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A Call for Unity in Africa
“How good and how pleasant it would be
Before God and man, yeah
To see the unification of all Africans, yeah
As it’s been said already
Let it be done, yeah.”
Bob Marley sang these words from the Survival album in 1976
I was nowhere in formation in my mother’s womb then; however, whenever I hear the song being played, I know a strong message is buried underneath those simple lyrics. Suppose you asked me what is the one thing impeding Africa’s progress and genuine self-reliance. I had answer, our unity and being able to stand as one body to unite around any particular goal for longer and pursue it with one voice.
A Shared Path to Progress
Today, of course, things are getting better. Due to the nature of the invincible systematic oppression, abuse and devaluation we face on a continuously in the world, we have come to understand that we have more in common than what divides us. It is evident that the only way to solve our problems on the continent will be to come together first. In the good words of Henry Ford, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is a success.” Whether coming together, keeping together or working together, at every juncture, we face visible and invisible blockades both from within and outside. However, as people nothing is above our collective will and we must take responsibility for designing and working towards the future that genuinely ensures our wellbeing and prosperity for posterity in Africa.
A Call for African Action
Our elevation as Africans does not cancel out the elevation of Europeans or other communities. Our continent and its people face many challenges, and people have to decide their fate at some point. This is why we cannot pretend that all is good and accept the order of things when we see our people suffering in every possible way.
Beyond Reliance on Others
The call is straightforward; Africans must wake up and spearhead in seeking prosperity for their people and the continent. If we want a new narrative, we must find ways to be in the middle of it and to be its writers.I have always wondered why black-skinned people are stigmatized, and sometimes it looks like we are marginalized? What is the reason behind all these naming-calling, discrimination, racism and, to some extreme, segregation against black people?
Whether now or in the past, we are still asking why? Because you would think history would favour any group of people if the people were forced into hard labour (slavery) in and outside their countries, subjected to colonization, divided up and conflicted, and on top of that, have them lived in economic dependency for many decades.
But as we can see this is not the case, when one talks of equity, equality or that black lives matter, one is not asking for any special treatment in my view. We are not even demanding any entitlement, like most cultures perceive themselves to have the right to. All one is asking for is equal opportunity and chances to self-determination. That external forces stop meddling with Africa’s progress and stop expecting everything to be measured by your identity, standards, culture, preferences and way of life. It has definitely not worked for Africa well as the results have shown. so it is time to face the problem and make way for a solution, which this time must come from within Africa and even though it will not come easy or fast enough, we must believe in it and work together on the realization of it. With that said here are a few thoughts to discuss.
Breaking Free from the Past, Shaping the Future
But back to the question I asked earlier, one confounding factor is that what happens in Africa affects all black people, no matter where they are or who they think they are. Not even those in the highest places of authority in our world.
And like Malcolm X said, “Our problem is your problem”. If the African continent were in its full glory and might, do you think its people would not be appreciated and valued worldwide? And this is where the next generation has to drive all their hearts, minds, energy and resources. We must agree or disagree on what we want and how we like it. It is complicated and demoralizing to keep trying to find suitable structures and organize out of chaos if you have people profiting from the chaotic status quo and if those with good intentions efforts are disturbed, sabotaged, and frustrated. But I see a new world coming where most humans believe in justice and equality. A world where not only a few ride horses but the masses follow either in chains or make sure the chained stay chained. Here are a few things I am calling on my African brothers and sisters to consider.
Quit Externalisation And Take Responsibility
Dear friends, no one is coming to save us. Even when Jesus comes, the game is over, so it is about time we took our destiny in our own hands and made it a reality. Often, we turn to look outside ourselves to address our problems. It is tempting to point fingers at others and single others out as the cause of our problems. That is convenient and primarily weak because you feel like you cannot do more about the situation. It is also another way to hand your responsibility and power to others. Africans must own it no matter the situation now and what the past has contributed. Now, it is for us to shape, and if we keep focusing on what is outside of us and what we have less control over, things will only worsen. Our public sector is nothing to write about, but we have citizens doing the right things at the right time. In your country, are you doing the right thing? Are you making sure that others are doing the right thing? Are we living our lives openly, looking out for one another, or can we not be trusted and trust each other? Don’t charity begins at home, so for Africans to stand together, we must learn to place the spotlight on ourselves by working on some of the impediments and iron out the conflicted walls we have mounted in the last decades. How we treat each other, communicate with each other, and place value on ourselves and our surroundings will tell others how they should respond to us.
