As Africans we are blessed by our creator who generously endowed us with many gifts. Our continent boasts a wide range of environmental variety: ranging from the icy peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa to the thick jungles of Central Africa, and the dry plains to the south. Our homeland is flowing with natural and mineral wealth: as evident in the diamond mines of South Africa, the gold pits of West Africa, the oil fields of North Africa, and the magestic Nile which meanders its way down through East Africa.

Our peoples have grown strong and accustomed to the rugged lifestyle which our environment demands. Thousands of years of struggling have led us to perfect our societies and cultures, enabling us to survive on the land and use it best for our needs. In associating and interacting with ourselves we have formed powerful unions and relationships with one another, advanced cultures and societies, and powerful kingdoms and empires.

Our ancestors layed the bricks with which fabulous cities and villages were built, forged the swords and spears with which thousands were conquered and subjugated, and formed the rituals and practices which have guided our spirituality ever since.

However, where are we today?

Today, the world mocks us as the "most backwards continent"; we are known for being poor and diseased, and our countries continue to play second fiddle to their more-powerful and influential Western "allies". Abroad, our peoples face harassment, embarrassment, and violence, and unfortunately those at home do not fair any better.

In the name of unity and togetherness we have sought to exterminate one another. In the name of political interests we have sought to deny one another the very instrument which validates their humanity: their freedom. In the name of wealth we manipulate the poor and powerless, taking from them what little they have. We steal milk from the thirsty, food from the hungry, and opportunity from the ambitious.

Our political systems, modeled around that of Westerners, have continue not only to retard our progress, but also catalyze our destruction. In the political sphere, corruption and ethnocentrism reign supreme; in the economic sector, manipulation and outright subjugation are the rules on the game; and in the educational world, millions of our children struggle to go to school and gain qualification for jobs that don't even exist.

Africa why? O ngen mere?

How are we to help ourselves when we are part of the problem? How are we to usher in a new era of economic and social development in our continent when we continue to view ourselves and our cultures as inferior to those of the world? How are we to return to the "good days" if hundreds of thousands of our sons and daughters have forsaken our shores?

These are the questions that rumble through my young mind. Although a sound solution to our problems will surely take time and effort, I suggest we begin with solidarity. The late Igbo highlife musician, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, said "nke onye kwulu ibe ya kweta nu; onye kwuo nma anyi ewelu; onye kwuo njo anyi aju". Translated, this means: let us agree with one another and wholesomely accept good and reject bad. Osadebe, and many like him, urge us to seek solidarity in whatever we do for it is the first step in changing the state of our beloved Africa. It doesn't take a Nelson Mandela to contribute to the bettering of our continent. Rather, each and every one of us, whether servant or master, is capable of doing his small part in order to contribute to the greater picture. The truth remains that no matter how many billions we receive in foreign aid, if we continue to war amongst ourselves, progress shall remain a distant and forever-unattainable mirage.

-Odumchi.

wa kpe obo ne

No replies?

odumchi: No replies?

lol, coz no one cares about ur whines, cry for help, and kumbayah ish.

the world is tuff place, suck it up!

ezotik:

lol, coz no one cares about ur whines, cry for help, and kumbayah ish.

the world is tuff place, suck it up!

This is exactly what I'm speaking out about. The disturbing reality is that if we don't care, no one will. It's all about seeing the bigger picture.

Unity is overrated and Africa, Europe, Asia and so forth have never, NEVER been "united" continents.

Intra-competition is actually why several countries in Europe have advanced.

Some of the problems in Africa lie in what we compete/fight for, how we compete/fight and how to be diplomatic when the situation calls for it (to further common interests).

Europe functions as an extremely unified continent now.. they recognized when it was time to stop fighting each other and focus on the outside world.

pleep: Europe functions as an extremely unified continent now.. they recognized when it was time to stop fighting each other and focus on the outside world.

But this has come much later in their history and after they advanced.

