Africa going nowhere fast
LAST week, social media was awash with pictures of people sporting African attire and supporting African identity accompanied by empty historical echolalia. This is because people’s idea of being African in mere embracing of Africa’s cultures. How shallow an African dream.
What does it mean to be an African? There has to be more to it than just culture and dressing. Being an African has to be more than skin colour, more than the melanin we possess and more than geography. Right now, there is nothing that makes one proud of being an African besides attire and culture as we all proved last week. We have failed to rule ourselves.
The current crop of African leaders must hang their heads in shame; they have done everything to prove the prognostications of racist whites like Ian Smith and statements attributed to Pieter Willem Botha that Africans cannot rule themselves, true.
Kwame Nkrumah, the first black leader of the first independent British colony on the continent had to be removed from power when his rule got increasingly autocratic. In Tanzania, Julius Nyerere’s socialist policies of Ujamaa failed dismally. In Zimbabwe, we inherited a jewel and turned it into an unshaved armpit, transforming the whole nation into what the Khmer Rouge had in mind in Cambodia when its communist idea was to turn a whole country into a giant village.
Zimbabwean leaders, past and present, brag about their degrees in violence, “chakadashurwa” the late evil geriatric once said, one hopes he is being barbecued in his special section of hell. The current says army kombai tirove, or varakashei or shamhu ine munyu. What is that? Our country deserves new leaders to compete with the world.
Africa cannot and will not compete with other continents if it cannot govern itself better. Recently, I read that the US government has promised to deliver 4th generation fighter jets to Ukraine and whatever that means or entails is that it must be sophisticated military hardware.
When I think of driverless cars or artificial intelligence, my heart sinks at how the world has developed, while we are struggling under misrule and corruption. Has anyone ever noticed how many Africans are flocking to the countries which colonised us risking life and limb in dangerous seas running away from the leaders who “liberated” them?
Even our other role model, China, which only recently was counted among developing countries, has shrugged off the tag and is now competing with the US blow by blow to become the biggest economy. The rate at which China has developed is quite staggering.
On the other hand, Africa is steeped in corruption, violence, geriatric purblind leadership, misrule, antediluvian policies, and rank witchcraft. Has anyone ever wondered why when we talk about our African culture, we do not talk about voodoo or witchcraft as part of us like our skin. A primitive idea that to get ahead, you must use muthi (charm) or seek spiritual powers or harm someone. If Steve Jobs had that same mentality, we wouldn't be having the iPhone that we all like so much.
Africa will not go anywhere with the current vision propounded by tired men and women who pretend to be our leaders but cannot operate their phones in a world awash with artificial intelligence. Shame on you African leaders! Mai Ruru, Buhera