The tragedy of Africa - THREAD

There is an African proverb that says, ‘until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.’

#AfricaDay
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This took a new meaning for me when I watched a documentary on Ancient Africa, and came to find that from monuments along the Swahili Coast, to the illustrious Great Zimbabwe ruins, early settlers categorically refused that Bantu people, could be the architects of...

...such amazing infrastructure. They attributed the works to whites, & Arabs, as it appeared incomprehensible to them that Africans could be the masterminds, which probably answers why the iconic ‘Zimbabwean bird’ was embraced by both Rhodesia,& Zimbabwe on national flags & money

...as they both thought it was representative of their history. Fast forward to today, Africa has hardly begun to stand on her own two feet. Quite frankly, one could argue the recolonisation of her and her people....

From the depths of her soil, to the minds of her people, she remains a caricature of Western thought, the dark continent.She thinks herself unworthy as she begins to emulate her Western counterpart, losing her identity, as would her ancient history had the white man not saved it

...saved it from himself. This Africa Day, I sombrely reflect on what it means to be an African, in a society where the success of the African man is characterised by his ability to wander beyond the borders of his motherland.

I wonder whether my children will have anything to identify with when their land is plundered by the greedy & elite. Yes, we have been robbed of a history, but can we write a new narrative? Can we write of a 21st century worth talking about? Yes we can, but will we? Are we?

Or we’ll yet again put the proverbial pen in the hand of another.

Happy Africa Day. Whatever that means.
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#AfricaRise

Picture above is of the magnificent Great Zimbabwe located in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.