Mayibuye iAfrika, reclaiming Nkrumah’s ideals

One of the most celebrated groups to come out of SA was the trio known as Chimora.

Assembled together by the great music composer and singer Sello Chicco Twala, the group gained success through the fusion of what some have called South African bubblegum music.

The group used simple lyrics woven together though a tapestry of an Afro-beat sound.

Chimora consisted of Tiny Mbuli, Maki Motloung, and Tshidi Wildeman.

A distinctive contribution by the group was the song Mayibuye iAfrika — a heartfelt prayer for Africa and her people.

People from all corners of the continent expressed fond appreciation of the brilliance that was Chimora, especially in the song Mayibuye iAfrika.

Four themes form the core of the song.

These themes intrigue me as they potentially assist in how we can make sense of the world around us.

The first theme is “Kudala silila silila sililela iAfrika mama” — the continued cry for Africa considering the past, actions of the present and desires for the future.

Second is “sikhala sithandaza’ sikhalela inkululeko mama ”— the continued call for Africa to experience the freedom she deserves.

Third, “sithandazela omnyama’ bamhlope bahlangane ”— the importance of unification across the divides on the continent of Africa.

Finally, “musan’ukulwa’ masakheni iAfrika ikhule ”— the desire for Africa to stop fighting and be on a growth trajectory.

May 25 is known as Africa

Day an dits aim is to have a unified Africa from Cape to Cairo. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana brought together 32 African governments to become signatories to the Organisation of African Unity.

The rallying call for this was what would begin as the elusive chase for African freedom.

In commemorating this year’s Africa Day, the AU is using the slogan “Our Africa, Our Future”.

Africans need to reflect and seize the opportunity to shape the narrative about the journey of Africa.

This is a journey that started with Nkrumah in 1963, and has its play in the present day.

Back to the song by Chimora, the storied journey for the future of the African continent can be summated in our dogged pursuit of the four themes in Mayibuye iAfrika.

As Africans we need to be pioneering and taking a global progressive stand on issues.

By 2030, the African continent could produce 80% of the new power generation required using clean energy sources.

In occupying such an important role, the African continent may need to implement appropriate capabilities, especially in the form of leadership, in heading towards this eutopia.

This includes challenging sneering comments such as “can anything good come out of Africa?”.

As Africans, we need to protect the freedoms of all on the continent.

There is a case of opposites here. On one end, consider the strides reported by The World Bank in the Women, Business, and the Law index, noting that more than half of all reforms promoting the advancement of women have been implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Such a report could tell about the temperature and changing mood on the African continent towards access to opportunity for women.

However, there are also noted concerns on the ground.

How do you sell the success of the continent on one side, yet on the other you are also whispering false poison and dull truths?

Notably here the continent has not done well in some countries.

Reports of the persecution of minority groups are on the increase.

As we measure our strides in the liberation of Africans, we equally should be concerned and awaken our senses to the presence of violations of freedoms.

Such atrocities are an injury to us all as Africans.

We need to promote unity across the continent albeit the varying divides.

Notably, these divides manifest in continued conflict on the African continent.

We need to address the eyesore and areas experiencing protracted conflict.

The issue of ongoing war and conflict on the continent has been a fly in the ointment.

An example here is the war zone that is Sudan.

This ongoing war indicates how quickly we have stalled our efforts towards a progressive Africa as espoused by Nkrumah.

This includes disruptions to power, the internet and the destruction of infrastructure.

In aiming for the growth of African markets, some pointers can be gleaned.

First, African governments need to keep money in the value chain activities.

Second, local communities should benefit from such activities.

Third, given the inevitability of belonging to the global world, African countries need to develop partnerships with trading blocs that matter.

An initiative to be commended here is the African Continental Free Trade Area, in which several African countries are signatories.

The commendable prospect is the elimination of trade barriers between African member countries.

Such a move has the potential to have spinoffs, allowing for socioeconomic development on the continent.

Indeed, Mayibuye i Afrika, the time is now for us to occupy our position of influence and authority in the world.

This is an ideal birthed by Nkrumah and a quest that deserves to be continued by all who identify themselves with this beautiful continent.