural law has its roots in Chineke, it is undoubtedly higher and more superior to man-made law. Under the Ezza natural law doctrinal framework, every person in this world has the right to life, to freedom, and to happiness. Government and society have no right to take away these natural rights. You cannot take away what you have not given.

As political ideology
Kamenism is a call to action. It is a call to all seekers of truth to fight for truth and justice. As an African liberation theology of commonsense and reason, it remains the vanguard of African revolutionary thought which is quite different from the Latin American liberation theology perspective. As a political ideology which is neither founded on communist nor socialist philosophies, its primary concern is truthtelling, justice, inclusion and the building of a more just society.  It is unlike the L.A. brand which focuses primarily on socialist thought, poverty and suffering. As a deconstructionist ideology, it rejects all alien doctrines that do not speak to the conditions of injustice in the human society.

The roots of Kamenu
The message of historical kamenu recreates the redemptive memory of the avuravu, the first West African people. Avuravu liberation theology has remained the moral compass of the Ezza nation from generation to generation. In this world of rampant injustice, how can the moral world avoid being accused of sinful silence, unless it takes up the language of kamenu and nhamuha, truthtelling and honesty? The state of kamenu and nhamuha are known as the purest form and the highest state of spiritual consciousness. The kamenic path is believed to lead to the ultimate truth. As a theology of political ethics, it is a new call for people who are genuinely seeking uwaoma, the happy and virtuous life. Kamenists or adherents to this philosophy are people with adventurous and courageous spirit. This path is also genuinely attractive to those who have doubts about the authenticity and truthfulness of their faith, especially the unhappy Christians.

Kamenist
The Kamenist is a seeker of truth, justice and happiness through reason. The seeker is constantly probing, questioning and fighting against injustice. The seeker is a member of an esoteric solidarity against man-made injustice and oppression. Kamenu is a social protest against social injustice and wrong-doing.

Kamenists believe that kamenic law takes precedence over man-made law because it is the natural law. Unjust laws, therefore, sometimes can be violated. "Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States claimed that their actions, which violated human-made laws were moral because they conformed to [kamenic] higher law." Kamenic philosophy argues that certain laws exist naturally to guide all human actions within the human society. This kamenic law can be understood, not by faith alone but by experience and reason. "You don"t need law books to tell you that murder is wrong, for example. (2) Roskin p.320. In prosecuting Nazi official, Adolph Eichmann, Israel"s attorney general, argued from natural law [perspective] that Eichmann had to know that mass murder is wrong."

With this knowingness, comes the need and the wisdom for human solidarity- a collective action to create a just, honest and happy human society founded on truth, justice and reason.

Kamenism
The message of kamenu leads seekers to uwaoma- a happy and successful life in a just society. Kamenism is therefore more than just a religious path. It has its political, cultural, ideological, philosophical and spiritual dimensions. Its power and strength are rooted in its immutability. It does seek recognition. It makes no difference whether or not you believe in its existence. It seeks neither publicity nor any evangelizing mission.

Natural Law
There is too much hypocrisy in this world. Who has ever seen God? Among all world religions, nobody has seen God. That is the kamenic truth. Is belief in faith alone the ultimate truth? What is the difference between faith and mere speculation?

Kamenu is the ultimate truth.  Its natural law doctrines are rooted in ancient African social teachings and in particular, the Ezza indigenous ways of life.  It is the belief that the path to a happy and successful life lies in living an honest life. There is too much discontent and unhappiness in today"s world. Kamenu is an attempt to recreate and to restore the long lost virtues of the just society in the modern world. Two worlds exist today, the world of the wealthy and the inweronye (non-person) world. The world of the   non-person cries out for redemption. If the subaltern"s inferior or subordinate condition is a natural order, then let it be.  But if it is an act of man"s injustice to man, then, we must collectively seek balance and harmony.

In seeking harmony, we must do so in solidarity with our Chineke, our personal Chi, our Ancestors, mother Earth, and the universes of creation.

Historical Chi Ukwu
Kamenu begins with the historical ChiUkwu, the Supreme God of Creation. We learn from our African spiritual adepts, our ancestors and our own experiences that this ChiUkwu is the Supreme God of justice and truth. Chineke, the God who creates all life and all things is also the God of the less-privileged. But we cannot change things without seeing things the way they exist in our one world, which is the history of exclusion, dispossession, colonialism, corruption, crime, poverty, injustice and power politics.

