George Santayana is famously quoted as saying ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.’ These words hold a lot of truth if the events in a number of African states are anything to go by.
Africa seems to be going through a wave of second liberation, particularly from the vice-like grip of the West. A number of countries have seen military takeovers. The underlying reason, at least on paper, is bad governance. The continent is considered one of the wealthiest but is one of the poorest and uneducated.
The dream of a free and economically sustainable continent has never been further from attainment as it is today. And this is the ugly reality of millions of people across the continent consisting of 53 nations.
It is common to hear phrases like 'living on less than a dollar a day' in Africa. And this is especially true in Kenya, a country touted as the economic and political powerhouse of East and Central Africa.
Here the rich and the poor live side by side and one's ethnic affiliation could be the difference between their economic prosperity or ultimate doom.
Yet, in a country facing runaway prices of basic consumer goods, runaway insecurity and blatant corruption, among other failures, the biggest discussion isn’t about how to correct these, but rather grandstanding and a disregard for millions of suffering citizens.
The West has always been quick to label African leaders who it considers ‘untamable’ as dictators simply because they have seen past their hegemony.
It is busy robbing the continent blind of its resources while waving wads of cash which, although large, seemingly never get to the intended target—the people. And when faced with objection, it threatens a country with economic sanctions, the ICC and a cut-off of vital financial aid since to it the concept of divergent thinking is intolerable.
Perhaps it's time to rethink concepts such as democracy and election by way of universal suffrage. Perhaps it's time to unshackle ourselves from the hegemonic school of thought ingrained in us that good leadership can only come from choice.
If the leadership choices of many of the nations currently facing uprisings were the right ones, then there would be no coups d'état, would there?
Perhaps it's time to embrace a new form of thinking unique to Africa because if we don’t then we are doomed just like those who do not learn from history.
The world is changing fast and there is a new scramble and partition for our continent by both the Western and Eastern powers.
There has been for the longest time an economic war and it is hurting the development of African nations since nobody is really interested in our well-being, just theirs. Africa must rise up and take charge of its destiny.
