Page 68 - A People Called Afrika
P. 68

A PEOPLE CALLED AFRIKA

             ists had to fight to overcome were those in whom the sense
             of common unity had been given over self-aggrandizement
             and  personal  profit.  They  were  easy  pickings  as  a  result.


             Slavery is of  the mind
             Of a truth, the problem of Afrika is not really the four hundred
             years of the Atlantic slave trade (nor the lengthier Arabic slave
             trade) that she was subjected to, nor is it the “concept of God”
             that many say the white man brought during the days of colonial-
             ism, which they also claim “destroyed” the Afrikan spirituality.
             Indeed, a lot has happened in and to Afrika from the hand of
             the foreigners, much of which was quite deplorable, but there is
             no joy whatsoever in reliving the dark days of slavery and pain,
             especially when that same energy can be used to create a new
             pathway for the true liberation and the emancipation of Afrika.


             The real problem of the Afrikan man is his propensity towards
             self-hate. He sits in the gutter of a self-imposed inferiority com-
             plex, telling himself he is not good enough or that he can’t make
             changes except some foreign hands help him. His favorite song
             is, “We can’t do anything, our hands are tied!” Self-hate is a
             killer of creative thinking. You can only think or engage your
             mind to the extent to which you are liberated from external in-
             fluences and to the extent to which you truly love yourself, your
             home, your people and their freedom. Many of our so-called
             Afrikan thinkers or creators are self-seeking people. They have
             no love for the positive Afrikan narrative and as such they are
             not ready to make any true sacrifices that would jeopardize
             their personal gain. So, we have “great Afrikan thinkers” who
             can only do great things outside of Afrika and not in Afrika.
             Why? Most of them love the fat salaries and the accolades
             of their foreign masters, more than the good of their people.



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