When you act like something is nothing or worthless, it is precisely what that thing will be. If we undermine ourselves, others will undermine us, and if we downplay ourselves, others will do the same. A more straightforward example is the man who comes to Africa and pays bribes to get their way and get away with whatever they want. And when they return to their own countries, they call Africans corrupt because we showed ourselves as corrupt by playing that role. Only when African citizens, irrespective of country, understand their duties and pick up their responsibilities as citizens can Africa be saved from its woes and foes. To some extent, most people contribute to the inefficiencies of the country in which they live. They may not be in government, but things cannot get any better if their personal gains are ranked higher than the collective wellbeing of their nation.
Our world image and how others perceive us
At one of our live podcast recordings, I remember one of the panellists saying, “Even Africans are desensitized about Africa’s problems.” This means that our attitude as Africans towards the mishaps in Africa does not worry us enough to activate us into action compared to how Americans and Europeans respond to mishappenings in their countries.
For instance, how many of our brothers in the jungles of Africa are still running for their lives? How many are being brutalized by their own presidents, politicians, police and military forces? How many people come to the streets to demand their situation? With the recent Israeli-Palestinian war, Palestinians mobilized themselves with the support of well-wishers and took to the streets of Brussels; how many Congolese have come on the streets in Brussels to demand attention for the ongoing conflicts in some parts of Congo? Why is this the case?
On the Simply Psychology website, they explain that attitude has these three structures:
- The affective component which involves our feeling and emotion
- The behavioural part which consists of the influence on our behaviour
- The cognitive part affects a perceived idea/conclusion about an object.
So here is an example: attitude toward Africa.
The affective component says: “I think Africans are lazy” ( against the fact that right now people are breaking their backs for less than 1euro a day under the hot sun in Africa)
The behavioural component says: “I will not hire an African, and they will make my business go bankrupt.”
The cognitive component says: “Africans are not interested in working.”
It is these kinds of attitudes toward us and Africa that we have to get rid of. We have to stop condoning what we know is inhuman. We must become intolerant of demeaning behaviours that permit others to demean us. We must find common ground within our country’s borders and then connect with sisters and brothers on the continent. To do this, we must start implementing the unwritten codes for human engagement. A standard for engagement should allow a Nigerian to trust a Ghanaian and a Ghanaian, a Kenyan, and so forth.
We should drastically reduce our threshold of violence against each other. Internal hostility only gives way for others to exploit us. Whether it is violence against children, women, men and even animals, we have to denormalize that. Humans are supposed to be the most precious organism in the cosmos, and we must learn to price our humanity as Africans high. I know people can become violent because they have been subjected to a violent upbringing, and they think it is the only way to resolve any form of conflict. However, there are many ways to resolve conflict, no matter who the person is. Aggression is a tactic used to dehumanize people who behave like they do not deserve to be treated like humans. Civil people can learn to agree or disagree amicably; no law requires you to always agree with someone. And disagreement does not have to translate into enemies. If someone opposes you, it does not call for enmity, slanders, murder and abuse of their human rights. Sometimes, the opposition is the only source of accountability if it is done with the right motives.
Working together as Africans
If we can work together as Africans, our relationship attitude towards ourselves must begin to improve. If we don’t want others mistreating us, we should stop harming our people. The value of an African life should be held in high esteem by the continent’s laws. Just as some countries protect their citizens and will fight anyone who harms any of their citizens, so must we begin to develop measures to create the best humans out of ourselves. We have suffered enough, and it is time to be kinder, more trusting and more honourable toward each other in our actions and attitudes. Time to handle each other with royal respect and recognition; I am not talking about being vain or petty but simply becoming the better people that we are already. We should show the world that we have learned from past mistreatments and mistakes. Time to tell the world no, our people are not for sale; we will reduce bribery and corruption in our dealings and uphold and elect accountable people into government and question what they are doing with the power we hand them. For the goodwill of the people, they must make policies, regulations and laws that will protect us and increase our prosperity for generations after generations when we prioritize our wellbeing, and I mean all Africans. We can build these into our new African systems.
Let us do the work
Rome was not built a day ago. Building Rome, I guess, took a long time and many hours of unpaid labour, perhaps the origin of the saying. A prospering Africa where the average citizens can enjoy the proceeds from their country’s resources, an Africa where people can have work and income for a better living standard, and an Africa where education, health, and freedom are well organized will take time and effort. Though many African countries are becoming emerging economies today, we must exercise patience and set our minds for the long walk. That is why every youth must endeavour to play their role in building their nation by giving their best to their country.
