Beyond Political Turmoil in Africa: We Are Blessed, Not Cursed

 In the last couple of months, there hav been pockets of crises here and there on the African continent. From Ivory Coast to Sudan, and from Tunisia to Egypt, it has been tales of cacophony and woes. This seems worrisome in a continent blessed with abundant human and material resources. There is a tendency to regard our dear continent as cursed, given the enormity of turmoil in the land. But when viewed against the backdrop that there is no nation or continent which has not been through this phase of development in its historical evolution, we may be consoled that all is not lost.

I have read all sorts of comments on the happenings in Africa in recent times – from the cosmetic to the logical. But the funniest has been the one saying that what is happening is a sign of the end time. I consider this laughable as I see this more or less as a phase in our development. As much as one would have expected that by now Africa should have outgrown this stage, we must know that it is not what is going on that matters but how we handle it. We therefore need to tread on the side of caution, as violence cannot end violence. It will only escalate it.

In the face of the on-going adversity, one thing is obviously clear: the current generation of African leaders is bereft of ideas. The onus is now on us (the younger generation) to begin to look inwards. We must begin to light up our corners with bright ideas. After all, ideas, they say, rule the world. We must be guided by Stedman Graham’s advice that “people who let events and circumstances dictate their lives are living reactively. That means that they don’t act on life, they only react to it.” The only price we have to pay to prove to the world that Africa is blessed and not cursed is to be conscious of the fact that “leaders are not born, they are made. They are made just like anything else…through hard work” (Vince Lombardi)