Time for Africans to believe in Africa

You might call me a pessimist, sceptic or any other noun used to describe the nature i project in my writings, especially in my poetry. At times even I may agree with such statements but that would be relative, with respect to the given topic at hand.

As all grown ups will concur the sun does not always shine, the same applies to the world we live in. What i am trying to say is that some degree of pessimism is always healthy. In this day and age it seems that asking questions is no longer considered a learning process, the slave must accept what the democratically elected kings and queens of our humble peasant societies ask us too.

That might be a far-fetched illustration of our advanced and sophisticated societies, or maybe it is as simple as that. Maybe we are to domesticate or to engrossed in our numerous handheld technologies or deafened by huge monstrous headphones to realise the problems faced by our local communities.

Whatever way you decide to look at our situation, I believe we can no longer refer to ourselves as “mankind”. At least not until we really decide to reform our societies and ourselves. As I write this I can already hear the various arguments, on how we “mankind” have advanced so much in medical care, education and the list is impressive that I cannot deny.

But here is the snag I am African. These innovations and progressions are like fairy tales of perpetual bliss and never ending rainbows to the vast majority of the people on my continent.  The reality in Africa is that half a billion people are without electricity, adequate sanitation and shelter. To be blunt, the basic necessities that would allow a human being to live in simple dignity are unavailable.

Just the other day I was reading an international paper online, while drinking my very aromatic homegrown Kenyan coffee and I nearly burned my nose, don’t ask me how, rather ask me what I thought of a certain article. The heading was catchy but its message to me was loud and clear, we have our priorities wrong in away that can’t be ignored any longer.

“More cell phones than toilets” now I don’t know if you would find such an article pulling at the hems of your curiosity, I however found my brain ticking like an oven cooker roasting away at the irony of it all. It seems that those fortunate to have caught the steam rolling capitalist train never looked back at those who were left behind.  

Yes indeed technology has given Africa much, in Kenya more people have M-Pesa than bank accounts. Those who couldn’t comply with banking requirements or maybe live in remote regions of the country have been given a lifeline. However what good is a cell tower in a village where the young female girls spend the best part of her day ferrying buckets of water or back breaking loads of wood. What good is a mobile phone when you have to pay the local shopkeeper to charge your phone at extortionate prices?

I will leave that subject there for now, and I promise you the last phase of my rant. Since you have come this far you might as well hear me out. Africa as a continent has a literacy rate of less than 60%. In Sub-Saharan Africa since 1980, primary school enrolment has declined, going from 58% to 50%.

We have failed in every aspect of our educational policies, why? Because we have neglected fundamental facts. How can you try and educate a hungry and unhealthy student who has been inhaling carbon monoxide all evening while waiting on the boiling pot in the middle of the kitchen/living room/bedroom? Come on these questions are basic. We have education systems that try and teach maths and English and none that would aid a young person in becoming self-sufficient. We try and emulate the so-called developed world so much that we tend to forget where they started. We have technically jumped from slavery to the Internet age and we feel gratified.

We as Africans must start to believe in Africa and ourselves; we must be able to start looking at things objectively and to some degree independent of the rest of the world. The resources are available, the minds and the technical knowledge is abundant. The only missing key ingredient is self-belief and resolute wills. We might not get it right at the start but we will set a precedent that will flow across this beautiful continent of ours.

A few weeks ago during a conversation with a friend, he made a statement that has me laughing to this day. Africa is the next frontier after that its space, I say lets be prepared for the onslaught.

Hamza M.O Egal © copyright 2013 all rights reserved.