THE WIND OF CHANGE: TUNISIA, EGYPT, SUDAN...

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THE WIND OF CHANGE: TUNISIA, EGYPT, SUDAN...

In the past few weeks we have seen what effect poor leadership can have on a country, we have seen the power of technology and indeed the web. Young people have reached the zenith of their frustration and today they rise as one to demand change.

We have seen greedy leaders, who have hung on to power for decades, being ousted from office, while some have tried to prove their sovereignty. It is in the light of these current winds of revolution, that youths across the world and especially Africa have begun to look within their own country. Issues are being discussed on blogs and social media and the thought is, “if they can, then we can.” This is what we have seen in Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt and indeed it will sweep through Africa and the world.  The issues are the same; repressive government, autocratic rule, corruption, unemployment, lack of opportunities, social and economic environments that impede growth and poverty, and still our leaders wait for blood to be shed before they do something. It is impossible to think that a person who has his nation’s interest at heart would wait 23 or 30 years to effect change, and when the people rise as one against you, to think that that is the best time to bring about change. It is inconceivable, to think that without one individual, a whole nation would cease to function. It is an attempt to play God!

Years of repression and oppression have led to a divided country in Sudan, revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, who wants to be left behind?

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AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE - OUR LEADERS AND THIS AGE

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE

3.

OUR LEADERS AND THIS AGE

To lead people, walk beside them ...
As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.

The next best, the people honor and praise.
The next, the people fear;
and the next, the people hate ...
When the best leader's work is done the people say,
"We did it ourselves!"
 Lao-tsu

It’s a rude awakening.

And do not blame us,

It has been a long time coming.

We did try to wake our fathers,

A gentle tap here,

A gentle tap there

Still they slept on.

We panicked and gave them a slap.

Rude?

Neccessary!

Are we here by choice? That can be argued. If Africa is fallen, it is we the Africans that have failed. It is not what was done to us, it is what we do to ourselves, and it is what we allow, what we permit, what we accept and what we submit to. It is not just about what our fathers failed to do or did not do right, the question is - are we any different?

The times are changing and they are upon us now, what must we do? We must rise to the occasion, we must dialogue, we must create awareness, we must network, we must tweet, we must blog, we must open up, and we must speak up.

To most of our leaders, these were strange words until Obama came and won the elections on the internet and now they crawl around our social media space seeking support for the elections. This is where we live, our leaders must come here. On this web, they’ll find we are objective and can reason one with another, and it really is the safest bet in everyone’s interest.  If the leaders knew where to meet the youth, dialogue would have prevailed over the mass protest sweeping across the land. Change is upon us and our leaders cannot claim ignorance any longer, they need to support and adjust to the change.

To ask young people not to protest but to go home and stop watching satellite television shows a high level of ignorance. In this web age, we do not necessarily need this medium to get information; there are several media and our leaders need to be updated. Ignorance it seems pushes us to test the principle of walking on water without faith. And here is the greed in human nature: our leaders test their ability to lead a people who are done following.

It is pertinent that we learn now and at once that change is constant. Where this fact is concerned, emphasis and repetition has failed to enlighten. We cannot behave like dogs that need constant training to adapt to learning and instruction, but if this is a problem God himself must deal with, then who am I not repeat over and over again that change is inevitable? Today we are under, tomorrow we lead. What are the options we have? Do we follow the lead of our antecedents or do we create positive changes for the next generation?

This age of awareness is not calling for repressive governments, for terror, for intolerance or corruption amongst leaders. The web lends power to the people. It gives access to information and there is no one who can tell that his peers are doing well abroad, no one who knows that he has the opportunity to do well at home that will submit to the lie of lack of resources. 

Awareness – our leaders need to adjust with the times and learn to be proactive and not reactive.

You cannot lay food before a starved child and expect him not to eat, in Africa we respectfully wait for the elders to eat first but do not dare think to finish the food.

