Page 22 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 23

Community
have been motivated by the
smell of the food scraps he
knew we had reserved for the
dogs.
By this time, Picky also
had come to the gate and
was standing there, staring
at me, obviously waiting
for something to drop. So,
I opened the gate to let him
in, ensuring Dude did not
get through. Picky got in and
fearfully started to eat. So, I
closed the gate to allow him to
continue without Dude coming
to start a fight.
Seeing me close the gate
seemed to make some kind
of hell break loose in Picky’s
mind. He stopped eating,
and all he wanted at that
moment was to get out of
the compound. He dashed
frantically everywhere, looking
for a way out. I tried bringing
the bowl of food closer to him,
but Picky was not having it.
He just wanted to get out of
the compound. Seeing that he
wouldn’t settle down, I opened
the gate to let him out and then
took the bowl of food outside
and gave it to Dude. In one
second, Dude was done with
the entire bowl.
I stood there watching all this
happen, and because I love to
22 | we tell the true afrikan story
pick out the lesson in every
event, thoughts were flying
through my head in a thousand
directions.
My wife witnessed the bizarre
incident, and we started
discussing it. Then, at that
moment, I remembered that
she had asked me earlier in
the day or the day before what
people mean when they say,
“If you want something, go
get it”. So, I told her, “You see
what just happened with the
dogs; that’s what it means to
go get it”. At that moment, the
dog scenario was the perfect
answer to her question. We
talked a bit more, and the dog
story ended.
Lessons learnt
I cannot tell you how much
sense that Dude and Picky
event made to me. But one
thing stood out: even though I
do not like or appreciate greed
or doing just about anything to
get what you want, especially
if it hurts others. I realized
that, in this warped global
system that rules the world,
there are no free tables, and if
you want something, you have
to go and get it... against all
odds.
Here is where I am driving at
with this story
The African Union was
recently invited to join the
UN Security Council as a
permanent member. When I
heard the news, I was like:
First, this is nothing but
another bloodless proxy war
between the West and BRICS.
Africa at that UN table will be
a pawn...AGAIN.
Why was the African Union
never invited to join the UN
Security Council in all these
years of complaining? Then,
the moment BRICS started to
take shape, with more African
nations gearing towards
joining, the UN invited them...
Talk about taking the goose
that lays the golden egg for
granted.
Second, in my head, I am
thinking, what will the role
of the AU be at that table if
it has been so powerless in
the affairs of the continent of
Africa that African leaders talk
shamelessly about it? I thought
charity should begin at home.
For many years, African
leaders have gone to their
annual UN summits,
making the same complaints