The White Lions

 https://www.sunway.city/kualalumpur/the-white-lion-kingdom/

I had a late night with the Loveable Pillow, who took me to see “Mufasa the Lion King,” in a luxury Cinema in Johor Bharu last night. The story of Mufasa is the prequel to Disney’s “Lion King” and tells the story on Mufasa, the father of the proverbial Lion King.

While Disney may not have intended it, the release of the movie in Asia close to Christmas proved to be highly significant. Let’s face it we are celebrating the birth of someone who became the first real champion of Outcast or “God from the Gutter.” Read the gospels and you’ll notice that Jesus is constantly having a go at the established characters like the scribes and the pharisees and speaking up for the outcast like the whores and tax collectors.

The story of Mufasa has a similar theme. The central character, Mufasa gets lost from his parents and ends up getting adopted by another pride. The theme of “outsiders” becomes very prominent from this moment. The King Obasi, the leader of the pride he adopted into, has rules against outsiders, stating that dilutes the background and so on and so on. However, his Queen, Eshee, speaks up for Mufasa who is finally adopted into the pride but on condition that he hangs out with the females, which is a “snub,” a sort of we’ll let you stay but you do the s*** work. King Obasi tells his son, Taka to follow his lead and exude power – which is to sleep.

Then, there’s the moment of truth, when Queen Eshee is attacked by the villainous White Lions, who are bigger and meaner than the average lion (in the movie – bears not biological evidence), her own flesh and blood son hides and trembles whilst his mother is attacked. It is Mufasa, the cub she adopted who fights with her, effectively rescuing her. It is Mufasa who has the skills and the brains to know that the White Lions are coming for the pride.

So, how is it such that the “stray” functions so much better than the heir? Well, it starts out with the fact that he was sent to be with the females. It’s supposed to be a “snub,” a way of saying he should be grateful that they’re letting him live provided he does all the “s***” or in this case “female” work. However, in a Lion Pride, it’s the females who do the hunting. They are the ones who bring home the food. So, whilst their work is deemed “lowly,” they’re doing something essential for the survival of the pride. Mufasa learns to hunt from his adopted mother and he learns the necessary skills for survival. So, by the time Mufasa and Taka are told to flee the pride, its Mufasa who takes the lead because he’s the one who’s had to go out and do things. Taka, who later becomes Scar, snivels away and expects things to happen for him, because, well, he was destined to be a prince who exudes power by sleeping.

Think about how many times we’ve snubbed someone because of their job but had problems the moment they stopped doing their job. Think of Communist societies where the top guy is known as the “General Secretary.” Ironically, this job was considered unimportant, which is why Stalin first got the job. It was Lenin’s way of trying to push him into obscurity. However, whilst everyone was looked elsewhere, it was the General Secretary who was appointing his people to every lever of power in the party and government.

The other characters are also “outcast” so to speak. Rafiki, the “wise mandril” is an exile from his tribe because they think he brings them bad luck, even though he actually gets it right when he predicts danger.

So, the lesson is clear, the things you consider “virtues” may not necessarily be so. Taka has “blood” relations with this family but flees at the first sign of trouble. Mufasa the stray, fights with the pride that adopted him.

Then, there’s the lesson of never snubbing people based on their profession. Mufasa sent to hunt with the females, is the one with the skills needed to survive. When push comes to shove, he’s the one with the ability to get thing done.

Ironically there’s a flip side to this in the shape of the villainous White Lions, who are cruel and incidentally more powerful than the average lion. It turns out that the white lion pride is not an organic pride but a collection of exiles from prides who exiled them for looking different. Being rejected by the ones supposed to be on their side gives them a sense of vengeance.

Think about the calls for mass deportation from Western countries and bans on Muslims. Yet the truth is rather different. First generation migrants are funnily enough the ones who are the most loyal citizens. They’re grateful to be far away from wherever they came from originally. The problem is not the migrants but the second generation. Think of the guys who bombed London on 7 July 2005. They were people born and bred in the UK.

The lesson here is very clear. Welcoming people and treating them with dignity works. Alienating people who look different gives them a reason to want to harm you.

Mufasa should be made compulsory viewing for kids in elite schools. The messaging on leadership is clear and people born into privilege need to get the message as early as possible that they need to understand that warmth and kindness are not weaknesses but the essence of good leadership.