Africa and Leadership Tussle

The rest of the world would have written Africa off if it were possible, but who is that man who can abandon his farmland for the mountains? Indeed Africa is so richly endowed that every continent of the globe has an interest in it. Unfortunately, the reign of terror has not given Africa any breathing space. It is high time global leaders pay genuine interest in the leadership of the countries where their investment interests are domicile.

The sit-tight sydrome my friend Oliver B. Robert and many others wrote about concerning leadership in the continet Africa is beginning to dawn on me. Some times I wonder why most of the great elites from this part of the world are insensitive to the plights of helpless fellow continent-men. Or do we say complacency is responsible for this seeming insensitivity and non-challance. Perhaps, it's a function of cowardice on the part of the led, and of course the leadership understanding of the people's docile and inactive nature.

To my mind, I feel many African Leaders have capitalized on the people's inactivity and the very fact that many of us only bark without biting. But trust the Gunnieans with their wise preference clearly craft in the saying..."We prefare freedom in poverty to wealth in slavery" during their independence struggle. So it didn't come to me as a shock that people from that part of Africa could troop out to their national Stadium to demand for a choice of leadership.

I wasn't amaze either to hear that a military leader - Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara could order a shot out of defenseless Guinea Civilians. In fact the 300 dead Guineanians are the true heros of Africa of our time. We may have lost track of the death toll from that of Congo, where Umar Bongo heir apparel emerged as winner in controversial election of two months ago. What a shame that I belong to a part of the world where some people highjack leadership as if it were a birth right or something fought for by their fore-parents and as such, no one else must aspire for it.

We honestly need some civil education to recognize the fact that, we all have equal stake in our continent and its leadership. And that the same power most of these bigots use excessively to enthrone evil and corruption, thereby smearing our collective enviable reputations, we too have. In truth African Legal Experts owe it as a duty to enlighten us all on our rights and how to defend them.

If we must get out of our political mess, then African political Scientists on their part, need to educate us all, on the things we need to know. Many Africans elites and non-elites and even the Americans, Europeans and Asians alike lack same political education. And that's why many of us are often busy with criticism of what the politicians are doing right or wrong, instead of participating actively or passively.

We truly need a change that will enthrone social justice, integrity, moral uprightness, fairness, peace and equity in our world. But first, it has to begin from Africa.