Africa is not there yet.

Odumchi!
Nice write up!

the magestic Nile
which meanders its way down
through East Africa.

the river nile doesn't meander its way down through east africa but through the north africa and empties it water into the mediterranean sea.

nnenna.1:
Unity is overrated and Africa, Europe, Asia and so forth have never, NEVER been "united" continents.

Intra-competition is actually why several countries in Europe have advanced.

Some of the problems in Africa lie in what we compete/fight for, how we compete/fight and how to be diplomatic when the situation calls for it (to further common interests).

please ma!
Can you please shine a light on the emboldened part?

nnenna.1:


But this has come much later in their history and after they advanced.

Africa is not there yet.

We could argue that Europe united because 2 things either:

1. Their advancement

2. need.

If they advanced because of need, well... Africa is certainly there now. Politically Africa needs unity much more than Europe does.

Tolexander: please ma!
Can you please shine a light on the emboldened part?

The scramble for Africa/colonies = economic and industrial power.

WWI and WWII=military and scientific power.

nnenna.1:


The scramble for Africa/colonies = economic and industrial power.

WWI and WWII=military and scientific power.

k! never knew that's what you meant by the intra-competition! Was thinking you meant inter-competition since it was among the countries in europe!

pleep: We could argue that Europe united because 2 things either:

1. Their advancement

2. need.

If they advanced because of need, well... Africa is certainly there now. Politically Africa needs unity much more than Europe does.

The European union was forged partly because individual European countries were on the decline (as far as economic and political might) compared to the likes of the USA, who they are competing with.

IMO USA is another extension of Europe so it's the same old same old.

Albeit in a more subtle and diplomatic matter.

Evolution is a good analogy of this. Societies and people advance as long as harsh or complex environmental conditions (war, climates, rivals/adversaries, lack, trade) that causes them to adapt in some way exist.

As far as Africa...the only way for compromise or unity to exist is if these countries identify a common problem or rival to pit against.

Appeal to self interest, not altruistic unity.

Tolexander: k! never knew that's what you meant by the intra-competition! Was thinking you meant inter-competition since it was among the countries in europe!

Intra-competition within Europe. Was talking in the context of single continents.

nnenna.1:


Intra-competition within Europe. Was talking in the context of single continents.

alright, i grab that!
Europe is the context and not individual country!

Nice write-up, Odumchi.

Personally, I think our problem has more to do with trying to build our societies based on foreign ideologies. Hence the confused state we're in, atm. If you look around the world and study all the thriving societies, you will find out that the culture/tradition/conscious of the indigenous people is nucleus of these societies. With external influences at the peripheral. Even societies where immigrants form majority of the population had to re-create a new culture(with a little from every demographic represented in their population) as the nucleus of their societies and built whatever they've got on that. We are where we're today because of lack of a true identity, and that's also why we're empty.

However, forget all the theoretical postulations and other idealistic crap, Africa will continue to be the dark continent - until we go back to our roots and use methods that worked for us in the past albeit in a way to make fit properly into 21st century.

As for unity among African people, our emptiness is also the sole reason why we've continued to dwell on things that separate us - and not those peculiar things that unite us as a people. No matter how you look at it, we're all one people in the same struggle - and our experience(s) is/are somewhat similar/intertwined.

I'll conclude by posting something I said to a friend offline a few days ago about African/black people:

I think it has to do with our generational low self-esteem, insecurities, and confused state-of-mind... Hence, our defeatist attitude... We're basically a defeated people looking for something to hang onto and someone to blame for all our woes... I'm not saying white people aren't guilty for some/most of our woes, but it's a competitive world hence why we need to be more assertive and embrace our own way-of-life that worked for us in the past.

Africa will continue to be the dark continent - until we go back to our roots and use methods that worked for us in the past albeit in a way to make fit properly into 21st century.

in what ways, pls.

