The New Africa

Welcome to the new Africa. Yes, the new Africa where people celebrate mediocrity. A continent where leaders thrive on the ignorance of the people. The people are ignorant. They don’t know their history. Give a crumb of bread and they will follow you into hell.

An African man sees his fellow neighbour as a rival or an enemy. Not even as a brother. Backstabbing each other. The ”I” and ”Me” mentality replaced the ”We” and ”Us” mentality.

You look around, there’s no support system. Back in those days, your children are our children. Your parents are our parents. No segregation, no discrimination and no stratification. Everyone was living for a common goal – ”Peace and Tranquility.”

Today, Africans don’t see eye to eye. South Africans killing another fellow Africans. An African doesn’t feel safe in another African country. Jealousy and hatred are the only reason.

In my previous article, I wrote about parents who send their children to friends and family members to help raise them. Yes, it’s rampant. Due to the financial crisis, some parents can’t afford to feed themselves let alone their child or children. It got a mixed reaction from the readers and widen my scope on the topic.

Initially, I was against it but I saw a different view from a reader, Awa Ndukwe.

Awa Ndukwe said, ”Things happened along the line. Some started well in life, good jobs, home and most especially health. And got into midlife Crisis which could be health related.

• Why can’t they send their kids to their brother or sisters home?
• Why can’t they send their kids to a friends home?

Africa was better when it was a communal setting. My kid is our kid mentality and everyone looked out for each other. If only humans become nice, understanding, care and have a bit of kindness, we won’t even have these issues in the first place.  

Trust me no one prays for a mid-life crisis even though I still understand your point.”

Isn’t this the truth? It is nothing but the bitter truth. There is no harm in picking up a child or children if you are financially capable of raising them. After all, when we train a child, we are training a generation and saving it from violence.

Well-Trained children will become good ambassadors and great leaders, which is a win-win for both parties. But how many people know this?

The current state of Africa is down to confusion and separation caused by colonial masters and African leaders.

The political system worsened the continent. The greed to attain power and loot the wealth meant for all by some heartless politicians screwed our continent. They turn the citizens against each other.

A People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member sees an All Progressive Congress (APC) member as a threat and enemy to their selfish interest. I could recall my former colleague at the Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun, Olusola Olusegun, who was attacked by PDP thugs. Then he was an APC member. I saw the hatred he had for the opposition party – the People’s Democratic Party.

I gave up on politics when I heard he had joined PDP. They call it politics. Yes, it is. A dirty game indeed. Playing politics with the lives of the people. Turning youths against one another. Causing mayhem and chaos across the streets. That’s not the politics that we want.

What can I do about it?

You bet there’s nothing I can do. It’s the new Africa that we have. My question – For how long do we continue to live like this?

I have no idea. We need to go back to our history. Learn from our aged parents. Africans are meant to live like kings and not like a pauper.