In search of the African Spirit

It’s difficult for one of my age to imagine things, especially those perceived to be of great significance. We have been dreaming for years to an extent that we no longer trust our dreaming. Those dreams that targeted gracious ownership of a beautiful wife, a dream car, a dream house and fully loaded pocket. Now that wishes are not always horse, we (I mean some of us) are obviously not riding. Welcome to dreamland as we assume we are in Addis Ababa talking lived realities of the past and present as well as the perceived fears and hopes of the future on the 25th of May 2020. Yes, I wanted it to be this year’s because our old men were offering statements, hidden in their heavily guarded caves called ‘state house’. It was that time when the gospel of them (oldies) being perfect targets of the current plague.

The Motherland and her children were agitating for independence for a time and today we are marking a milestone in the struggle which I hope should be used not to inspire hope but energy to transform our little homes which are just tributaries to this grand home called Afrika. As we see this milestone let us remember Harold Macmillan dubbed these developments ‘the wind of change’ in his address at the citadel of the Cape to Cairo dream three years before the birth of this organisation. A statement I wish was celebrated less by us. I wish we were not celebrating the birth of an organisation or union but a united nation. However, allow me to say the phrase with the current developments on the motherland since the first flag independence in Ghana is appropriate.

Wind is something that comes and go. In my rural home it’s a condition only needed for a time, especially when harvested crops are at the threshing floors. It’s significance lies in ushering an end to a season. It is an essential element to the cleaning of our proceeds and it speeds the process of stoke taking of the proceeds from the ending season. I am just saying it’s necessary for winnowing the chaff.

I’m of the view that when colonial Europe realized the inevitability of the moment birthed by the first of the New African flags, they switched their mood to live with the ‘assumed’ political independence of Africa. Let us take our time to think along these lines to alert ourselves of the great work ahead and the great responsibility on our shoulders. I have dubbed our independence an “assumed political independence” because there is a wide assumption that the Africa claiming to be free now is only independent politically. My analysis of the current situation makes me doubt this assumption that I have been believing till the last few minutes. There is a tirade of confusion in African politics. Let me not go astray trying to prove this new opinion of mine. Just think of the political climate of your country and that you have heard of other countries across Afrika.

Allow me to agree with the opinion that the wind of change attempted to unite Africa which didn’t come out as anticipated when the Organization of African Unity was formed. I love this maiden name and I will probably use it until the organization is renamed Afrikan Republik. Using the concept of stoke taking, those who thrive for the healing of the wounded but promising motherland should not be fooled by the grandiose agendas of their respective national governments, regional boards and the great continental board to evaluate the failures of these boards.

For instance, we need not to wait for 2023 or 2030 in Zimbabwe to say we have a dream of a prosperous Zimbabwe, for that started with the organized resistance of the 1890s. Forgive me reader, I’ve a terrible reading of the history of resistance. I care less of the historical epochs deemed successful or significant in the narration of histories. I’m thrilled by the less revered and sometimes forgotten events and seasons. I also care of the epoch we want not to remember. Those are the moments where a huge chunk of our true selves is revealed even unto our own being. For instance in Zimbabwe’s history I care more about the resistance to the rulership before the first Chimurenga. I look for what was happening in between 1897 and the formation of serious nationalist groupings like the National Democratic Party, African National Congress and Zimbabwe African National Congress. Think of such formations in your own so called country.

I care more about the brave citizens of the time when Robert was the Golden boy of the world. These brave citizens chose to go for the land regardless of the ruthless police and terms such as squatters. I care more of those who survived the brutal resurgence of war in the 1980s and the 2000s. these kind of survivors are the Ugwus of our post-independence times for those who read Half of a Yellow Sun.

Let’s not wait for 2063 as if the Afrikan agenda started on the day of the adoption of agenda 2063.

So what is my rumble about. Since the inception of the Organization of Afrikan Unity, speeches were made at this motherboard of nations. Other countless ones were read on various national and sub regional boards. So many desirable myths are yet to be turned into desirable realities. Access to land, free movement of people and goods to facilitate Afrikan trade, silencing the guns, manufacturing and industrialization, provision of food, water and decent accommodation are some of the dreams to be fulfilled in our lifetimes.

Now that we are faced with this reality characterized by myths, dreams and realities: what shall we do?

I borrowed the question above from one of the avenues (music) of solutions to realize that which might have been forgotten when the wind passed through Afrika. The wind passed by, and the type of change which everyone wanted went with her. Left with us is the unimaginable disillusionment, nightmares, and chaos in the motherland. This is not to discard the little developments which our propagandist Afrikan media had labored to cover for.

If what happened at that momentous time was a wind of change, let’s take a time to remember and embrace the spirit of change that has become a part of our soul since the very first day the enemy seemed to prevail. Another question is popping up on what constitutes an enemy. At this point in time allow me to say an enemy is any person who supports and in turn benefits from a system that denies life to an Afrikan and access to anything that sustain such a life. Therefore I’m of the view that the enemy is an exploitative and genocidal system which favors the wellness of a few individuals.

At one point, suppressive system took charge of the motherland. The people never surrended to it. They resisted it, against the relentless brutality of the system. It is this persistent undying transgenerational charge to ascert or demand their humanity which I called ‘the spirit of change’.

It is the very spirit we should provoke as we take stoke of what we wanted then and what we want now. This spirit will keep the dream alive. This spirit will give the people courage. The spirit should be allowed to give us a long memory. Long memory, I hope will endow us with wisdom to let the spirit remain pro-active.

From

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