^^^Using your culture(s) and tradition(s) to guide your consciousness albeit you've to bring it to the 21st century... With that, you'll be able to create an identity for yourselves; know what you want; and what path to take to get there. Right now, we're just everywhere like headless chickens...

If I may ask; what's the Nigerian/African identity? Europe has an identity, America has an identity, China has an identity, Russia has an identity, Iran has an identity, and even the Brazilians had to create an identity for themselves by fusing all the cultures in that country.

shymexx: ^^^Using your culture(s) and tradition(s) to guide your consciousness albeit you've to bring it to the 21st century... With that, you'll be able to create an identity for yourselves; know what you want; and what path to take to get there. Right now, we're just everywhere like headless chickens...

If I may ask; what's the Nigerian/African identity? Europe has an identity, America has an identity, China has an identity, Russia has an identity, Iran has an identity, and even the Brazilians had to create an identity for themselves by fusing all the cultures in that country.

culture is a way of life and african/nigerian indigenous cultures were not technologically advanced enough to resist foreign dominance. technology is what advances a society and religion unites them. and unfortunately those two things you (africans) are not in control of or advancing.

europe was a considered a dark continent until it had the technology advance to the shores of africa and took control of the land and its people. so no matter how hard u hug ur culture without making technological advancement independently, ur predicament will not change and always be at the receiving end.

and it is not about identity but about how seriously that identity is taken. so instead of all these essays, for example, if nigerians or any black african country is able to develop a nuclear weapon they can launch from their country independently and will land anywhere in the americas or europe, then lets see if the world will not start taking negroes seriously. and when u tell them shango or ogun is the real son of god, they might believe when their existence is under threat.

ezotik:
culture is a way of life and african/nigerian indigenous cultures were not technologically advised enough to resist foreign dominance. technology is what advances a society and religion unites them. and unfortunately those two things you (africans) are not in control of or advancing.

europe was a considered a dark continent until it had the technology advance to the shores of africa and took control of the land and its people. so no matter how hard u hug ur culture without making technological advancement independently, ur predicament will not change and always be at the receiving end.

and it is not about identity but about how seriously that identity is taken. so instead of all these essays, for example, if nigerians or any black african country is able to develop a nuclear weapon they can launch from their country independently and will land anywhere in the americas or europe, then lets see if the world will not start taking negroes seriously. then when u tell them shango or ogun is the real son of god, they might believe when their existence is under threat.

However, Europe had to create an identity for itself through religion/culture(Christianity) and that was how the renaissance started. No matter how you look at it, everything they achieved today was built on Christianity. Without Christianity, I don't think there would have been anything like Western civilisation, to be honest.

For nation building and advancement to happen, you need identity/culture. And that identity/culture is what enhances your consciousness based on necessity within your community.

Lmao @ developing a nuclear weapon. You need to win against the generational psychological warfare that has made your people empty, before you can start thinking about taking on world powers in a war of attrition. You can use China as a case study - and how Chairman was able to turn China around, by creating a Chinese identity.

I'm not in the mood for long essays tonight, but you can google how Chairman Mao turned China around from poverty and emptiness - to where it's today.

shymexx:

However, Europe had to create an identity for itself through religion/culture(Christianity) and that was how the renaissance started. No matter how you look at it, everything they achieved today was built on Christianity. Without Christianity, I don't think there would have been anything like Western civilisation, to be honest.

For nation building and advancement to happen, you need identity/culture. And that identity/culture is what enhances your consciousness based on necessity within your community.

people who make technological advancement are usually not religious people. in fact, religious people are usually against technological advancement but when the technology becomes available and is practical, then religion can be used as a tool to unite people to use that technology for whatever purposes it serves. so christianity or no christianity, i think europe would still have advanced to the stage it is today coz they were technologically ready to move fwd.. christianity was just the available religion they had and they built around it.

Lmao @ developing a nuclear weapon. You need to win against the generational psychological warfare that has made your people empty, before you can start thinking about taking on world powers in a war of attrition. You can use China as a case study - and how Chairman was able to turn China around, by creating a Chinese identity.

