Since the day I could think for myself for my 24 years on earth, I have been wondering why Africa, Ghana, northerners, Tamale and Dagbon are not thriving as expected. Upon all those sleepless nights and days, I could only come to these conclusions, I maybe wrong but these are just my opinions. Africa has given birth to a lot of great men and women like Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Muhammar Al-Gaddafi, Miriam Makiba, Winnie Mandela, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Thomas Sankara and Julius Nyerere, yet Africa is still struggling, indebted, swimming in unemployment and in political crisis and war. What went wrong or did we start on the wrong foot all along? What is it that our colonial masters did that we are not doing or cannot do? Upon all the sacrifices made by the leaders mentioned, Africa is still economically, emotionally and socially dependent on the developed world. I always wonder what would happen to Africa if europeans are to come to live in Africa and Africans in Europe for the next 10 years.
I have come to certain conclusions that as Africans, most of us are not appreciative and do not value our own people and things. We trash and betray our own people. Oneness, togetherness and selflessness are just terms and words in our vocabulary but we do not actually understand the meaning of those words, we do not walk and live the words. Africans value “I “to “We” and the thriving world value “We” to “I”, and that makes the difference, depending on which word citizens put first. Resources meant for all are consumed by the top few leaving the rest penniless and vulnerable ready to do the biddings of the powerful to survive.
Politicians would do anything to become Mr or Madam President, for they understand the power they would have to do whatever they want and not what is needed by the citizenry. Politicians mislead and use the very people they made poor to cause riots for few coins to survive. African leaders can do better than this, they should walk the change they always preach. Resources should be distributed fairly. Do we not have enough resources to lead our development activities? We need our leaders of today to stop thinking about themselves and their families only and think of Africa as a continent too. They need to see citizens as family, that is they need to look at citizens as their sons, daughters, mothers, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and grandparents. They need to be able to feel how it is like to not be able to provide the basic needs for your family members including shelter, clothing, education, food and health. They need to be empathetic as leaders. However, our leaders are not the only people who need to change.
As citizens of Africa, we need to respect, appreciate and value our continent and leaders we chose to lead us. We need to choose our leaders wisely based on ideologies and capabilities. Voting based on money and materials received shows how little we value ourselves and the continent. It makes us no different from the leaders for we are all thinking of ourselves instead of the continent or the country in which we live. Can Africans put Africa first for once instead of our individual selfish interests. It is not possible for all Africans to go and live in Europe but it is possible for us to create Europe in Africa to live in by being selfless and put the needs of Africa first. We are in a world of exploitation. Where leaders exploit followers from the grassroots to the top management in most organisations. People pretend to be humanist and exploit others, they pretend to have the interest of their subordinates always and at all times yet their actions show otherwise.
They speak and act differently. Most people enjoy seeing others being desperate, they do not want to help others grow and only pretend to be supportive to be seen as different. Deep down we know we are only deceiving ourselves, it is not easy to live a double life. If you cannot help someone do not throw him/her in a hole either, let them be. As ordinary citizens we blame politicians yet are irresponsible. Workers do not go to work on time and close early too and others do not even show up at work at all. We expect favours to do our paid jobs again!!! and yet we blame others. Let us start the change within ourselves. Let us perform our responsibilities well and see where Africa will be in the next 10 to 20 years. I know there are still good and selfless leaders and citizens in Africa but they cannot do much alone, all of us are needed to form a united front.
All I am trying to say is that, we are all responsible for the Africa we have today, from the bottom to the top, that is from the ordinary citizen to the president. We need to put Africa first in all that we do. We need to be empathetic and real to others. We need to have the spirit to lift each other up anytime we fall. We need to be responsible, value and respect time. We need to love each other like we love ourselves. We need to be reminded that there is only one Africa, one Ghana, one north in Ghana, one Tamale and one Dagbon. If we loose the peace, harmony and unity, we have lost everything and will never get it back as same.
Let us be mindful of our actions. Let us respect the right to life and other rights and entitlement of others. Let us respect each others opinions and develop the will to wish others well. Everyone has the capacity to be good or evil, let us choose the good in us over the evil. I will always choose Africa, Ghana, north, Tamale and Dagbon anytime any day, what about you. Let us value who we are as a people and live peacefully. For we are one people irrespective of our opinions, location, height, status, education, religion, tribe and all the things that differentiate us from others, we are simply humans with the desire to live life to its fullest.
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