society
Politics: The Art of Many Faces, One Story
Politics: The Art of Many Faces, One Story.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
When Mr. Olamilekan, a close friend also known as Baba Elizabeth asked me, “What is politics and do you understand how it works?” my mind did not run to the classroom definitions from textbooks. Instead, I remembered a true life story about Jacob, a Russian Jew who emigrated to Israel. His experience captured politics in its purest form; ONE STORY, THREE AUDIENCES, THREE MEANINGS and ONE ULTIMATE ADVANTAGE.
At Moscow airport, Jacob was questioned about carrying a statue of Lenin. To the Russian customs officer, he described LENIN as a NATIONAL HERO who laid the FOUNDATION of SOCIALISM; an answer that FLATTERED SOVIET IDEOLOGY. At Tel Aviv airport, facing Israeli officers, Jacob described LENIN as the very man who PERSECUTED JEWS, forcing him to flee; a completely opposite narrative that RESONATED with ISRAEL’S POLITICAL HISTORY. Finally, in his new Tel Aviv home, Jacob revealed the true meaning: the STATUE was NOTHING but FIVE KILOGRAMS of SOLID GOLD, smuggled past CUSTOMS as POLITICAL THEATER.
That, in essence, is POLITICS. It is the art of telling the same story in different ways, to different audiences for different benefits. Politics is not always about TRUTH, but about PERCEPTION. It is not about CONSISTENCY, but about ADAPTABILITY. And as Machiavelli once wrote in The Prince (1532): “A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.”
This story is more than a CLEVER ANECDOTE. It is a mirror reflecting the contradictions, manipulations and strategies that define political life across the world.
Defining Politics Beyond the Textbook.
Aristotle called politics “the master science” because it determines how societies are organized, governed and directed. Max Weber, the German sociologist, famously defined politics as “the striving to share power or striving to influence the distribution of power, either among states or among groups within a state.”
In reality, politics is not only about institutions, constitutions or elections; it is about narratives. The power of storytelling, framing and persuasion often outweighs the power of policies or ideologies. A politician who can bend one story to fit three audiences, just as Jacob did, can control hearts, minds and eventually, resources.
The Power of Narratives in Politics.
From ancient Rome to modern-day democracies, the ability to tell stories that adapt to circumstances has defined great political figures. Julius Caesar was not just a general but also a master of propaganda, writing Commentarii de Bello Gallico not for military records but to sway Roman citizens and the Senate in his favor.
In the United States, Abraham Lincoln could speak of freedom and unity in the North while subtly assuring border states that emancipation was gradual; a political balancing act that kept the Union together. Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan, “Yes, we can,” was not policy; it was narrative. It spoke differently to minorities, liberals, youth and even moderate conservatives, yet carried one story of hope.
Politics, therefore, is never just about ideology. It is about packaging ideology to suit different ears. ~ George O. Sylvester
The Nigerian Example: One Nation, Many Stories.
In Nigeria, politics is practiced as a theater of narratives, where politicians tell different stories depending on whether they are in Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt or Enugu. A politician campaigning in the North may wrap his speeches with religious undertones, while in the South, the same politician may emphasize economic empowerment.
As Chinua Achebe warned in his classic The Trouble with Nigeria (1983): “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”
Leadership failure often comes not from incompetence alone, but from the dangerous art of tailoring narratives for political survival rather than national progress. Politicians, like Jacob, often present themselves as patriots in Abuja, tribal champions in their villages and reformers in foreign conferences; all while smuggling their “SOLID GOLD” in the form of power and wealth.
Politics as DECEPTION or DIPLOMACY?
One may ask: is politics merely deception? Not entirely. Politics is also Diplomacy, the art of managing conflicting interests without descending into chaos. Yet the line between DIPLOMACY and DECEPTION is thin.
Philosopher Hannah Arendt, in her book Truth and Politics (1967), wrote: “No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are on rather bad terms with each other.”
This tension is why politicians must shape-shift. To survive, they must speak the language their audience wants to hear, even if it contradicts what they said yesterday, survival does not always mean progress. A politics built on deception may buy short-term gains but risks long-term collapse.
The Global Stage: Politics Without Borders.
The Jacob story also reflects geopolitics. Nations, like individuals, tell different stories to different audiences.
Russia, for instance, presents itself domestically as a protector of traditional values, while abroad it claims to be resisting Western imperialism.
China promotes itself in Africa as a partner for development, but in the West, it markets itself as an emerging superpower advocating multipolarity.
The United States sells democracy abroad while tolerating political polarization at home.
The art is the same: one statue, many stories, hidden gold beneath.
When Politics Becomes Dangerous.