I'm not in the mood for long essays tonight, but you can google how Chairman Mao turned China around from poverty and emptiness - to where it's today.

but the chinese have nukes tho, abi?

and i used developing nuclear weapons as an example because it is technological advancement that builds a people. so it could be any other thing ranging from computers to what have u

and how was china turned around? by embracing chopsticks and noodles?

^^^^Regardless of what you think, for Nigeria/Africa to progress, we've to start with nation building. Most of the countries in Africa(including Nigeria) only exist as a nation on paper, hence why non is functioning the way it should. And the only way you can start that is by creating an identity for yourselves. Once you can get that right, everything else will follow. You lot can keep postulating different crap by citing working examples in the EU and other places... However, they got where they're today by creating an identity for themselves and consolidating on that.

People who make technological advancements may not be religious, but they live within a working environment governed by their own consciousness, hence why they're thriving. Why do you think Turkey isn't allowed to be part of the EU?

Nation building first, then everything else shall be added on to it..

i honestly dont think identity is the problem but if thats what u believe is the root-cause of the problem, then i guess many african countries including nigeria should be dismantled for people to have the identity that will make them "nation build", biafra?

and dismantling nigeria is not going to come at the stroke of a pen. and i guess that defeats the whole "african solidarity" of the thread, which like a said initially was just a bunch of whines. see u around.

^^^^^What I meant by identity is a form of consciousness/culture/soul that guides everything we do and it has to be quintessentially related to who we're and the space/environment we're in. You can go back in time, and take a look at all the African societies of yore that were able to thrive and build civilisations(including your own Benin empire). You would find out that, all these societies had a level of consciousness/soul/culture that others lacked. Right now, Africa is a continent struggling with an identity for itself hence why it's called the dark continent - a continent with no soul - a troubled continent.

In Europe for example: the Church is arguably the most important institution after the government. In some cases(like England) - the Church is more powerful than the government in the society. Out here, after the Monarch, the Church of England is arguably the second most powerful institution. Also, for any place in England to get a city status or be called a city - there has to be a diocesan cathedral located in the place. And the Monarchy is the only institution that has the right to grant any place a city status. That's how powerful the Church is. So, evidently the British identity is the British Monarchy and Church of England - and both institution provide the necessary consciousness/culture/soul needed for nation building. Once you can sort that out, everything else will follow.[Note: church + any place = city status granted by the British Monarchy. Which means nation-building with a soul/identity.]

I never said anything about dismantling Nigeria. I just alluded to creating an identity/soul to fill the emptiness in the Nigerian state-of-mind. For African solidarity to happen, there has to be African nation-states with unique identities and the solidarity will come as a form of cooperation/realignment/partnership based on our race and unique struggle - to form a bloc that will be able to compete with others. Right now, there's no nation-state in Africa. And we lack the basics of nation building. Let's start with that before we start thinking about technology and other theoretical postulations that has never worked for us. That's why you've got some many Ph.D holders with bloated CVs, yet the answer to your unique problems has eluded them.

For reference purpose:
Nation-state: a political entity (a state) associated with a particular cultural entity (a nation).
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nation-state

^^^Note the cultural entity - that's the soul/identity that all the countries in Africa lack.

i think you are still saying the same thing. you’ve been on this forum long enough to know that there are groups of people who feel they are in their present condition because they were merged with other groups of people they have nothing in common with from language to religion, and until they are separated to have that cultural cohesion/consciousness to make progress at their own pace, nigeria will not make any significant progress as a nation.

so in order for such people make progress, you have to first give them that identity that will make them "nation build" and that will mean breaking these nations in Africa as they are today to be culturally cohesive in order to have the soul and consciousness you are alluding to – then before you can start talking about working together as the same racial group of people to compete on the global stage.

what im saying is that if you are thinking identity/consciousness is the problem, then you have to start from the bottom – up, not from the middle – up, because nigeria is the “middle” and not a creation of nigerians or africans or the black racial group.

