Africa's plight, a sorry sight.

Africa has long being called by all sorts of endearing names, "the motherland, the cradle of humanity , etc."


She continues to astound the world with her great beauty, amazing wildlife, forests, breath taking mountains, warm sunshine and its resilient citizens.


Paradoxically, our beloved continent is as infamous as it is famous. Great rifts of division, greed and selfishness ensure that there is an unending flow of genocide, looting, starvation and opression amongst the siblings of Africa.

It is true that slavery and colonialism have left Africa traumatized, left a once sound unity broken into smithereens. Cultures and values have been knocked up to the extent that we are hardly people of identity anymore.

For how long though can these unfortunate dark spots be blamed for the present suffering of the African? Did the liberation movement fail to "liberate" in the true sense of the word? Do the neo-colonialists still have a hidden grip on the motherland or has Africa failed to shake off the debris of the past and move on and build itself?


If one looks at the western world, governance issues are the least of their problems. The time African leaders spend grappling with wars, arguing over constitutions and elections and looting resources, is the time that their counterparts overseas spend investing in technology, signing trade pacts and ensuring that their nations prosper.


How difficult can it be for us to follow suit? If Africans allow the ill legacy of a hurtful past to rear its ugly head and turn us into that which we fought to kill, we have no one to blame but ourselves for our sorry plight.