With independence came more challenges – like economic emancipation and the eradication of poverty and disease. But the current crop of African leaders seem not to be up to the challenge. They are driven by money more than anything else. Corruption, nepotism, extreme materialism have become their definition of patriotism. They amass wealth instead of creating wealth and employment for the suffering people.
I have a lot of respect for Black Americans who were uprooted from mother Africa to the unknown land. They were discriminated, oppressed but they never stopped fighting. Many black American leaders have shown great vision for their people. They keep on raising the bar higher and higher. Martin Luther King Jr led African Americans in a non-violent campaign for justice and their rights. In August 28 1963 he gave one of the most influential speech and vision for America were he said, “I say to you today , my friends , so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow , I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘ we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…..”
I believe that there is still a lot to be done for black Americans, there is still challenges, there is still racism, poverty but if you look at people like Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan , Mohamed Ali , the Williams sisters , Tiger Woods , Colin Powell , Denzel Washington and many more you can also say Dr King ‘s dream and vision has been somehow fulfilled.
I agree with Ken Saro Wiwa that, “the worst sin on earth is the failure to think. It is thoughtlessness that has reduced Africa to beggardom, to failure, poverty and disease. The failure to use creative imagination has reduced Africans to the mimic men and consumers of the product of her imagination”.
Ever since attaining political independence Africa has been hard hit by neo-colonialism , exhausted by civil wars , tribalism , regionalism , torn apart by xenophobia and divide and rule. It has secured the unflattering tag of being a continent of refugees. Children who should be in school are turned into killers.
In Zimbabwe most cabinet members have been there since 1980. Vice President John Nkomo recently died in office, becoming the fourth vice president to do so. Joshua Nkomo died in 1999 aged 82, Simon Muzenda died in 2003 aged 80, and Joseph Msika died in 2009 aged 85. This coming February Mugabe will be celebrating his 89th birthday and I won’t be surprised if he also dies in office as he is running for the presidency again – which will give him five more years if he wins .
Who is going to pass the torch of leadership to the next generation? Where is the vision because anything not renewing is dying? I really think it is criminally short-sighted for African leaders to cling to titles and symbolic niches, and exchange productive assets for articles of prestige. – kanemanyanga@yahoo.com
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Post published in: Opinions & Analysis