Africa’s Long Walk to Freedom
Since Biblical times, all the great nations and empires that arose and prospered were those that were founded on and preserved the history of their founding fathers and mothers, in particular, the revolutionary moral values that inspired their struggles for national liberation, freedom, equality and justice for all.
The Long Walk to Freedom was also Africa's story. The indignation that once permeated our continent has been replaced by inspiration. The undercurrent of pessimism resulting from the onslaught of maladies – wars, coup d’etats, disease, poverty and oppression – has given way to a steadily increasing sense of possibility. It wasn't only Nelson Mandela who was transformed during those years of his imprisonment. We all were. And Africa is all the better because of that.
The thing about heroes is that their acts are righteous only when nurtured by their nation and people, to intervene for the interests of such nation and people. Some even say that the assassination of Patrice Lumumba was the most important political assassination in the 20th century. This special freedom edition of Nomad Africa magazine presents us with an opportunity to celebrate the lives and times of the heroes of our national liberation struggles, an opportunity to reflect upon and reaffirm the intrinsic roots of our nation and the continuing relevance for nation building and social cohesion.
In this edition, Christine Siamanta Kinori invites our readers to meet the Turkana tribe – one of the 42 tribes in East Africa that has managed to stick to their undiluted way of life. The tribe have survived natural calamities, modernization and have still remained strong (see page 42). In another special feature, the population in African cities have been predicted to double by year 2015 (page 46).
Tourism is a major source of income globally especially for smaller countries that have a rich diversity of offerings for international travellers, yet current issues of climate change, sustainability and digitalisation together with super rapid progress in the data and information technology sectors are exerting a profound impact on tourism worldwide. Our media crew attended the first International Conference on Digitalization and Sustainable Tourism in Mauritius hosted by the Mauritius Ministry of Tourism. Read more about this two day high profile event on Page 82. On the second day of the same event, Mauritius boosted environmental awareness by inviting guests to witness a coral planting (Page 94).
As we celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 100 years anniversary with this special edition, we believe that if we apply Nelson’s humility, tact and penchant for dialogue, we can face the challenges that threaten Africa as a continent.