Opinion article by Duke of Shomolu, Joseph Edgar
This afternoon while recording an interview on Silverbird TV, popular TV presenter Patrick Doyle said,’ Edgar is an investment banker who wears an earring?
That statement, although made jocularly, challenged me. It tore at my essence and queried my being and positioning in life
I fought back. I said because I can and had attained a position in my thinking that I couldn’t care less if people won’t look beyond the superficial.
As I drove home, the statement kept nagging at me. Why would the system define and engage with what they see physically and not with the value embedded within just waiting to bust loose.
Outlaws have always had issues in being understood and most of them simply rebel by ignoring and remaining steadfast
Over the years, a huge level of acceptability had been achieved but limited to specific spheres of endeavour.
So a barber or musician or actor can go around with red hair, pink shoes and tattoos all over his body and we will stare and admire.
But other people in so called conservative professions like banking, health, education would be looked at as misfits if they tried.
Patrick tried to be polite but I could see his discomfort as he asked again for the third time. You are an investment banker, why the earrings?
His fear was clear. He had a problem as President of his Alumni and I had proffered a solution and he wanted to open me up to his Exco which was made up of top bankers.
He was worried that i would not be taken seriously and even went ahead to suggest that my intern should make the presentation
So to him, my 26-years experience as a top flight investment banker who had risen to be MD of two Asset Management firms and a co-founder of a fast paced Investment banking outfit didn’t count because of my earrings and dreadlocks. Wow!
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As we spoke, the camera man mentioned my egbon Edi Lawani. He said,’ Edi wears shorts everywhere he goes’
Patrick said but he is into entertainment, strengthening my earlier assertion.
We went ahead with the recording and we discussed very intelligently our political situation in the country and after that he asked if I could be coming back regularly and I said yes bro wondering if my earring had reduced my level of intelligence in any way.
What this retells me, is what I have always known. You gotta be strong and build a very powerful self esteem otherwise society will bash you.
My friend says it breeds trust in banking for example. She would ask,’ Edgar, why do bankers remain conservative. It’s because they want to build trust. So if you were your hair like this, you would not build trust and I say bunkum.
I have done an excess of N4b in the last 3 years with H&G for discerning clients and just closed another N500m in real estate transactions with the same earrings and dreadlocks with no suit or tie just this night.
I smile as I wonder what other outlaws who are far into the depth of deviancy go through the gays, the bohemians, those with physical debilities. What do they go through?
I pity them because I am still mainstream, a little bit off but still far closer to mainstream than the little boy who would rather have a mo-hawk than keep a low cut and still wants to be a banker.
I think we should all do what I do. I do not create any impression in a first meeting. I give everybody 5 minutes to show he is smart or a fool.
I do not judge by appearance. You will tell me if you are to be taken seriously or not by the very words that come out of your mouth. Makes better sense…
Shame though.
*Duke of Shomolu*
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