HAVE WE EVER BEEN GREAT?

For long i have always heard, read and observed as people of different race, color, tongue, culture and heritage bounded more by geographical demarcations of the whites and forced to accept such arbitral  policies of the whites come up to say Africa will be great again. I have battled to understand, comprehend and even failed to relate Africa with greatness. Trust the very patriotic Africans who are always on hand to stick anyone who dares to denigrate the greatness of the motherland. Like the very popular Yoruba adage that states that 'eni meji o kin pada nu iro' translated to mean that two people cannot be equally lost on a lie, if he who is been told a lie does not realise its a lie, he who is telling a lie will surely realise he is telling a lie. So rather than been unnecessarily emotional and sadistic in our response towards denigrating comments made  concerning Africans and Africa, i think we should rather sit back and reflect, rising to start asking questions of ourselves.

Has Africa ever been great? NO!!!!!( an opinion)civilization they said started in Africa and Africa was the first home of man according to findings from the olduvai gorge in Tanzania and early technological works in Egypt. But does this relate to greatness? A man elects to settle where he sees when he cannot afford for the luxury he craves. Soon after he gets his financial breakthrough, he abandons the comfort of his haven to seek better habitat that his money can afford. So was the story of man. If we decide to go against the Biblical narration in Genesis about man in a garden and all that and choose to follow archeological findings, we may be forced to say that Africa was the first home of man, however as both man and time evolved, the ones who evolved moved out of Africa and the ones who never evolved, who time left behind and who never embraced change remained in Africa.

While I am in no way saying Africans are inferior in any context to other races of the world, I am saying Africa and indeed Africans are still in the trekking age when others are beginning to see flying as normal and looking for better technologies... they say teleporting. ( the issue to contend with is attitude). Going back to the issue of technology starting first from Africa, before answering the question, i would be asking another question. Who is an African?  Africans themselves have no understanding of who an African is. I have heard people even in the peak of academic discuss classify Africans as blacks, is Africa just made of black like the Guinness commercial will lead us to believe?  What about the Arabs? the whites, in southern Africa? are they any less African? again do the Arabs even see themselves as Africans? i very less think so. Egypt the leader of the Arab world in Africa is more concerned with things happening in the Arab league than in the AU. Arab African states are more affected by political cum socio-economic  occurrences in the Arab league than they are with situations in Africa. ( in fact most times, it is only sporting festivals like the AFCON that reminds us all that some Northern African states are part of the African continent). Yet technology which started in Egypt a supposed African state according to the world geographical map gives impetus to reason that Africa will be great again. Where does Egypt currently ranks in the league of technologically advanced states of the world? Again, this gives credence to my earlier argue that Africans were left behind.

More disturbing is the fact that Africa has continued without fail to disappoint on some of its own declarations concerning the rising and subsequent greatness of Africa. In an age where all over Africa the legitimacy of most governments is called to question, civil groups and movements asking for their independence from their present states and continuous blood letting of innocent citizens sacrificed to oil the egos of the elites and political class. The masses are not to be left out eitheras we have in both equal measures ignorantly and wickedly allowed the orchestrations of the high and mighty to control how we reason and make judgements. We as followers irrespective of religious and tribal divides have not been steadfast in our duties of providing astute followership  intended to serve as check to the leaders. Instead we are evenly yoked with the burden of bitterness, hate and fury that is the hallmark of African states. In the many occasions when we speak in angst against the leaders, underneath is sheathed our frustrations and envy for what the political class is that we are not.  It is only in view of the resources blessed us by God and nature that we always lay referrence to in saying we are great. However if the afore mentioned factors are brought to play then we see that the potentials for greatness may be nothing compared to the indicators for failure that has been the hallmark of Africa.

Map of Africa

As the leaders embezzle and misappropriate so do we followers carry out the same evils. Every man and every woman is a leader in his/her right and in what ever designation we have found ourselves as leaders, we have been guilty of the said offences(this is not to say there are no exceptions). Chinua Achebe once said that one of the problem with the Nigerian state is we refer to ourselves what we are not. He quoted the German Chancellor after the world war saying we little state(referring to Germany) will work together and do everything that will make the German state great) quoting the Nigeria prime minister Tafawa Balewa he said we are a great nation. What in heavens name qualifies Nigeria to be termed as great shortly after independence? unfortunately this is the same self deceit and ignorance that has continued to trail the African continent. We are promised of a better future by leaders who themselves do not believe in the future, who have no definition for what the future stands for, yet we all gullibly hope for a better future when no work is done to savage the said future. We have continued in the European colonial policy of divide and rule and the followers have continued to accept being played on by the elites who use us as bargaining tools to get what they want. Greatness of a nation is not in the name it bears, it is not in the religion practiced nor entrenched in the tribal or ethnic inclination of the people of that place. It is about the collective will and commitment of a people to a common course.

This is Africa. This is how it is but like i always say, all hopes are not lost, we could still behold greatness if we elect to be.

Pax

Ayodele Kelvin is a researcher with the International Center for Community peace Ilorin. He boasts of a Masters degree in Peace and development studies From the University of Ilorin and Holds a Bachelors degree in History and International Studies Ekiti state University.

Email: kevinayodele96@yahoo.com
Facebook: Ayodele kelvin Oluwasina