Page 33 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

CUMMUNITY

When I listen to Nana Dankwa realization and when I look at Af- lives and I think the whole idea of
Akufo-Addo of Ghana, I feel rika today, I can see that there is a having themes is simply to flag them
energized. So there is no shortage new dawn and that new dawn is one out. But the entire enterprise that is
of Afrikans who are beginning to that we must work at and work for designed to fight these ills must be
demonstrate that indeed we have and work at and work for it we will. continuous.
both the intellectual wherewithal When we talk about conflict reso-
and the natural resource wherewith- IT SEEMS THOUGH, TO THE lution, it must be continuous and
al and the human resources to do it. OBSERVER, THAT EACH it must be cascaded to the ground.
But this is urgent business because THEMATIC YEAR THAT When you sit in Addis Ababa Ethi-
it has been done before. Look at THE AFRICAN UNION AN- opia and you are speaking ex-ca-
little Cuba, little Cuba defined her- NOUNCES COMES AND GOES thedra like the Pope in the Roman
self notwithstanding that – and I’m WITH THE PASSAGE OF Catholic Church and the woman
being melodramatic here because TIME, LEAVING NOTHING in Bangui does not know what you
Cuba is a stone’s throw away from TANGIBLE OR PERMANENT are talking about and the barber in
Miami, the home of the hegemon, BEHIND. WHY IS IT THAT Banjul does not know what you’re
but he defied American presidents, THE PROGRAMS THAT THE talking about and the Keke rider
he defied Kennedy, he defied AU PUSHES, THOUGH SEEM- in Cotonou does not know what
Nixon, he defied Clinton, he defied INGLY WELL-INTENTIONED, you are talking about, then you
the two Bushes. Defining yourself. DON’T SEEM TO GAIN TRAC- are talking to yourself. And I think
Latin America was at war, you re- TION ON THE GROUND AND that what we must do is to ensure
member the Sandinista Movement, THEY DO NOT ELICIT THE that these things that we are talking
you remember the wars in Argenti- REQUIRED CHANGES OR about are not mere slogans. There
na, the wars in Nicaragua, the wars PROGRESS? is too much sloganeering. I per-
in Colombia; they succeeded. Asia. You know, when you want fish, sonally hold the view that there are
Why can’t Afrika do it? We can you go to the ocean, to the lake or some aspects of Afrikan program
and we will do it. to the river, you don’t climb trees. that must be taught in schools.
I think for a long time in Afrika, Afrika Agenda 2063 must now be
My own view is we can do it and the in our quest for fish, we climbed taught in schools, even if it is not
terrible beauty of Covid19 is that it trees instead. And no matter how examinable, but we must dedicate
has now made Afrika to introspect high we climb, there is no danger of two hours in every school in the
and to recognize and realize at once finding fish, there are no fish unless continent of Afrika to talk about
that there is no international Good fish begin to fall from heaven like Afrika, talk about and against cor-
Samaritanism when there is a crisis. rain, but that would defy nature. ruption, talk about conflict because
You’ve got to literally do things for And to me, that is the problem that we have child soldiers. Ahmadou
yourselves. We are now making we have with many of these reso- Kourouma has written two very
masks, even in this country called lutions. There are things that are beautiful books which I urge us
Kenya. We are now beginning to done without much thought. The to read, Allah is Not Obliged and
have our artisans make ICU beds last year was the year about the fight Waiting for Wild Beasts to Vote,
which we thought could only be against corruption. You remember in which he talks about the Afrikan
made in Germany and Korea. We that year, and nothing happened, problem; and I’m mentioning those
are now beginning to know and because thematizing these things books out of turn and yet there is
to recognize and to realize that we is to assume that these things exist a sense in which they are relevant.
can do things. Self-discovery is the for a period so that when you talk I’m saying, giving these themes and
beginning of self-actualization and about corruption this is our daily not walking them throughout is part

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