The story of every African Nation

 

In life every one of us has their own story, unique and different like the DNA. The same applies to every nation in the world at least to those colonized (external or internal powers) or being colonized. The late Kofi Annan once said, “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline”. This simply means we are equal at birth but what happens thereafter sets us apart. Youth is a phase in our lives that matters most to our growth as well as to the democracy, without the inclusion of the young then the process of democracy becomes an event and not a process.

Though the richest continent in terms of natural resources, Africa has to date been perceived to have 3 key problems, determined by the colonialists who regarded the African community as a backward illiterate society.  The issues include

Illiteracy, the colonialist disregarded our social structure, thereby creating a notion that literacy means going through the western educational system. To achieve that, our stories spread from going to school on an empty stomach to going without shoes and accessing education at an advanced age in life like that of the 84 year old Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge who  the Guinness Book of World Records listed  as the oldest person in the world to start primary school. Thus, the western education system became part of us growing up forgoing our culture.

Poverty, white man collaborated with the Africans during colonial period and thereafter the tribal kings perpetuated the narrative of poverty in Africa. This belief created stories and images have been captured of how poverty has its pangs on people, for instance, the story of the frail Sudanese girl whose photo was taken showing a vulture eyeing her from behind. The picture was taken in 1993 but since then, has this changed even after attaining the right to self-determination? And was poverty an issue in the African society before the colonial masters and how was the societal setup before?

Diseases, those with wealth and those without are equalized by diseases from malaria to HIV/AIDS and lately cancer. The rich also cry for their loved ones, the powerful are powerless in the face of diseases. The current day colonial masters (tribal kings/ so called leaders) have ensured that systems (health, education, agriculture, manufacturing industries) don’t work so that they continue being beneficiaries of colonializing the masses with “mtu wetu” syndrome. They find themselves on the receiving end of their own systems of neglect, but they are slightly better because they can still afford to go abroad for treatment.

Therefore, being poor, sick or illiterate is normal what matters is what are you doing about your current status? The 3 are the traditional issues facing the continent but since 2000 or there about we've had additional and new dynamics to them. The 3 issues perpetuated by the colonial masters (white) had lessened by the year 2000 and the current masters have to adjust to continue with the control and slavery. 

First, we were told education has an effect of equalizing the poor and the rich as well as the solution to the 3 problems. However, since the departure of the colonial power and inception of Africans as the leaders, things have taken a different turn. The Africans who fought for independence never enhanced the system of governance to accommodate growth through industries, and exploitation of natural resources.In all the 54 countries in Africa, each country has its tribes and every tribe has its own semi gods who call the shot. The tribes in power are the new colonialists with collaborators in every other tribe compared to the situation in which the Britain had companies managing Africa on its behalf. Just like those companies, the tribes in power manage Africa on behalf of the western and eastern nations with semi gods (collaborators) in every other tribe managing on their behalf completing the chain.

At least Africa is growing in debt, they are unable to negotiate for better deals because of the already incurred debts and the pressing demand for the infrastructural development which will never repay itself. The population has tripled since independence, democratic principles and laws are cut and pasted without consideration for the people to the extent of equating democracy to periodic shambolic elections. Nothing is contextualized to the citizen’s situation but the citizens are asked to conform and accept that which has been prescribed (Huduma number Bill in Kenya).

More to that, being young is equated to being a dissolutioned and disinterested member of the society. The researchers have said that we (youth) do not care "how" we get anything what matters is we have it. This can be attributed to what we were made to believe, how our life should turn out having gone through education but the reality taking us into disarray. As 90’s babies we grew up reading stories and society also told us how so and so became a pilot ...etc. and was successful. Blinded with the stories, we went into education with expectations of success only to be stranded with our educational papers.

The same society revised the rules and told us to have something more than just the papers; connections to people in high places. From so and so went to school, the stories changed to so and so is related to or known, and through these connections, they got there. The education lost the "weight" and it became just a system that we have/had to go through as part of the growth / formal cultural expectations and get to the age of majority.

Every story has its roots somewhere and for me the story lies within our governance. Almost all the billionaires have had interactions with the government in one way or the other due to connection that have failed the governance system.

But I wish to remind you of the Booker T. Washington’s words "One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.". With our current colonial powers, we will be described and remain in the same situation. Therefore, let's keep hope as we fight through, our time as the youth will come to design a better system of governance and when we fail, we shall only have ourselves to blame.

 

Ahmed Maalim Adow