Nigeria Content Online

One
of 2010’s landmark events was Julian Paul Assange’s publication of
secret diplomatic US government cables on WikiLeaks, his whistle
blowing website-company. Nahu bis dis man sef?

Julian Paul
Assange, born 3 July 1971, is an Australian publisher, journalist,
software developer and Internet activist. Assange has worked as a
computer programmer and was a hacker during his youth. He has lived in
several countries, and has made public appearances in many parts of the
world to speak about freedom of the press, censorship, and
investigative journalism.

Assange founded the
WikiLeaks website in 2006 and serves on its advisory board. He has
published material about extra judicial killings in Kenya, toxic waste
dumping in Africa, Church of Scientology manuals, and Guantanamo Bay
procedures.

In 2010, he
published classified details about American involvement in the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks and its five media
partners began publishing secret US diplomatic cables. The White House
has called Assange’s release of the diplomatic cables “reckless and
dangerous”.

Assange is
currently wanted for questioning in Sweden regarding alleged sexual
offences, and was arrested in London, England on 7 December 2010. He is
currently on bail and under house arrest in England pending an
extradition hearing. Assange has denied the allegations and claimed
that they are politically motivated.

Assange has
received awards and nominations for his work including the Economist
Freedom Expression Award (2008), and the Amnesty International Media
Award for publishing material about extrajudicial killings in Kenya. He
was most recently named Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year”. (From
Wikipedia, free Encyclopedia).

In local parlance,
what Assange has done is called tatafo or tatafo witaut waya. One who
commits such an act is also addressed as a Tatafo or Tatafo witaut
waya. The information leaked may be in favourable to one party but the
reverse for another. Julian Assange’s release of the many secrets of a
big power like America and other countries like Nigeria is definitely
not in their interest.

However, there are
individuals, non-governmental organisations and nations that are happy
about this development for reasons best known to them.

At the level of the
private individual, with particular reference to large residential
compounds or the popular fes mi a fes yu eria dem, tatafowit aut waya
is synonymous with rumour mongering. As an unsolicited act, it is
presumed as something that usually happens through the back door.

This is underscored
by the fact that in those days of the NITEL brand of analogue telephone
(called waya in Naija), any information sent through this medium was
generally presumed to be official and genuine. Information passed
outside of this medium, was perceived or described as wit aut waya (not
via the telephone) and therefore fake and capable of creating unhealthy
situations. The Americans dubbed Mr. Assange’s actions as “reckless and
dangerous”.

If you have ever
lived in big compounds wie pipul plenti, there’s no way you would have
missed seeing wetin tatafo witaut waya don du to relationships and
marital homes.

Most Tatafo witaut
waya derive pleasure in leaking secret information but not without the
following caveat: “no tok se na mi tel yu o”.

Tatafo has its bad
and good sides, but the case of Julian Assange is a different ball game
because he operates with a duly registered website branded as
“dangerous” by those opposed to his views.

Despite the fact
that the government of Goodluck Jonathan was not pleased with Julian
Assange’s leaks about Nigeria, The Guardian, one of Nigeria’s respected
newspapers has named him as the paper’s Man of the Year.

Whether for good or
bad, we have people that are averse to keeping secrets and Julian
Assange happens to be one. Another name for a Tatafo is Amebo. Julian
Assange is a komfam Amebo who could be described as Tatafo wit waya we
pas waya. Na Tatafo wit intanet. Weda pesin de du tatafo wit waya oo
not, tatafo na tatafo an na wahala fo evribodi. Nobodi send am. Kpakam!

Mr. Oribhabor is a promoter of Naija (Nigerian Pidgin), and writes from Abuja