From Kobe Bryant to Kenya's Daniel Arap Moi - the struggle to protect the legacy of big men
When big men die they don't get to rewrite their stories to preserve their legacy. Whether it's a basketball star or a former president we must not erase the past. Even in death, the whole truth must be told.
This week Kenya buried former President Daniel Arap Moi who died at the age of 95. According to the government’s memory of Moi, he was the father of the nation who laid the foundation for modern-day Kenya.
”The sun has set on a truly extraordinary man, a masterful yet thoughtful leader, a suave yet firm diplomat. One who served the nation with dignity and honor, ” said President Uhuru Kenyatta of the man who hand-picked him to rule. However, social media remembered Moi differently, as a dictator and human rights violator.
Last month NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant died tragically in California. He was 41. In the aftermath of his death, Gail King in an interview with Lisa Leslie asked about Bryant’s past rape case for which he settled out of court.
There was instant uproar and death threats to King for daring to ask the question. She was accused of trying to ruin Bryant’s legacy.
Both for Moi and Bryant, the public was divided over how to remember the legends. In one camp there were those who said ”let the man rest, don't speak ill of the dead” and in the other those who argued that whether living or dead no one must be absolved of the facts of their existence. Especially, if their actions caused harm to others, death does not instantaneously absolve even legends from their misdeeds.
Black people on the continent and in the diaspora have made it a habit to protect men with power and money no matter what; living or dead. We always seem to find room to justify vile behavior while giving men many chances to rebrand themselves; from Pastors accused of rape to politicians stealing from their people.
Those who feel aggrieved or seek to question power are expected to get over it. And if you insist on telling the truth, calling out powerful men you’re castigated especially if you're a woman.
The attempt to bury the facts of both Kobe’s and Moi’s past actions in the name of protecting their legacy is the work of the patriarchy at its best. The fact is that men with power are treated as sacred cows. Powerful men do bad things and engage in questionable behavior like all humans. If these men are not perfect in life then we can not expect to edit out their imperfections for the sake of legacy and respectability politics.
Our countries and our communities will be better off when we make it a habit to speak the truth of power, call names and hold our cultural and political icons accountable for their actions. And this practice should begin while our leaders are still in the land of the living.