Idealism
Kamenism as an ideology speaks to the spirit of an ideal world order. The way life ought to be in a just society in which ancient and virtuous African people lived before they were colonized, enslaved and dispossessed.

This virtuous peoples" way of life was less conflictual and less antagonistic.  It was a way of life with certain revered symbols such as: Orji (kola nut), moral power, chants, stories of karmic punishment and uwaoma, the good life.

In Africa, Christ came with the cross, the sword and corrupt colonial power which dispossessed the indigenous Africans.  Since then, Africans have been living in dehumanizing conditions.  For too long, the postcolonial church and government have remained complacent with the plight of the long-forgotten peoples of Africa. This is the historical reality of the African condition.

Postcoloniality
There are so many theories and critics of postcoloniality, (the effects of colonialism on the postcolonial state and its people).  In this maze of literature on the postcolonial condition, there are political and economic theories which ask the question: Is dispossession God"s will?  Is poverty God"s will?  Is historical injustice God"s will?  Is the Marxist class theory the best explanation of poverty and injustice in the human society? Kamenu offers an alternative analytical tool in searching for the answers to these questions. It understands the African reality of exclusion, dispossession, oppression and poverty.

Political Theory
Kamenism as an ideology is a political critic of an "institutional sin".  That sin is the way our society is organized.  In this socio-political construct, an elite political machine is on top while the oppressed is at the bottom.  Political power is used to sustain this "systemic sin," through oppression.  Kamenism as a political critic argues that this present world order is wrong, and therefore has to change.

Factors
The factors which necessitated the recreation of Kamenism for a modernizing world include; unresolved historical injustices and present social wrongs in the human society.

From their historical perspectives, these factors developed to the rational level that produce the "isms", example, Kamenism, Pan-Africanism and more.  These ideological "isms" are rational reactions to the conditions which arose from slavery, colonialism, bible, whip and the gun.  When do the non-persons of this world have in common?  The non-persons have been victims of early European theory of human nature; that man is brutal, evil, nasty and selfish.  Therefore, the "superior" race has to pressure itself.  Slaves brought from Africa were influenced by the Bible, whip and the gun.  Colonized peoples of Africa were equally influenced by the colonial Bible, the whip and the gun.  But before then, Africans and the rest of humanity lived and developed in their original habitats, values and morals. Humanity lived voluntarily.

STOPPED EDITING HERE 11/28/07
This dispossessed did not.  They lived in chains everywhere.  They died of no version  alien religion nor colonial Christianity came to Africa with clean hands.  Systemic barriers created by these alien spiritual paths constitute legal, political, economic, and theological injustices.  Alien religions came to Africa to advance their domestic agenda.  Its systemic discrimination against indegeous theology and philosophy is a crime against humanity.

What is the "preferential option" for the seeker of truth today?  Belief in faith or belief in reason?

Christian Faith teaches the seeker and the dispossessed to be remain obedient, to be good because you will be happy in heaven. Faith or reason?

Reason questions political and economic interests of alien powers, it avrocates for good governance, the common good, a just society and the reign of justice.

Today, reason emphasizes the need for solidarity.  There is an urgent need for coming together in order to make people recognize their power, to counter ethnic divisions and to promote transformation.  This is need for a twenty-first century movement.  Bout what kind of movements can survive the fierce opposition of the times?  How can we build a more durable movement that can last?

Kamenism as an irony.
On one hand Kamenu means moving away from injustice and moving towards justice and truth.  Because of the nature of the universes of creation, the irmies of life, the Kamenist moves more towards reason for guidance in making choices. Kamenu is a new call for seekers of justice, truth and happiness.  Many unhappy Christians seem trapped in an old doctrine that no longer guarantees happiness nor the good life, nor a just society.  The powerful and the powerless share the same world.  A conflict of interest exists between the moral world and the ????? world; the moral and the political constituencies.  " Both live in the worlds of faith and politics.  The result of this clash is misery and suffering.  The question today is, what is the quality of life for the moral majority?  In the past, our ancestors were also faced with similar inquiry-the search for an ethical society.2

The historical Faith
For too long, most world religions have remained "unquestionable and absolute."  In this new age, there is no doubt that these centuries-old religions can no longer serve the urgent needs of the modern world we live in today.  Old beliefs and old teachings have fallen apart through abuse, scandals and mendacity.