The danger of politics lies in its ability to manipulate people into believing what suits the political class, not society. In Jacob’s story, the customs officers in Moscow and Tel Aviv were both deceived. They allowed the statue to pass because each believed the narrative they wanted to hear.
This mirrors how citizens can be deceived. A politician promises jobs to the unemployed, subsidies to the poor, tax cuts to the rich and reforms to the international community. In reality, he carries only “GOLD” for himself.
George Orwell, in Politics and the English Language (1946), warned: “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
In Nigeria, promises of stable electricity, reduced corruption and food security have been recycled for decades. Yet power outages remain constant, corruption thrives and food insecurity deepens. The stories change, the gold remains hidden.
Politics and the Citizen: How Do We Respond?
If politics is storytelling, then citizens must become critical listeners. Blindly accepting political narratives without scrutiny is what allows politicians to smuggle their gold. Democracy thrives only when citizens interrogate leaders’ words with facts.
Nelson Mandela once said: “A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.”
The media, civil society and the people must force leaders to reconcile their different stories into one consistent truth. Otherwise, politics will remain a circus where one man plays three characters while the audience applauds without realizing the trick.
Final Analysis: Politics as the Art of Many Faces.
Politics is not merely about governance, laws or elections. It is about narratives; crafted, bent and reshaped for survival and advantage. Like Jacob with his LENIN STATUE, politicians tell different stories to different audiences while concealing their real treasure.
The challenge of our time is to DEMAND AUTHENTICITY. Politics may always involve some degree of persuasion, but persuasion must not become deception. Nations collapse when politics becomes only about stories without substance. As Abraham Lincoln wisely declared: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Jacob fooled customs officers with his statue. Politicians may fool citizens with their narratives. In the end, truth has a way of emerging and when it does, history judges harshly.
Politics is, indeed, the art of many face; but citizens must insist that at least one of those faces is honest.
society
Diplomacy Under Fire: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Vanguard Challenges U.S. Ambassador Nomination
Diplomacy Under Fire: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Vanguard Challenges U.S. Ambassador Nomination
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“How history, sovereignty and global justice are colliding in Pretoria’s political theatre.”
South Africa stands at the intersection of memory, morality and contemporary geopolitics. In a dramatic and deeply symbolic challenge to international diplomatic norms, the South African chapter of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) has publicly urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to exercise his constitutional right to reject the credentials of Leo Brent Bozell III, the United States’ ambassador-designate to South Africa. This demand is not merely about one diplomat’s qualifications but it represents a broader contest over historical interpretation, national sovereignty, human rights and the ethical responsibilities of global partnerships.
The statement issued by the AAM, drawing on its legacy rooted in the nation’s hard-won liberation from racial oppression, argues that Bozell’s track record and ideological orientation raise “serious questions” about his fitness to serve in South Africa. The movement insists that his appointment threatens to undermine the country’s independent foreign policy, particularly in the context of Pretoria’s pursuit of justice at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, where South Africa has taken the rare step of challenging alleged atrocities in Gaza.
The Roots of the Dispute.
At the heart of the controversy is the claim by activists that Bozell’s public remarks over time have been disparaging toward the African National Congress (ANC) and the broader anti-apartheid struggle that shaped modern South Africa’s democratic identity. These statements, which critics describe as reflective of a worldview at odds with the principles of liberation and equity, have animated calls for his credentials to be rejected.
South Africa’s constitution empowers the head of state to accept or refuse the credentials of foreign envoys, a power rarely exercised in recent diplomatic practice but one that acquires urgency in moments of intense bilateral tension. As the AAM’s leadership frames it, this is not about personal animus but about safeguarding the nation’s right to determine its own moral and geopolitical compass.
Historical Memory Meets Contemporary Politics.
South Africa’s anti-apartheid legacy holds deep cultural, political and moral resonance across the globe. The nation’s liberation struggle (led by giants such as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Oliver Tambo) was rooted in the universal principles of human dignity, equality and resistance to systemic oppression. It transformed South Africa from a pariah state into a moral beacon in global affairs.
As the AAM statement put it, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of others.” This invocation of history is not ceremonial. It frames South Africa’s foreign policy not just as a function of national interest but as a commitment to a universal ethos born of struggle.
Renowned scholars of post-colonial studies, including the late Mahmood Mamdani, have argued that anti-colonial movements inherently shape post-independence foreign policy through moral imperatives rooted in historical experience. In this view, South African diplomacy often reflects an ethical dimension absent in purely strategic calculations.
The Broader Diplomatic Context.
The dispute over ambassadorial credentials cannot be separated from broader tensions in South African foreign policy. Pretoria’s decision to take Israel before the ICJ on allegations of violating the Genocide Convention has triggered significant diplomatic friction with the United States. Official U.S. channels have expressed concern over South Africa’s stance, particularly amid the conflict in the Middle East. This has coincided with sharp rhetoric from certain U.S. political figures questioning South Africa’s approach.
