normal. But let's look at the specifics of Muna's death.
Pulse Editor, Joey Akan believes that celebrities are
blameless for the death of their colleague.
With the death of actor Muna Obiekwe , the spotlight has
shifted to other actors and celebrities. They are being
accused of leaving their colleague in the lurch, and
abandoning him in his time of need. Muna was undergoing
intense treatment for kidney failure, and was in need of a
lot of money.
Blaming celebrities for the death of their colleague is quite
normal. But let's look at the specifics of this case to get a
fair standing. A man has died from a medical condition that
maybe could have been averted by funds. That's the story
that has been peddled around by some people, who feel
hurt by the death of a nice guy.
It is wrong to blame the Nollywood stars for the death of
one of their colleagues. First, they are colleagues.
Colleagues are people who work together in a strict sense
to achieve a professional aim, often enriching themselves in
the process. A colleague is only concerned about the aim of
the game, not the players. They need to make money from
acting, anything that is not in line with that is secondary.
As species that are given to affection and care, we expect
friendship and love to bloom from business relationships,
but that's not the case for the most part. If Muna has a
problem, and his colleagues have to shoot a movie,
(emphasis on the word 'colleague'), they will ignore the
man and shoot their movie. An exception can come in only
if he has been cast in that movie and his absence will
prevent the work from reaching a profitable conclusion.
It is the hard fact but true. We live in a capitalist society,
where profit and personal gratification trumps the collective
good, and ultimately erodes our love for each other.
Another interesting assumption of his death is the thinking
that extra money could have saved his life. His colleagues
have been berated on social media, with their lack of
donation to save his life. But this is also wrong. Reports
have emerged that Muna kept his problem private. Enlisting
his colleagues was not an option. He was totally against it,
and relied heavily on friends such as Vera Kanu and Ejiro
Okurame, who brought in Patience Ozokwor and Kanayo O.
Kanayo . In the weeks leading to his demise, he contacted
Ibinabo Fiberesima (the AGN President), but could not
disclose his condition.
A huge number of his colleagues had no knowledge of his
condition. How can you help if you have no information
about a situation? That's the case here. Nobody knew.
Another flaw in this assumption is in the thinking that
money could have solved his problem. I'm not a doctor. In
fact, medical stuff tends to creep me out. Not the graphic
side of it like rashes, fractures, blood or insides -- I can
handle all that.
What I've always found unsettling is the uncertainty of so
much of what doctors do. They observe ... and that
observation may be incorrect. They judge, based on that
observation, as well as their own experience and what they
know from the textbooks ... and that, too, may be incorrect.
And, finally, they diagnose ... but that too, may turn out
incorrect because they're asked to play percentages and
likelihoods.
In this case, that percentage and likelihood could not save
the life of Muna. The actor was told to undergo 20 sessions
of dialysis (a kidney purification technique), he was
assured by professional authority that dialysis would make
him live. But it didn't. Muna died after 10 sessions of it.
Money was not the problem, he could afford his treatment,
but he couldn't survive it. That's the true story.
A case can also be made for emotional support. If Muna
had gotten a lot of sympathy and fine words, (you could
throw in the tears from some leaky-eyed folks too), would
he have survived? No. Kidney failure is pure science.
Emotions aren't. They are sentiments. A world of emotional
support would never have made him live. A case can be
made that the support could have made his days brighter
and his moments cheerful, but it would never have saved
his life.
The dynamics of Muna's death cannot be comprehended
and simplified, but with a keen eye and reasoning, one can
begin to understand that it is a not directly linked to his
colleagues in the Nollywood industry.
A person who is currently suffering for wrongful reasoning
is Ibinabo Fiberesima. She is not to be blamed. She had no
idea of his condition and couldn't swing in to help. Her
record can show up a couple of good deeds » that help
her case. She doesn't deserve the backlash » .
Let's all grieve for the loss of a good man. The blame game
has no place in mourning.