Buzz by Olumide Iyanda
Email: oiyanda@yahoo.com Twitter: @mightyng
Is Majek Fashek worth saving?
There are perhaps as many answers to that question as the number of people that have tried to help the troubled music legend in recent history. Ask his wife, Rita; moviemaker, Charles Novia; journalist, Azuka Jebose, and Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) Chairman, Tony Okoroji and they will tell you about the chaos and personal loss that have attended past efforts at redemption.
Some state governments and corporate organisations also have stories of what some have described as ‘mission impossible’.
Many have simply given up on him. Others think he alone can help himself. Thankfully, those mentioned above still believe redemption might be possible. Personal experience tells me so, too.
Majek did not suddenly become the poster boy of the evil of addiction. Those really close to him recall a time when he neither drank nor smoked. This is the man who worked his way from Jastix – with Ras Kimono and others – to become Nigeria’s biggest reggae export. He worked his guitar and sang with the magical alchemy of an ordained prophet. Even the heavens obeyed him when he sang ‘Send Down the Rain’. From Tabansi Records to Interscope, he proved to be a star worth his weight in gold. He is the closest Nigeria ever got to Bob Marley whose Redemption Song he masterfully covered.
Today, Majek is a shell of the craft master that produced albums like Prisoner of Conscience, I & I Experience, Spirit of Love and Little Patience. The man now seen on the street begging for money is in the grip of a continuing and progressive illness. He suffers from chronic alcoholism. His haunted look and frail body bear signs that point to three directions: jail, institution and death.
The good news is that recovery is possible. The somewhat bad news is that Majek is no longer in a state to help himself. He has what is referred to in addiction treatment as a hijacked brain. The force of habit will keep him reaching for that first drink. That is the insanity about which every recovering alcoholic knows so well. Nobody understands the frustration and pain of that vicious cycle like those caught in the storm. They know that one drink is too much and 20 not enough.
There is no question about Majek’s mental state. One only needs to spend a few minutes with him and the diagnosis will be evident. Perhaps the first thing anybody interested in helping a critical case like the one on hand needs is an enforceable order to have him treated against his wish. Any chance at rehabilitation must have the force of law. Unfortunately, Nigeria still operates the obsolete Lunacy Act of 1958. Rita, Charles, Azuka and others have stories of the musician checking himself out of rehab in the past. Some people who claim to be his managers, agents or benefactors have been less than honourable by aiding him to abandon treatment. They claimed he had a contract or engagement he must honour. Nobody who cares about Majek should put him on stage or in the studio in the state that he is in.
It is worth repeating that Majek cannot help himself in the state he is in. He needs someone to FORCE him into rehab and get him to stay there. That way, no manager, “friend” or even Majek himself can force his way out. His release will only be possible upon the evaluation of those treating him. And that can be anything from two to three years. The story of James Sidall as told in his biography Dystopia bears evidence to this.
Everything Majek is presently committed to needs to be out on hold until he is well. His recovery should be the only thing of interest to anybody. The first step may be to identify a good rehab and discuss the matter in a frank and fearless manner with the operators. A good treatment centre should advise on how to navigate the legal and relational obstacles to getting started. Those trying to rescue him can then have an idea of what to look at in terms of treatment, duration, cost, relapse prevention and aftercare. Armed with the right knowledge and programme of action, his family and close friends can approach benefactors for help.
Half measures will avail him of nothing. Those wishing to help him must be willing to go to any length at greater personal cost than ever to get him on the road to recovery. Tell him to go to rehab on his own and he will tell you no, no, no. Giving Majek money is a waste of time. Not even an armoured tank will guarantee that the money will not end up in a nearby shebeen. Providing accommodation or concerts to play at will only feed his addiction. That will reinforce his twisted perception of reality. Where he belongs now is a treatment centre.
An addict lives in denial. It is tough accepting without any reservation that one is powerless over alcohol and that life has become unmanageable. But once the idea that he can ever drink successfully again has been smashed the alcoholic can then begin the journey on his own.
Majek suffers from a disease from which there is no known cure. It can however be arrested and recovery is possible. The road is going to be long. There will be moments of return to insanity. England football legend, Paul Gascoigne, first entered treatment for alcoholism in 1998. He is still on the journey to recovery 17 years after.
Rehabilitation centres around the world are filled with patients who did not get there of their own wish. It does not matter how they get there, what matters is that they stay there. Many have tried to escape. No doubt Majek will. But a court order – if it can be obtained – will guarantee ‘detention’.
Addiction is not a moral issue. Majek deserves sympathy not judgement. Luckily, some of the best treatment centres are run by people who were once addicts. The therapeutic value of an addict helping another cannot be quantified. People with years of clean time have seen worst cases carry their beds and walk again.
The consequences of active addiction may last a lifetime but the blessed fact of sobriety keeps many recovering alcoholics going one day at a time. Like the AA Big Book promises “We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.” Ultimately, “We will suddenly realise that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.”
