Africa is one blessed continent, ranging from fertile soils, great climate, diverse cultures, mineral resources among many others. During pre and post colonial times the likes of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana among other Pan Africanists knew these very well and worked towards growing both the negritude( in colleges in Paris in 1940s), pan Africanism and the United states of Africa ideology and Agenda for the benefit of Africans who were then physically oppressed and deprived in their own homeland. Colonialists brainwashed all Africans to believe that black is bad and white is good and unfortunately most Africans are still brainwashed in many ways.
There was a number of Africans who rose to show that Africa could sustain itself, the likes of Thomas Sankara and Muammar Gadafi made self sustaining countries, not requiring aid as early as in the mid 1980s. Libya in Gadaffi’s time did not have any international debt , medical, education among other services were free. Burkina Faso in Sankaras period was similarly the same. These are examples of true Africans who understood that “the hand that feeds you will always control you”
This spirit how ever died off when the west decided to control the media on Africans. It is sad to notice that most Africans are still colonized mentally and psychologically because of what they see. The little history we know about is learnt through the eyes of the whites, and is orchestrated towards a defined line of thought in favor of the orchestra-tor. As the famous Kikuyu saying goes, “The story of the hunted will always praise the hunter if the hunter tells it”. case and point; Watch the movie, “The secret soldiers of Berghazi” and you will see how Libya is portrayed as a nation that had been led without any concern of the citizens. That is recent history that is represented contrary to how Africans actually know it. Look at all movies acted based on war fields in Africa and you will see the superiority over Africans ignorantly expressed in all of them to simply brain wash Africans as they take advantage of our consumer driven economies. Watch the film “Black November” and you will have an idea of how Africa is currently being stripped off of its natural resources in broad daylight. Watch even Sarafina and you will get a little taste of apartheid. Watch “Hotel Rwanda” and “sometimes in April” and you will see how the international community went silent since there were no resources to exploit.
As Africans, we need to rethink our priorities as our fore fathers did when their welcoming nature was taken advantage of by the colonialists. We need a new shift in ideology and turn around the consumerism economies. We need to evaluate our options and not see success as in the eyes of others but in our own. We have new challenges that we understand best. We have our own solutions that that will work better since we understand our problems best. We need a rejuvenation and a recall of the Pan African spirit all over Africa.
The new neocolonialism puts us Africa in a position where it must act timely. In the olden times, many acted, it is our time to act now and stop the psychological colonization. In the words of Bob Marley, it is time to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery since none but our selves can free our minds and as in My friends comment one day, in hustlers corner, no one will make money for you! The mantle is on us to liberate ourselves and to speak out in one voice, refuse egocentric leaderships, educate our youths on self reliance, develop our enterprising culture and manufacturing systems, be proud and consume our own. It is time to ensure that before our money goes outside the continent, it has exchanged hands at least six times within the continent.
Then and only Then, Shall we be independent
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by Kasper Ampe, Michael Kriechbaum and Sofie Sandin In June 2018 we attended the IST (International Sustainability Transitions) conference in Manchester. It was a repeat visit for all of us, but this time we left the conference rather puzzled – with the STEPS Centre’s summer school in the back of our minds. In the summer […]
via Are alternative visions missing from the debates about sustainability transitions? — STEPS Centre
I don’t wish to step on anyone’s toes, neither do I want to ride along a mate, all i want is to deliver an opinion, mine in that case concerning what i see around some cultures of non African nature being condoned by Africans. At some point i feel we are losing the only thing that made us unique, our culture.
It started with the long waged fight of gender equality, of which its consequences are evident all over! a neglected boy child who eventually becomes lost in life ending up being either a dependant or in jail. With the imbalance resource sharing favouring the girls has led to the boy child feeling left out in the society. It was never supposed to be a fight, all we needed was to fit in where we belonged! Africa. The issue was not turning women into men but rather giving them a level playing ground with the men, i don’t intend to marry a woMAN! get IT?
Then came the issue of same sex marriages! Just because some light guy stepped up with confidence enough and admitted laying with a like mate doesn’t make it right! Cm on! This is Africa, not some place else! I have to say here i stand by Museveni, a true African! no same sex marriages, it just doesn’t make sense, not in African traditions, not in the Bible, Not in the Koran…. Not anywhere!
Some cultures we adopt in the name of modernization just do us more harm than good, what will our children think of us if we allow some few characters out of their curiosity seek acceptance and embrace that which is taboo in our communities?
Just as Museveni, those who opt that should go to the West and as Mugabe, those who want it should be best examples! I remain a Man, and I will marry a woman not a woMAN! my opinion!
Thats what I see 