Will Egypt ever be the same?

With all the current mayhem occuring in Egypt and that which has prevailed in Tunisia, there are so many mixed emotions  that are triggered. I for one, am sick and tired of the selfish megalomaniacs that have held our wonderful continent at ransom and  as if they are little gods. From North to South, East to West, we have read for decades, news headlines about how our beautiful Africa has been raped and plundered and oppressive and demagogic regimes have become the norm rather than the exception. I have blogged before about this depressing state of affairs and wondered for how long Africa will continue to suffer such humiliation and indignity. Obviously something has had to give  and that is being witnessed in Egypt.


While it will always be refreshing to see democracy rise up and kick some backside, it is also saddening to see people lose their lives and suffer gaping wounds on their heads just because of a one, two or slightly more thick-headed individuals who are too slow or too stubborn to get a simple message: You have had your time, call it a day! How one person can resist the will of millions and hang on at great cost, is beyond my understanding- but then I have never sat in the chair of the dictatorial chamber, so I will never fully understand.

As Mubarak tries to deal the few remaining cards of his losing hand, I wonder whether Egypt will move on from this ordeal to become a better example of African and Arabian governance. Will Egypt ever be the same again? Will she still conjure up romantic pictures of camels, sandy deserts, pharoahs, pyramids, the Nile River, the Suez canal, papyrus reeds, shaduf watered plantations and all the other things that have led us to associate that North African land as the heart of modern civilisation?

I truly hope that aspect of Egypt's reputation will not be replaced by the bloody images that have sent CNN, BBC and other TV and Internet news networks into overdrive; images of a nation in a desperate but determined attempt to unpluck a nasty blood-sucking leech called Mubarak. More than that, I truly hope this will be a worthwhile lesson for all in Africa. A lesson that will lead to greater respect for the will of the people by all those who rule on this continent. So many revolutions have brought great promise at great cost, only to disappoint when that promise turns out to be a repackaged version of the old. Only time will tell with regards to this latest Egyptian revolution.