Page 101 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 6
P. 101
AFRIKA IS GOD’S
dreams are and then refuse to good for the common man. She
start small, you will never start. was of the opinion that the ban
Someone said opportunity gives Kenyans the much need-
comes dressed in problems or ed opportunity to create a strong
work. This is true. And because and thriving textile and clothing
we live in Afrika, a society that industry through which Kenyans
has been programmed to be can be employed, coupled with
dependent on handouts and the joy that comes with being
foreign aid for decades, we see a self-sustaining creative peo-
our problems as issues that Chi- ple. That Afrikan governments much it is to even bring those
na and America need to help us should be pushing for their peo- clothes to Afrika not to talk of
solve, instead of as opportuni- ple to have the best quality pos- the risk of wearing them. Why?
ties for our self-growth and our sible. The argument of the oth- You can never tell what disease
self-sustainability. er guys may make some sense or sickness the last wearer had
We as Afrikans must not con- to the "common man" as they before it was shipped to Afrika.
tinue this way. There are lots of claim, but my thought in the en- In the line of accurate thinking,
Afrikans already creating plat- tire matter was this, how can a that alone should make every
forms in various sectors to help people subject themselves to Afrikan nation ban the importa-
the Afrikan narrative; we must being called "common" after tion of second hand clothes.
help such to stand. how many years of being an in-
And for you who is still procras- dependent nation? The answer Can we really change
tinating concerning that which is simple, they simply reason It is not a question begging for
you have been given, thinking along the lines of what matters an answer, but a question whose
you are not good enough or you the most to them, which is to answer is yes even before it was
don't have enough resources, supposedly wear "high quali- asked. Change is a certainty
stop being in awe of the prob- ty" clothes imported from either for anyone who really wants to
lem and start using the little you the US or China and at cheaper make a difference so badly that
have to create the solution. prices. he or she won’t sleep until it is
Afrika belongs to us all, it is our done. Afrikans must live within
duty to raise her up." I do not necessarily blame the the simplicity of what really mat-
Opportunity comes and goes all guys that are rooting for the re- ters and not just what anyone
the time, but I think how we use moval of the ban on second hand pushes on their tables.
it is directly connected to what clothes, the situation on ground You may say that continuing
we really see as important ac- is always more complex like it the importation of second hand
cording to our general mindset. is shown on TV or on the news. clothes looks like a simple life to
My wife showed me a Facebook Having said that, my question live. But it simply shows you do
conversation she was having still is this, when will Afrikans not understand what it means to
with people in a thread about create a sustainable society, live simple. To live simple simply
the Government of Kenya ban- economy, commerce, livelihood means to live within the origi-
ning the importation of second etc that are devoid of the con- nal beauty, creative essence of
hand clothes into the country. It trol of the white man? Because yourself whether you have mon-
was quite an interesting conver- if you subject the whole second ey or not. It is the ability to cre-
sation and one which instantly hand clothes business to health ate what you need with the very
shows you the mind some peo- scrutiny, you will find out how resources you have. Simple!
ple have about themselves and
their scope of understanding.
While she was of the opinion
that the ban on the importation
of second and clothes was a
good decision by the govern-
ment, others almost picked up a
fight with her, giving all manner
of reasons why the ban was not
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