I am a prodigy of heritage. Miles far apart and wherever I am, my entity is entrapped in the heritage of my identity. I am black, African and proud. That’s the mindset established, so I am by no means borderline confused about my happiness and pride to be part of the African tribe.
#BJA
What many like me remain unproud of is the state of affairs and the continuous slumber of a supposed giant and land of opportunities. Many believers in the raw potential of the African state, the ingenuity and resources available will certainly and hopefully continue to keep the faith for a renewed vibrancy and watershed moment to bring us all together in introspection and with genuine intent to advance the narrative. We are far behind, and no better blunt way to affirm my displeasure and the ripple effect of the dearth in our society which we all have to deal with from day to day. So pardon the urgency and perhaps the forthrightness.
That being said, my message to Africa today as we commemorate Africa Day 2021 is that of hope and a renewed sense of optimism that Africa is indeed rising. There is a story to tell and my call out today is that we rise up with a united voice to tell these stories and shape the course for the continent we would like to see. We have been too long in obscurity and amidst it all, regardless of the setbacks of oppression, depredation and exploitation, we can see clear glimpses of what might have been but then again this is a forward looking call to attention. However thought it necessary that we appreciate our journey and what we have had to surmount to get to where we are today.
In order to shape the future, we must understand our history and take comfort in the existence of heritage and roots.
Like I said, there is a story to tell, not the negative ones, not the ones that portray us as a nation of charlatans. While we have a few of them amongst us and in prominent places, we mustn’t let the negatives outshine the positives. Africans are genuine, legit, they are smart, and without sounding the glory horn, they are a key part and thought leaders in every work of life globally. This is the story we need to tell. Those are the doses of hope we need to dispense and the kind of Aura and positive energy we need to sustain. All with the hope of passing the torch to the next battalion of army to come. My prayer and eventual reality is that we would live to our ripe old and fulfilled ages but the journey is a long one that will transcend generations.
It is imperative and needful to emphasize the gravity and enormity of the task at hand but equally important that we build strategically and with a consciousness and awareness that there has got to be a chain reaction for a positive and meaningful change. My urge and call to action today, tell that story. Your little victories are legit and could be watershed moments for the next person. Share your African story, lend a voice to strengthening and reinforcing the kind of narratives we want to see but more importantly pour a little drop into the empowerment pool we need to create. There is pace and depth in the unity of purpose and ambition, we need to think peace and embrace love as a language. In division, the core weakens and the focus is defeated either for self and as a cluster of communities. We need to build in unity and with intent to empower, emancipate, liberate and build a resource pool of enlightened minds who would nurture the consciousness not only to think about their own empowerment as individuals but also how they can help reinforce Africa rising and a genuinely growing narrative.
I am a firm believer in focusing on your strengths and what you can control and letting the man up there do His part. So pardon me if this note has not taken a finger pointing turn at the usual culprits behind the state of affairs in Africa. I acknowledge their roles and sincerely hope for a purging and introspective thinking. It would be great to have them on board because we are always stronger together, however my practical approach to lending a voice to driving real change in Africa is centered around empowerment and human capital development. Regardless of the obstacles, barriers, segregation which we still continue to see and experience till today by the way, look how far we have come. Now imagine how much further we can go with unity of purpose, propagating and living the right story, pooling resources together, exhibiting conscious selflessness and rethinking the scope of our learning and skill development programs. The enlightened, well-fed, disease free and financially stable people more often than not and outside of inherent human nature and habits would perhaps be more inclined to think change, make the right electoral decisions but also create innovation. That’s the long game and task we have on our hands.
My commitment on this #AfricaDay2021 as an African but more importantly a human and global citizen is to live and dream the African Heritage. While at it, use and develop my God Given talent to contribute a positive mark in every sphere and dimension of my interaction and engagement. I will lend my voice within my circumference of influence to have forward looking dialogues on education, curriculum and learning reforms, mentorship but also diversity and inclusion, ensuring that we are creating the right mix and culture in our communities, businesses of the future. And more importantly building a community for young Africans across the globe to communicate, share their projects, but also gain access to resources from partners like Google for Education and Grow with Google who continue to develop interesting and impactful solutions for learning and personal development. More to come on this working Pro-bono with Restruct Consult to shape this narrative, thought leadership and genuine social enterprise. Exciting times ahead.
On a sign off, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Nelson Mandela”
Your 1st and only Love,
#BJA
Happy #AfricaDay
BJA | TDM 