Millennial spirituality must speak to faith and reason in order to advance the cause of justice, which will unleash the spirit of freedom and happiness.

We cannot continue to ignore the socio-economic and political realities of our time-that politics control virtually our daily lives.  Kameists challenge the faith system which does not speak to the conditions of dispossession and injustices in this world.

"Just as the message of historical Jesus recreates the redemptive memory of his mission on Earth, so also is the liberating and reparative message of liberation theology to the modern human society today".

Kamenu, as a liberation path is the purest and highest state of consciousness.  This is the state in which an individual"s inner and outer universes merge.  At this level of knowingness, is when we begin our conscious journey towards uwaoma-our earthy and esoteric destiny.  This is the point at which true happiness returns into our lives with the eternal height of knowingness which leads the kamenist on the path of natural justice, truth and freedom.  This is the state of purity at which we have the spiritual power to speak to the present misery of the human condition.  This is the time we can genuinely question the sincerity and honesty of our leaders and our political representation.  What type of theology or government remains silent in the face of social wrongs and historical injustices, which "cry out for remedy?"  How can world religions and governments avoid being accused of sinful silence unless it begins to speak the language of Kamenu-truth, justice and freedom?

Kamenism is a theology of reparative justice that assumes that people and society have been damaged, destroyed, or dispossessed.  The effects of such interruption must be addressed spiritually, politically, legally, and economically.  Kamenu further seeks to restore frugality in society.  Greed is an aberration and must be eliminated in a Kamenic society.  Our conscience and reason must guide us at all times in our dealings with others.  Metz believes we are trapped in ethnocentric and egotistic mentalities; as a result, a political theology will interrupt us in our endless cycle of mundanceness of life and liberate us from consumption that in the end always leaves us not in fulfillment, but in emptiness of heart. 3

As Kamenist, we must challenge our society by telling our own historical narrative and by in interrogating this history in order to begin the process of healing and reconciliation.  We must talk back the narrative memories of our past, our doctrines and social teachings.

The roots of Kamenu as a liberating force is founded in ancient traditions of the African societies and peoples, especially the Ezza sages and spiritual adepts. Fr. Gerry Nworie explains more:

The author of this discourse, Ewa Unoke, is only an interpreter of the Kamenic Verses. Unlike the   so-called great colonial religions which were founded by prophets, messiahs and redeemers, this spiritual path is the natural way to higher consciousness.  As the natural way, Kamenu is so serious that it is not used for jokes. It is the point at which truth arrives and Uwaoma, the good life is assured. Kamenu is very close to life.

The word is Kamenu with a dot under the. This is because of the way

it is pronounced in our dialect. Kamenu is truth; it testifies to something

that is undoubtedly true because of its immediate reference  to the

source of truth. When somebody presents a case to a group, in order that

its veracity might be trusted, he is always asked to speak as from or of

Kamenu. Kamenu is similar to Nhamuha and opposed to Iwhe gbaru ngo (something

that is not straight). As a result Kamenu is associated with God. The normal

Ezza incantation or prayer runs thus: Gube ali, Gube Igwe, Kamenu, iwhe e

meru emekotara ( You earth, you heaven, Kamenu, whatever is done with

success). This is the basis for prayer; on this rock stands the rest of

the plea to God. Theologically then, it has direct or indirect reference

to Almighty who is ultimately at the base of these concept. Kamenu is also

very close to life in so far as when one is called to speak from Kamenu

he would not wear any shoes but must stand on mother earth. This is a practical

way of attesting to the fact that he is speaking from Kamenu's perspective,namely,truth.

Kamenu is so serious that it is not used for jokes. It is the point at which

truth arrives and also life is assured. Dr Ewa, I hope that this will serve

as a beginning to our further discussion on this very sublime concept. May

Almighty God continue to abide with you and in your effort to bring to life

some of our Ezza religious heritage rendered in your usual expertise presentation.

Greet you family especially Jamike and Aliuwa for me.

 

Your brother,
Fr Gerry Nworie