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE REVOLUTION VS. TERRORISM

CHAPTER 2

REVOLUTION VS. TERRORISM

 “Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Revolution cannot be achieved through terrorism.  It is a contradiction of intent to try to rid oppression with terrorism. It is indeed a paradox that is obvious in this age. Terrorism, in my opinion has also gained widespread knowledge and access into society thanks to technology. Globalisation has its downside in this sense because one society is now exposed to learning and imbibing the ill in another. And what was once a taboo in Africa is now acceptable because we are part of this so called Global Village.

The question is can we create positive change through terrorism? The answer is NO.  We cannot get rid of corrupt leaders through terrorism. We have seen over time that the people who wield terror against corrupt leaders for whatever purpose tend to turn out like the corrupt leaders themselves.

History records these events and we can see it even in the military regimes in Africa. The coup that removes a greedy general is always planned by a greedy general, whose greed supersedes that of the general he ousted. His fear of being forced out causes him to be even more so wicked than his predecessor.

Absolute power is corruption!

Terrorism negates the brotherhood of humanity. It is a clear fact that disagreements will exist, but the idea of democracy or even brotherhood shows us that we can achieve much through dialogue and if that cannot be done then we must use the tools available to us to fight for our rights. It is important to note that a protest or even war is in no way the same as terrorism. In my opinion, terrorism is an act of cowardice; it makes the likes of Hitler look like a hero. At least he had the decency to show his face. Humanity will not bow to terrorism and brotherhood will prevail!

When do we go to war? When do our peaceful and civil protests turn to violence? Is it when our demands are met? Is it when we are treated as human beings with rights and privileges? Is it when we are allowed to live and express ourselves within the confines of our mutually agreed upon constitutional and representative rights and responsibilities? Is it when we are allowed to live within the consciousness of our God- given sense of what is right and wrong?

When do we go to war?

AFRICA, THE WEB AND THE WIND OF CHANGE The reasoning of an African youth

1.

AFRICA AND THE WORLDWIDE WEB

“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remains only two choices – submit or fight. That time has come now to South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all means in our power in defense of our people...”

Nelson Mandela

Africa, the continent of the largely black and mixed race, has been the sleeping giant for decades but in recent times, certain events have led to the awakening of the giant. It is interesting to note that for centuries, Africa and indeed Africans have been lulled to sleep by patronizing persons, both foreigners and natives who come with promises of a better life and future, and once they are given the opportunity to serve have tended to dominate and oppress the people to a point where they accept  their fate. I agree completely with this observation;

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land”

Bishop Desmond Tutu

 However, as it is in every human society, the oppressed have their day and they always insist on being heard.  Indeed, the time has come for Africans to decide to be Africa’s voice as done in times past, even though then it was against foreigners, today it is against fathers and brothers who want to be Africa, all by themselves.

A society has never been about one man, it is about a group of people that share the same values and beliefs and traditions and culture. In Africa it is generally about respect and hospitality and brotherhood. The opportunity to demonstrate these values was given when the FIFA World Cup was brought to Africa. It wasn’t about South Africa 2010; it was indeed a thing of Pride for all Africans. It did not matter that no African country came first; it mattered that we could show the world that we too can. It was another moment of pride and indeed every African walked taller when this historical feat was achieved and facilitating these historic event is technology.

We, the young people of Africa, would never be exposed to these revolutionary moments without the technology available in the age we live: The satellite, that allows us access to media houses reporting issues around the world and the internet, which has turned the world into a global village. With just one click, one is exposed to the billions of opinions and views available online. It is incredible that one can connect and exchange views and ideas in matters of seconds with someone a thousand seas away – the social media secures for us this grand opportunity.

To be young in Africa today is a great opportunity because we have been offered the potency to create change where we see fit – The World wide web. Access to it is a right and one we must guard jealously. We cannot afford to sit by anymore and allow people, foreign or native, alien or related to lie to us and oppress us and keep us from the opportunities that are available to the rest of the world which we too can have and do have.

There is so much potential in Africa and yet we agree to submit to corrupt leaders who sell us short in the bid to gain absolute power and reign like monarchs in our hard-won democracy. We have the web and we must indeed use this medium to bring about the much needed revolution in our societies. We must oust corruption and live to build a better society for the next generation.

Words have power and we have the web, we must put this power to the web and see the wind of change blow across our land.