For instance, critics in the United States have at times framed South Africa’s foreign policy as both confrontational and inconsistent with traditional Western alliances, especially on issues relating to the Middle East. These tensions have underscored how global power dynamics interact (and sometimes collide) with post-apartheid South Africa’s conception of justice.
Within South Africa, political parties have responded in kind. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have condemned Bozell’s nomination as reflective of an agenda hostile to South Africa’s principles, even labelling his ideological lineage as fundamentally at odds with emancipation and equality. Whether or not one agrees with such characterisations, the intensity of these critiques reveals the deep anxiety amongst some sectors of South African civil society about external interference in the nation’s policymaking.
Sovereignty, International Law and National Identity.
Scholars of international law emphasise that the acceptance of diplomatic credentials is not merely ceremonial; it signals a nation’s readiness to engage with a foreign representative as a legitimate interlocutor. Legal theorist Martti Koskenniemi has written that diplomatic practice functions at the intersection of law, power and morality, shaping how states perceive each other and interact on the world stage.
In this light, the AAM’s appeal to Ramaphosa reflects a profound anxiety: that South Africa’s sovereignty (and its moral authority on the world stage) is being tested. To refuse credentials would be to affirm the nation’s agency; to accept them without scrutiny could be interpreted, in some quarters, as a concession to external pressure.
President Ramaphosa himself has, in recent speeches, stressed the importance of upholding constitutional integrity and South Africa’s role as a constructive actor in global affairs. His leadership, shaped by decades as a negotiator and statesman, walks a fine line between defending national interests and maintaining diplomatic engagement.
Moral Certainties and Strategic Ambiguities.
What makes this situation especially complex is the blending of moral conviction with strategic diplomacy. South Africa, like any sovereign state, depends on a web of international relationships (economic, security, political) that require engagement with powers whose policies and values do not always align with its own.
Yet for many South Africans, drawing a line on diplomatic appointments is not just about personalities but about reaffirming the values fought for during decades of struggle. As anti-apartheid veteran and academic Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikezela once observed, “Our history is not a relic; it is the compass by which we navigate present injustices.” This idea captures why historical memory acquires such force in debates over current foreign policy.
Towards a Resolution.
Whether President Ramaphosa will act on the AAM’s call remains uncertain. Diplomatic norms usually favour acceptance of appointed envoys to maintain continuity in bilateral relations. However, exceptional moments call for exceptional scrutiny. This situation compels a national debate on what it means to balance sovereignty with engagement, history with pragmatism, values with realpolitik.
Experts on international relations stress the need for South Africa to carefully assess not just the semantics of credential acceptance but the broader implications for its foreign policy goals and relationships. Former diplomat Dr. Naledi Pandor has argued that “diplomacy is not merely about representation, but about conveying what a nation stands for and will not compromise.” Whether this moment will redefine South Africa’s diplomatic posture or be absorbed into the standard rhythms of international practice remains to be seen.
Summation: History and the Future.
The AAM’s call to reject a U.S. ambassadorial nominee is more than an isolated political manoeuvre, it is a reflection of South Africa’s evolving self-understanding as a nation shaped by legacy, committed to justice and unwilling to dilute its moral voice in global affairs. The controversy casts a spotlight on the tensions facing post-colonial states that strive to be both sovereign and globally engaged.
At its core, this debate is about who writes the rules of international engagement when history has taught a nation never to forget what it fought to achieve. It is a reminder that in a world of shifting alliances and competing narratives, moral clarity, historical awareness and strategic foresight are indispensable.
South Africa’s decision in this matter will not only shape its diplomatic engagement with the United States but will reverberate across continents where questions of justice, human rights and national dignity remain at the forefront of global discourse.
society
Fatgbems Group Commissions Ultra-Modern Mega Station in Opic, Expands Footprint in Nigeria’s Energy Retail Sector
Fatgbems Group Commissions Ultra-Modern Mega Station in Opic, Expands Footprint in Nigeria’s Energy Retail Sector
PUBLIC NOTICE: STRONG WARNING & DISCLAIMER
The general public is hereby strongly warned to exercise extreme caution regarding any dealings with Joseph Enyinnaya Eze, popularly known as Dracomiles who claims to operate as a Forex trader in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Multiple reports and complaints have raised serious concerns about his business activities, dubious act. warranting immediate public attention.
Anyone who has already engaged with or been affected by these activities should urgently report the matter to the EFCC (Nigeria), Action Fraud (UK), or their nearest law enforcement authority.
This notice is issued in the interest of public safety and financial protection and should be treated with the utmost seriousness.
Signed,
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
PRINCE EMMANUEL BENNY DANSON.
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