“A people
without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree
without roots”…Marcus Garvey (1887 – 1940) Former Jamaican Political leader,
Publisher, Journalist, Entrepreneur and Orator.
Where have you been?
If I
didn’t know better, I’d say that I’ve been to London to see the Queen, at least
that’s what we were technically indoctrinated with as kids, but then we all
know this is probably a rhetorical question and it is also a figure of speaking,
because the inquiry actually depicts an apparent conversation between nature’s
celestials and our forefathers long dead and buried, but for the history we
know, who am I to lay a claim?
Nevertheless,
where have we been really? Or maybe I should rephrase, where were our
forefathers during the creation of history and the ostensible recording and
gatherings of the ancient and precious chronicles?
You
guessed it, we don’t really know, this is because our history has not been well
recorded and secondly because history is written by the victors according to
the words of Winston Churchill, and we were massively colonized remember?
“History never really says
goodbye. History says ‘see you later’.”…Eduardo Galeano (1940 – 2015) Uruguayan
Journalist, Writer and Novelist considered, among other things, ‘global
soccer’s pre-eminent man of letters’ and a literary giant of Latin America’.
Where are we now?
If I
still didn’t know better, I’d say we are literally soaked in immense fright,
panting in the dark alley with our tails between our legs like orphaned
puppies.
Sorry
for painting the pathetic picture in a gross way, but seriously, our society is
in a huge mess and we have not actually figured out what to do about it.
Going
through the roof are crime, corruption, obscenity, and cravings for all things
clandestine, so much that the next generation may not be able to differentiate
between good and bad, they are all about the money which of course betrays us
and disunites us as the insatiable lust for material things is vanity, and it
blinds us from the important things.
The
next generation need to be taught the history of Africa in order for them to
realize how strong and determined their forefathers were, and most importantly,
they should realize the sacrifice they made for us to live.
“Yesterday is history,
tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the
present”…Joan Rivers (1933 – 2014) American comedian, actress, writer, voice
actress, producer and television host noted for her often controversial comedic
personal alternating self-depreciating or sharply acerbic, especially toward
celebrities and politicians.
Where are we going?
Guess
where, on the way to the United States, but first stopping by in London, the
same Western guys that made our great grans shit their pants over and over
again till freedom became a holy grail.
What
is wrong with Africa? We are never going to succeed if we keep idolizing the
western world, no offense though.
Look
at China, they broke away from the rest of the world to build themselves, and
now they are virtually the biggest economy in the world, even America feels
threatened by them.
Britain
is only struggling to be relevant and that is why they do what they do best,
manage people’s resources, which obviously is more like a reverse psychology,
taking a cue from the elements of the wisdom age which sits the United States
at the top of the food chain, with the main aim of exploiting Africa.
“History will have to record
that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the
strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good
people”…Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) American Baptist Minister and
activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Best known for his role
in the advancement of civil rights using non-violent civil disobedience based
on his Christian beliefs.
Can we make it?
The
whole world knows that Africa is the most fortunate and probably also a sacred
Continent which is immensely blessed with love, loyalty, culture, human
resources, mineral reserves, fantastic weather and so much more. Perhaps this
is why the western world constantly visits her to cart away the booty she has
to offer, still enslaving them mentally and repeating the colonization in a
smarter and more sinister way.
Africa
needs a rethink and a new strategy for sustainable development, and we can do
it on our own because we understand our land better and we know our own
problems, we only need to put aside ego and unnecessary pride that pits us
against ourselves.
Africa
needs to reinvent herself by not letting our culture die, rather we should
propagate it even more and reconnect with the hidden heroes and geniuses deep
in the villages with our languages so that they can contribute their quota to
the future development we desire, and together we shall overcome.
Thank
you, and be awesome.
Akin
Abimbola.
Twitter: @akinzogee
Facebook: Critical Lyric by Akin
Abimbola
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Sources: Biography.com, Brainy Quote,
Google, Good reads, Nobelprize.org, Wikipedia
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This
article is an original piece, reasonably researched and contains considerable
opinion and a unique style of the author.
The
names in actual stories are not real and the stories in this write-up are
usually fictional, consequently, people’s names appearing are purely
co-incidental, except for quotes and news that are typically referenced.
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