“To this end, we are still going to need platforms of high value with action than papers, ink and files locked in our wardrobes for the the benefits of dust, cockroaches and rats as we continue our search for a collective response to minimizing protracted conflicts in Africa.”David Beecham of African Union speaking on the just concluded Russia-Africa Economic Forum.
A Ugandan friend, Emmanuel k. Lubowa in his contribution to my question at African Political Network, he said “We aren’t any better at talking and lamenting but we should be the leaders who don’t wait for the numbers. Actually what we call bad leaders really know what they want and they go out and get it and that’s the leadership while we continue in our comfort zone, Our job is to blame, insult abuse and belittle every living thing without doing anything.” My advice he said, is “regardless of the numbers or those willing, we should walk the talk and do some sacrifices and offer ourselves for leadership to the citizens. If we wait for things to just happen, we are just fine at telling folklore not bringing any meaningful challenges to the status quo and change.”
Indeed, is of grave concern to me that all we do is to come on social media, rant, argue and go back to our houses and complain to our friends and family how bad and corrupt the society is. Some platforms are like war zone because of argument and counter claims which divide and impoverish us the more. The political divide among youth in their online activism calls for serious concern. It hurt most when u know that the divide is not based on meaningful ideology but based on ethnic sentiment and favoritism. Because while we are busy arguing rubbish, they politicians are busy looting the country and making policies that effect me and you on our daily lives.
Was it not a publisher, Catherine Pulsifer who said that, “a lot of people are all talk, what they say and what they do are two different things. As the saying goes, talk is cheap. Without actions behind the talk, it is all useless.” Is time to stop playing around and take our responsibilities as responsible people. On daily bases, thousands of lives are lost and talents wasting because of some few myopic individuals turning the lives of hundreds of millions of people upside-down.
I advocate for a new generation of leaders bonded by one ideology which is to advance Africa economically and technologically in line with modern realities, This New generation of leader must show unending passion to advance Africa and high level sense of independency with strong commitment to review the relationship of Africa countries and Western Powers including Middle Eat.
A review of all the deals signed between Western Powers and Africa and recently China will show you loopholes and another style of colonialism in this modern age. We must pick up one or two foreign devils as our enemies and not killing ourselves. And Western Powers fit in very well into the picture of this foreign enemy. China should be placed under close watch and both past and present deals should be reviewed and new ones signed if need be.
For us to take African governance to the next level, a new set of leaders need to emerge to fast track policy formulation and implementation. One thing is to design a good policy, another thing is implementing it. So getting involved politics just as we rant and argue on social media doesn’t get you involved in governance where policies that effect me and you are made. So there should be a strong movement made up of refined Africans with strong declaration to vote in like minds and a well design policy and road map to ‘Utopia’ if I must borrow word from Thomas Moore.
Finally, One of the most important policy objectives of this movement is to create favourable conditions for a young person’s personal development and assist them with successful integration into society. So the idea is to develop a young person’s consciousness, active participation, creativity, independence and ability to take responsibility for their actions.
Is time we rise to action than messing around.
Nkemdi C. Kenneth
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