More Opportunities
Africa is a large continent and soon will have the largest share of the human population globally. That is strength because there is strength in numbers; we must learn to use this to our advantage. The human resources of any nation are the most critical asset, especially if they have the strength and mind to develop and work. All that matters is having the vision and political will to train the people into a productive force for the continent. The African continental free trade has been launched and is waiting for ideas to flourish in our markets and solve our problems. Today, when Ghanaian entrepreneurs are developing a solution, they can think of ways to implement it elsewhere on the continent.
The opportunities are endless if we keep our minds open and our eyes widely critical of what we see. We must do due diligence and protect our resources from the hands of people who don’t want to share with our continent. We must learn and use our resources to make things that will enhance life, trade with ourselves and expand to other markets. For this to happen, the African youth today must begin to see the possibility of the whole continent and not only within the borders in which they live. To paraphrase Julius Malema, you can have breakfast in Accra, Ghana, lunch in Lagos, Nigeria and Dinner in Cote d’Ivoire. This is the kind of Africa that the youth today dream about.
They can take their dreams and aspirations into their own hands and work smartly to make them a reality without meddling from external forces. Africa is ours to create the tomorrow that we aspire to; irrespective of the pushback we will face, we must keep pressing forward together in the words of Kwame Nkrumah. Our prosperity is tied to each other, and the earlier we accept this and work on it, the faster the progress will come. The road is uphill and requires hard work, determination, and collaboration among all Africans today.
Be proud of your Africa – Our story
We have to develop a new marketing strategy for the continent. The brand Africa needs to be better represented, and I am glad to see women and men like P.L.O Lumumba, Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Julius Malema and the rest carrying the flag of Africa high. For far too long, Africa has been sold in the wrong daylight. What we used to see in the mainstream media about Africa could have been more optimistic representations of the continent. And while people have used these lies and propaganda to deflect attention away from the continent, it is about time Africans took over how the continent is shown to the rest of the world. We as a people have every right to be proud of our continent and should be able to celebrate our mother and fatherlands without any hindrances. I know I already highlighted some of the issues Africa faces above, and most of them are facts; however, that only means that we have work to do on the continent, and as long as we are ready to come together to positively improve things, we can speak up, stand up and defend the honour of our continent. We must wear Africa proudly, love it despite its flaws and stop running away from Africa.
We should see our systems for what they are and participate in ways that will make them better for us and generations after us. We have to learn to patronize the brand of African things if they are genuinely African, alongside the other luxuries that are sometimes destructively marketed to us. Our African artists should be received and supported to encourage them to do more. Africa boasts many great and celebrated musicians like Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Sarkodie, and Omah Lay. Not only in music, from Hollywood to Nollywood, we have people like Idris Elba, Trevor Noah, Blitz Bazawule and many others who associate with the continent. Africa is better than we make it seem, and instead of dreaming of greener pastures elsewhere in Europe, let us start dreaming of making our own grace greener. If this differs from the Africa we want, let us keep working on the one we envision together.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the call for unity and self-determination in Africa is not just a mere suggestion but a clarion call echoing through generations. As Bob Marley aptly sang, the unification of all Africans is not just a desirable vision but a necessity for our collective progress and prosperity. Despite the challenges we face, both internal and external, the time has come for Africans to awaken to their potential and take charge of their destiny.
We must acknowledge the confounding factors that have hindered our progress, from historical injustices to present-day attitudes and behaviours. However, dwelling on past grievances or pointing fingers will not lead us forward. It is time to embrace our responsibilities as individuals and as a collective to shape a future where Africa and its people thrive.
This requires a fundamental shift in mindset from externalization to taking ownership of our fate. We must reject the demeaning stereotypes and attitudes that have plagued us for too long and instead foster a culture of mutual respect and collaboration. By valuing ourselves and each other, we pave the way for a brighter future built on trust, accountability, and shared prosperity.
The road ahead may be challenging, but it is not insurmountable. Through hard work, determination, and collaboration, we can build the Africa of our dreams—a continent where every citizen can flourish and contribute to its success. Let us heed the call to action, knowing that our efforts today will shape the Africa of tomorrow, a continent that we can proudly call our own.
I will love to know your thoughts, feel free to live a comment.
Africa Thinkers 