^^^^You should've posted something like this earlier, rather than the other stuff about nuclear weapons lool.. Yeah, I agree with your assertion. That was why I kept alluding to things that worked for us in the past. And if we're to go back to that, the disintegration of Nigeria, or the restructuring of the country in confederations(like the UK) is inevitable. We need to let all the ethnic groups go back to the way they were before Nigeria was created and let them grow at their own pace. After that, we can all build the solidarity based on mutual respect and things that unite us(race, experience(s), and struggle). With the way Nigeria and all the African countries are structured - we'll never make any progress, to be honest.

I also agree with the bottom-up approach. There are many entities within Nigeria itself that had thriving nation-states before the arrival of the colonialists. And the amalgamation has stunted their growth. Perhaps, we need to start praying for the balkanisation of Nigeria along ethnic lines.

Anyway, I just hope when the inevitable disintegration happens your people won't find themselves in another "Nigeria." The Benin identity is already there, you let need a free country to consolidate on that.

Let me also chip this in. We need to study how Europe moved from the dark ages to the renaissance. During the dark ages, Europe was the "Africa" of that period. They were able to turn their fortune(s) around by doing the following:

- Applying what they learned from the Moorish scholars in Iberia and the Islamic scholars in the far east into creating an identity for themselves.

- After that, they started creating their own institutions.

- Then the Christian crusaders took over till they pushed the Moors and Arabs out of Europe.

- Lastly, from there, it was time to conquer the world.

At first, they were scared of Africa. But once the Church(Roman Catholic) gave the orders, and the Portuguese were able to achieve some success in Africa - the rest followed suit, and it was game-over for everyone else.

We can also go back in time to study how the Greeks were able to build a nation-state. They studied in ancient Egypt and went back home to use what they learned to create their own unique identity and consolidated on that.

However, most African ethnic groups already have their own unique identities - all we just need to do is bring them forth into the modern times by using all the knowledge we've acquired from western civilisation... and the sky will be the limit.

Odumchi I knew you will get to the front page. good article!


ATRs is the answer.

Nairaland is just too boring these days joor ...
Can someone introduce to somewhere much booming?

shymexx: Nice write-up, Odumchi.

Personally, I think our problem has more to do with trying to build our societies based on foreign ideologies. Hence the confused state we're in, atm. If you look around the world and study all the thriving societies, you will find out that the culture/tradition/conscious of the indigenous people is nucleus of these societies. With external influences at the peripheral. Even societies where immigrants form majority of the population had to re-create a new culture(with a little from every demographic represented in their population) as the nucleus of their societies and built whatever they've got on that. We are where we're today because of lack of a true identity, and that's also why we're empty.

However, forget all the theoretical postulations and other idealistic crap, Africa will continue to be the dark continent - until we go back to our roots and use methods that worked for us in the past albeit in a way to make fit properly into 21st century.

As for unity among African people, our emptiness is also the sole reason why we've continued to dwell on things that separate us - and not those peculiar things that unite us as a people. No matter how you look at it, we're all one people in the same struggle - and our experience(s) is/are somewhat similar/intertwined.

I'll conclude by posting something I said to a friend offline a few days ago about African/black people:

I think it has to do with our generational low self-esteem, insecurities, and confused state-of-mind... Hence, our defeatist attitude... We're basically a defeated people looking for something to hang onto and someone to blame for all our woes... I'm not saying white people aren't guilty for some/most of our woes, but it's a competitive world hence why we need to be more assertive and embrace our own way-of-life that worked for us in the past.

You just captured it perfectly. We're trying soo hard to outdo others at their own game instead of building based on our uniqueness. That's what the Asian tigers have done. Of course they had to borrow some things from the west but they imbibed it into their own idiosyncrasies.

I see myself as Nigerian, I detest the rest of Africa.