Page 67 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

CUMMUNITY

Mind you, I am not saying these cused Nigerian, the same thing also beloved Afrika, without the foolish-
things to call anyone out, neither goes to every nationality in Afrika. ness of visa and passport problems?
am I saying them to pour any form Meaning that for every one Kenyan, If other nations of the world are
of shade on my Kenyan family, my Malawian, South African, Togolese, self-sufficient, even though in reality
wife is Kenyan. I am saying these Liberian, Egyptian, Somali, or any they are not, why can't Afrika strive
things because it’s high time we as Afrikan nationality caught on the to be self-sufficient?
Afrikans stop undermining the very wrong side of the law, there are If Afrika is the home where life on
reason why we are Afrikans, that is, nine others doing the right thing, earth began, why can't Afrikans turn
the people who are the wombs of not just in their country, but some- away from this corruption called
the spirit of creation. where in the world. And I mean GMOs that we are allowing on our
this with all sincerity. It means that tables as food and go back to pro-
Great and wonderful things are hap- if I can be proud of any good thing ducing and consuming life-giving
pening globally among people of that Nigerians are doing, I must also organic foods?
the same race and creed, but what be proud of what other Afrikans
about Afrika? are doing. It should be natural for Afrikans are not coming, they have
us. The time has come for Afrikans already arrived
I read an article a while ago, written to stop bullying themselves, stop What every Afrikan must know and
by Professor XN Iraki, an associ- beating themselves, stop hating on understand is that the reality of Af-
ate professor at the University of themselves, stop castigating them- rika being the cradle of humanity is
Nairobi. In that article titled: NI- selves, stop allowing this whole crab not a title that was given by a com-
GERIANS ARE NOT COMING, in the bucket mentality. We can mittee of friends who think Afrika
THEY’VE ALREADY ARRIVED, start to build ourselves up and you deserved it for some good works
he talked about the sale of Kenya’s can do it starting right now even they did. Not at all. The reality of
Transnational Bank to Access Bank as you are reading this article. We Afrika as the cradle of humanity is
of Nigeria. He touched on a few were Afrikans before we ever were as true and original as sunrise, but
other things but here is one major divided to become citizens of any it is a useless reality if each Afrikan
thing he said that I want to pull out Afrikan nation and our ancestral cannot live and relate with other
of the article. connections run deep and it's no Afrikans as humans who should
"From my interactions, Nigerians joke at all that we are all brothers. be loved, respected and accepted.
are serious and focused. That focus So we can't continue to live like Love is always the leading factor for
and single-mindedness is often gladiators whose only knowledge is any expected changes in the society.
mistaken for pride and arrogance. the sword and whose only purpose We as Afrikans must love enough
Once they set their goals on some- is to draw blood. Gladiators are to the point of allowing ourselves
thing, they normally get it. The trained to fight and to kill, fuelled to rise above our differences and
means can be contested, excluding by hate, but we are not gladiators by that give room for growth even
juju. and hate for other Afrikans should when there are unavoidable mis-
For every Nigerian caught on the not be our trademark. We should takes found in the process of that
wrong side of the law, there are have risen above that like yesterday. growth.
nine others doing the right thing,
not just in their country, but some- Why not Afrikans? Why should the first thing you see
where in the world. One of them If the white race knows how to sup- in me, as a Nigerian, be crime even
supervised my dissertation." port itself, even though sometimes without you ever meeting me be-
selfishly, why can't Afrikans support fore? Or why should the first thing
Yes, as a Nigerian by birth I am Afrikans without the selfishness? If I see in you as a citizen of another
proud of these words he said about the European Union makes it easy Afrikan country be laziness, crime,
Nigerians, but as an Afrikan, I am for every citizen within that Union illiteracy or any other foolish thing
looking for something much more to have almost free access to every that unkind and untrained minds
Pan-Afrikan and wholesome which nation under that union, why not see in others even before they meet
can be attributed to all Afrikans in Afrika? Why have the Afrikan them?
and for which I will be prouder to Union as an organization but the
associate with. Here is what I mean. Afrikans themselves are as far apart If others are trying to grow together,
In as much as I love and appreciate as sunrise is from sunset? Why why not Afrikans?
the reality of a hardworking and fo- can't Afrikans have access to their

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