AROISM: A TRADITION TO FOREGO OR MAINTAIN?

 

If you are a student of this First and the Best and you have no idea what ‘aroism’ is, then I doubt your studentship status. As a lady, trekking on the Streets of Ikorodu is like a rabbit walking in the headlights.

Following the recent commotion in the university community, I wonder if there is still such a thing as liberty of movement. Offending the sensibility of another person in the name of having fun is questionable. Record and history bear me witness to the long-aged practice of the great Republic. Having fun is fine; just not at the expense of others’ comfort.

I would not fault anyone because tradition is meant to be passed down. But, should it continue if it renders no actual purpose? As unserious as it seems, the gravity weighs differently on those at the receiving end. Many have found it hard to adapt to the general campus life because of their experience with this tradition and those who suffer from low self-esteem have promised not to walk through those streets again.  I do not want to be misunderstood - I am only a spokesman for a thousand heads. I have not experienced it but it is something I am not looking forward to. 

Not only can it be discomforting, but its manipulative effects also cannot be overemphasized. Being ridiculed for dressing in a particular way or having a particular body shape is displeasing regardless of the manner of expression. It is not quite easy to fathom the self-wrecking activities students get involved in to fit into campus life. 

Catering for a need should not make one a criminal either. To have to walk a thousand miles to get a basic need of life is not exactly an easy task, one should be allowed to do it peacefully and not have to contend with an incomprehensible tradition. 

I cannot help but recall the sight of a female resident who took to her heels to avoid being a victim of this common practice. Imagining the fear she must have felt, I cannot help but empathize with her and others who have had similar experiences. This is an example of mental and emotional distress that we sometimes do not see.

I look forward to a significant change. ‘Katangites are not animals, they listen to orders; they follow the rules and regulations of the hall and the university’.  I will like to believe these words do not just hold a substantial amount of credibility but also is the new norm.