Page 13 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8
P. 13
MY AFRIKA
those who want to remain a part a supermarket clutching a tiny
of it, for whatever reason, they shopping basket, thousands of
need to do the dance. What kilometers away from his family
dance? Be relevant. Fit in. Play and home. He was living in a
the part. (i.e. clothes, shoes, fra- forced exile of sorts because his
grance, cocktail parties, educa- place of work was in one country
tion, language, corporate policy and by virtue of whatever neces-
compliance etc). sity, his family was in another.
But, if Capitalism is inherently The job paid him well. Allowed
evil, which it is, and driven by him to do more for his family. I
greed, which it has to be in order can’t say his working conditions
to survive, then the entire uni- were dignified though. The
verse surrounding it to support it money was great, the boss, not
has an issue. Ergo, the paradigm so much. He and his colleagues
has major foundational flaws. were miserable but cash-rich.
In previous issues of this mag- Their boss was miserable too.
azine as well as in the book, A For money.
People Called Afrika, Samuel to reduce them to nothing. They Once upon a time, Afrika had
and I have explained how the do not question it. Despite there more than jobs, debt, stress
greed and selfishness that are the being ample evidence to justify it and frustrations. Her people
building blocks behind Capi- being judged and brought down. had more than cars, houses,
talism render it a system that is So many have fallen colleagues clothes, positions and networks.
only suitable for the trash heap. who were ingested and used by Once upon a time, we valued
It is a Ponzi scheme, bolstered the system before being spat life more than money and a
and sustained by men and wom- out through a ‘redundancy’ or a decision to end the pollution of
en with an unhealthy agenda and manufactured exit that was ob- rivers and other water bodies
it is going down! It propagates viously unjust and so many held would not even have been one
hypocrisy and callousness in their breath and ducked their we were considering… because
people and forces their minds to heads down so that they don’t the rivers and water bodies were
remain fixed on elements such get picked to go next. What fine. Once upon a time, we had
as competition, underhanded kind of living is that? And you simplicity and purity of life and
tactics and all to acquire money wonder why people are stressed. purpose that was not obscured
and the praises of men (sta- Both the current and the former by a Western perspective of life
tus). It leaves in its wake highly such and such, laboring under and living. The job, the mar-
stressed out, performance-based, burdens of pretense, pride, fear riage, the children, the car, the
people pleasers whose sole and frustration. For what? house, the dog.
purpose is to sustain the system I once had the distinct sorrow of
so that they can remain in it long watching a man in his fifties in Once upon a time…
enough to pay their children’s
school fees and clear their mort-
gages or other debts.
There’s a reason why ‘Once
upon a time’ is such a frightening
concept for so many people. Be-
cause they believe in the system
and its right to exist and there-
fore they give it permission to
define them, to elevate them and
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