More than fifty years after independence, Africa is still not free. This beckons the question of "Why fight for independence when we cant live up to it, why is Africa not yet free?" In other words, the African Puzzle. Independence and growth as defined by society is ones position compared to that of another. Is Africa poor because we use mud houses while Europe and other parts of the world build skyscrapers? Is Africa not free because we have leaders who have been in power for ages while in other nations they stay for just two terms of office? I have chosen to define freedom and growth as a state of mind. Have you ever asked yourself, what makes us African? Have you ever asked yourself, why do we always blame others for our misfortunes? Why does the African continent lack originality and why are we perceived by the world as a people completely different from how we see ourselves??
Self Identity, the knowledge of who we are and who we want to be is a great factor when considering gaining freedom and growth. We can never be free and grow if within our minds, we don't have an image of what makes us free and if we don't believe we are great and meant to grow. Mohamed Ali was great not because he was the most talented but because, every time he stepped into the ring, he said to himself "I am the greatest" and that self image/identity is was propelled him to greatness. Inferiority complex is the best way to describe how a majority of Africans feel about themselves. What ever happens to us, we most often feel like we are being marginalized. We should learn to accept criticism for the greatest in history were always despised.
It is high time each and everyone of us redefined the way we view ourselves and Africa. The American Dream might seem far-fetched but it works. Not because it is real but because the Americans believe in it and always work towards it. It is not magic. Just as you would never be good at any subject in school if you believe you can't pass it, you will never attain anything in life if you don't believe in it and work towards it. But most of all, we need to have a complete self image. Knowing who you are is the best way of achieving what you want. It lays your strengths and weaknesses before you and gives you a clearer path.
If there is one thing I have learned, it is that no matter how great or simple your ideas are, if you don't know how to brand them and make the world see them, then its an idea, a concept or a line of thought gone down the drain. We need to rebrand Africa the way we want the world to see it. The mud houses we live in is part of our identity, its who we are. We just have to make the world see it as a way of life rather than a financial condition. When you come up with an idea, let it solve the problem of you immediate surrounding. The world would always adopt it if it is great. When Steve Jobs invented the Macintosh, he aimed to solve and existing problem in the United States of America. But since the idea was great, the world adopted it. American products, from Google to Facebook sell to us the American way of life. It is time to brand and create the African way of life.
Originality! Originality! Originality!. Just as it is a custom in Africa for parents to call our names three times when there is something of great importance, I chose to do same with originality. The only thing that can make us different in a world of constant evolution is originality. All nations have gone through separate challenges. Every nation, people and culture are shaped by the experiences they share over the years. For us it has been slavery, colonialism and though had to say, in a midst of vast fertile lands, we still experience famine.
The west dealt with the abolition of the slave trade by sending some of the slaves back home and others to different parts of the world. They dealt with colonialism by creating organizations which gave us "on paper" freedom while captivating our minds. It is in our position as Africans, to take up individual challenges to not not only free our minds but become our own people, become who we are born to be. The only way we could achieve this is through originality.
Africa is a jig-saw puzzle of 54 pieces. Just like every great jig-saw puzzle, it is up to the player to put the pieces together, but unlike any puzzle, there are 1.111 billion players. We just have to figure out how to put the pieces together. We need to create a new self identity. By not only redefining our image on the world stage but by also being original. We need to revisit our roots. As my role model, Mahatma Gandhi once said and I quote, "Be the change you want to see in the world".
