Page 95 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 7
P. 95
AFRIKA IS GOD'S
very age and generation with all her human and natural vices in Kenya and if you trace
has a culture, tradition, way resources, but still living largely these backwards in history, you
of life that is unique to them in poverty, with no stable pow- will find out that the founda-
Eand which, consciously or er supply and the many other tional idea for a created Kenya
unconsciously, defines their issues of corruption wreaking was simply that of a production
perspective about life and by havoc on that beautiful West plant from whence resources
that, they create their popular Afrikan nation? If you trace her produced by the sweat of the
narrative and their collective origin as a nation created by locals were sent to the nation
life's reality. Culture is so deeply the colonialists, you will see the of the colonial masters. It has
ingrained in the heart and mind foundational problem which has not changed even up till now.
of the people, that it literally created a cultural narrative of The question now is this: why
dictates how they see life and individualism, self-preservation, have these cultures of loyalty to
whether they react or respond selfishness, greed for more, the wrong and imposed foun-
to life's issues and how they crab in the barrel syndrome - dational ideas that created the
create new realities. which tries to pull others down fifty-five nations persisted until
instead of working together to now? Why are we still affected
Before going further, let’s take rise together - and the massive by these things, and why are
a look at the meaning of cul- corruption it has created. The we not changing them even
ture. Culture defined by online disunity it has created is also after sixty years of indepen-
dictionary means "the ideas, beyond words. dence?
customs, and social behavior of
a particular people or society." In tracing the history of Nigeria Raise up the Afrikan culture
Belief systems create culture as a nation birthed in 1914, you of life
and culture creates the con- will find that it was an experi- There isn’t one simple answer
sciousness with which the peo- ment that was created to see to the above questions, but we
ple of a particular society live. if the Northern and Southern can at least begin to narrow
protectorates could be merged down what we must do to cre-
It’s very difficult to speak about as one. It was a kind of forceful ate a new Afrikan narrative, by
the defining culture of a people marriage between two entities consciously striving to change
and how it affects their narra- that were never supposed to be our cultural identity.
tive, without first understand- together. And this idea was not With all the issues happening
ing the foundational idea that even from the people them- in Afrika and in light of the fact
birthed that particular society. selves but from the foreigners that no nation in Afrika has
Afrika is a country of fifty-five whose intentions were for self been able to rise above the
nations with fifty-five different gain. The unification was done imposed foundational ideas with
foundational ideas that creat- for economic reasons, rather which each was created, should
ed them, which foundational than political - Northern Nige- it not be time for us to look for
ideas really didn't begin with the ria Protectorate had a budget an alternative solution to our
people themselves but with the deficit; and the colonial adminis- collective problems? I think it’s
foreign interests that colonized tration sought to use the budget time to do so. Meaning it’s time
them. Meaning that, Afrika as surpluses in Southern Nigeria to look away from the fifty-five
a continent of fifty-five nations, to offset this deficit. And what nation culture which was cre-
which were forcefully created happens to a marriage that was ated by the foundational ideas
by the colonialists, are not living imposed, not by the will of the of the colonialists and by which
out their original culture which two, but by the will of others, Afrikan nations have remained
was steeped in Afrikanism, but the children will suffer. So it's a stagnant and to begin to shift
are living out the imposed cul- state of every man for himself towards a common Afrikan
tures that were created through and it is pathetic. And this also culture, found in the meaning of
the colonial ideas that birthed goes for every other Afrikan her name and in the ideologies
each nation. For instance, do nation. You see deep levels of of some of the Afrikan founding
you wonder what is wrong with capitalism and over-commer- fathers.
a mighty nation like Nigeria, cialization of goods and ser-
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