7/14/2010
“….The reason is that many of our heroes’ refusal or inability to know went to take off the veil of idealism and allow themselves to be guided by realities, made them to adopt policies that were too extreme like the “Africa is for Africans” philosophy promulgated by Marcus Garvey. This lack of guidance from reality also impaired their abilities to design and maintain a leadership structure that was reflective of their believe in freedom and democracy and a viable longitudinal blueprint that who have immensely benefited generations of Africans…” -Alfred Johnson
From Kwame Nkrumah’s “I speak of freedom “speech to Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela and disadvantaged South Africans’ victory over Apartheid in South Africa. From Julius Nyerere’s demonstration of “flashing verbalism” at the OAU’s 1964 Summit and his bloodless struggle for an independent Tanganyika to Ahmed Ben Bella’s improbable yet unwavering struggle for an independent Algeria, Africa has produced some of the greatest advocates of social justice the continent and mankind has ever seen; individuals, who, against all odds, questioned the status quo and implicatively declared “normalcy, never again.” They did not just inspire their people to believe in the possibilities of equality, independence, and self-reliance but unrelentingly worked to make it come to fruition.
The continent (Africa) also paid host to two of the greatest champions of non-violent struggles including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Indian founding father Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In fact, the latter’s (Gandhi) inspiration for a non-violent struggle is inextricably linked to its test and success in Africa, precisely, South Africa where he succeeded in bringing national and eventually international attention to the inhumane treatment of Indians in South Africa.
However, more than half a century later and following series of successful independence struggles, our people are still sweltering with what Dr. King called “the heat of withering injustice.” The continent future remains as beclouded as it was in the earliest part of the twentieth century; Senseless civil wars, coups upon coups, famines and starvation, high mortality rates, unimaginable division, and the list goes on. The ironies involve are inexplicable. A continent with abundant natural resources yet many of its people continue to wallow in the valley of impoverishment. It is the cradle of civilization but also the scene of barbaric acts. Additionally, (as previously stated) it is the birthplace of some of the greatest advocates of social justice and freedom humanity has ever seen, yet, the staging ground for bloody coups and home of vicious dictatorial regimes.
These painfully ironic but indisputable facts have generations of Africans and the world at large asking, what went wrong? How can a continent with such history be the face of irony? Did our champions refuse to understand that the fight and victory over Colonialism was just the beginning and not the end? Were they (African Liberators) unctuous in their independent fight; exploiting our people’s grievances and legitimate concerns and using it as a springboard to political prominence? Where did they/we go wrong and how can we learn from their mistakes and positively shape the destiny of our continent.
From all indications, champions like Nkrumah, Lumumba, Olympio, Barclay and the rest initial intentions were genuinely grounded in their desire to liberate their people (us) from imperialistic rules to self-governance, empowerment, and determination. In the case of Pres. Edwin Barclay, his intention was to move away from the policy of “us v them “and extend a hand of mutual respect to indigenous Liberians, soliciting their opinions on issues of national concern. Sadly, those good intentions, in many instances, did not work as evident in the present state of our continent.
The reason is that many of our heroes’ refusal or inability to know went to take off the veil of idealism and allow themselves to be guided by realities, made them to adopt policies that were too extreme like the “Africa is for Africans” philosophy promulgated by Marcus Garvey. This lack of guidance from reality also impaired their abilities to design and maintain a leadership structure that was reflective of their believe in freedom and democracy and a viable longitudinal blueprint that who have immensely benefited generations of Africans.
Like Michael Eric Dyson, author of I may not get there with you, a book in which he gave readers a comprehensive understanding of Dr. King’s inspiring intellectualism and his moral failings, I am cognizant of the fact that this piece will not receive the nicest of response from some of my fellow Africans. Reason being, we find it revulsive and continentally unpatriotic to bring into the spot light, the flaws of our heroes. However, I take refuge in my unflinching belief that as the next generation of (public and private sectors) African leaders, any attempt to change the trajectory of our continent is contingent upon our ability to understand our past; objectively analyzing the achievements and failures of our founding fathers because in their history lies many of the fundamental causes and solutions of and to our problem(s). Moreover, it is an established fact that these people were not saints they had flaws and they knew it as apparent in this quote from Mandela “…I want to be known as Mandela, a man with weaknesses, some of which are fundamental and a man who is committed” (think exist).
