Page 34 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

COMMUNITY

of the Afrikan problem. If you ask PLANE AND GO OFF SOME- centric megalomaniacal politician,
10 Afrikans today, “Have you ever WHERE TO SOME EXOTIC has seized in every country. So if
heard of the theme called Silenc- LOCATION. AND SO, THE you look at the Kenyan newspa-
ing the Guns?” perhaps only two IDEOLOGISTS OF THE PAST pers from January to December it
will tell you that they know, which DO NOT EXIST BECAUSE is only a few individuals who are
means that it’s not important and RIGHT NOW WHAT HAS always occupying acres and acres
which therefore is an indictment of HAPPENED IS, THE SONS of the headline, even when they say
those who are running the African OF THOSE WHO FOUGHT nothing. But I have no doubt in my
Union. And yet this is the day of FOR INDEPENDENCE HAVE mind that they are there, but we
Twitter, this is the day of Insta- GROWN FAT AND LAZY. must be prepared to sacrifice.
gram, this is the day of Facebook, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
this is the day of all these media of I can’t agree with you more. There You know, about a year ago, I was
communication so that within the are too many champagne revolu- invited to visit Lusaka in Zambia.
twinkling of an eye you can cause tionaries. In fact, they are not even When I appeared at the airport and
information to spread to every revolutionaries, they are champagne I disembarked a group of security
nook and cranny of Afrika, but we pseudo-revolutionaries who do men confronted me and told me
are not using that as effectively as not believe in what they say and that I had been declared persona
we ought to. We have sinned and they simply want the good life and non grata in Zambia because I was
fallen short of the glory not only of therefore they want to be political- a threat to security. And I was not
God but also of our fellow Afrikans. ly correct at all times. When you disappointed, I said, “This then
step out and step up to say things is right, then I am saying some-
I OCCASIONALLY THINK TO that are discomfiting the only thing thing that is useful. Now that I
MYSELF THAT ONE OF THE you should expect is criticism and am a threat to security, then this
CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE insults and abuse and if you don’t is right.” I was very glad because
FACING NOW IS THAT PEO- want to get into that space, sit at we were talking about China and I
PLE ARE NO LONGER WILL- home and do nothing. When you was talking about China, about and
ING TO DIE FOR A GREAT die we shall write on your tomb- against, not that we should not trade
CAUSE. THEY DON’T WANT stone, ‘Here lies the man or a with China, but that we ought to
TO SACRIFICE REPUTATION woman who did nothing because hold our guards high when we are
OR PHYSICAL LIFE IN ORDER he tried nothing’. I can’t agree with dealing with China and I irritated
TO PUSH FORWARD SOME- you more that there is a shortage of the administration of Zambia and
THING THAT THEY BELIEVE men and women who are prepared as I speak I suspect that I cannot be
IN, BUT RATHER THAT THEY to sacrifice by word and deed, but allowed back in Zambia. So, we’ve
WOULD WANT TO SAFE- they are still there. There are many got to go out there and say that
GUARD THEIR MERCEDES young men and women who are which is good and right.
PARKED IN THE BASEMENT beginning to emerge. The only
BELOW, OR THE FLASHY problem is that they do not receive WHAT, IN YOUR VIEW,
SUITS, OR THE OPPORTUNI- the oxygen of publicity which the WOULD ENSURE THAT
TY TO TRAVEL ON AN AIR- politician, the manipulating ethno- AFRIKA IS ABLE TO TRULY
BREAK THE HOLD OF COR-
RUPTION AND WHY HAVE
WE NOT DONE IT YET?
Let me start by saying that corrup-
tion is a cancer in the body politic
of most Afrikan countries. Cor-
ruption undermines democracy.
Corruption affects every sector of
the society. It affects health systems,
it affects agriculture, it affects educa-
tion, everything. And there is extant
evidence in this and many other
countries that tells us exactly the
same and this was the very reason

34 | Heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika