The Sunday Mail
Vision 2030
Allen Choruma
“If I had not grown up in Nigeria, and if all I knew about Africa were popular images, I too would think that Africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals, and incomprehensible people, fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and AIDS, unable to speak for themselves and waiting to be saved by a kind, white foreigner.” These words were said by Nigerian contemporary writer Chimamanda Adichie.
The so called “single African story” largely projected in Western media views Africa as one dimensional.
It stereotypes Africa and narrows it to one narrative creating the impression that Africa is one big country and forgetting that there is no single Africa.
Although some of the vestiges of the “single African story” are still with us, this narrative implies that there is only one, and the only story of Africa.
Africa is a diverse and complex continent of 55 countries, about 1,3 billion people and it is filled with the same plethora of stories as found everywhere in the world.
This single African narrative has not been written by Africans, it has been written by others.
It has been written and projected by people who enslaved Africans, colonised Africa, looted African resources and contributed immensely to the impoverishment of African people.
The challenge for Africans as we celebrate Africa Day on the 25 May each year is to regain lost ground and reclaim the space that others have used, for self-interest, to stereotype Africa as a spectacle of laughter in western comic books, films and literature.
Kwame Muzawazi, a Zimbabwean writer, in his article: “Who is telling Africa’s story?” asks a pertinent question; “How can we tell the African story, as told by Africans, if most of the media telling these stories is controlled by foreigners?”
Kwame goes on to say that there is global war on information for the African voice from the mainstream international media who have created special programs on Africa.
BBC calls theirs — “Focus on Africa”, CGTN — “Africa Live”, CNN — “Inside Africa/African Voices”.
But Kwame, we cannot keep on pointing fingers at others. Africans, at home and in the Diaspora, should invest their own resources in creating platforms and space to tell African stories in our own words.
Black Panther
Mainstream western films have generally not portrayed Africans positively. Black Panther, from the US Marvel Studios, opened up fierce debates in 2018 on the “single African story”.
Some hailed Black Panther as having broken “perception barriers” which have lingered on Africans and Africa for centuries.
I agree to an extent, but other writers like Baffour Ankomah, in his article: “Black Panther, I beg to differ”, out-rightly begged to differ and for good reason. Onyekachi Wambu, in his article: “A Wakanda rooted in reality”, at the height of debate on Black Panther, asked why Africans were excited about fiction and fantasy when the reality on Africa is more exciting?
“The film Black Panther presents an enticing fantasy of a utopian kingdom based on African values; but why are we neglecting the reality of the most incredible heritage in the world that Africa possesses?” wrote Onyekachi in his article.
The answer to Onyekachi would be that the most incredible heritage that Africa possesses — its great civilisation and its great cultural heritage — is all hidden treasure buried deep down in the belly of mother Africa. Africa’s incredible heritage was also eroded through colonialism and needs reclamation. The erosion of African civilisation, to me marked the naissance of the “single African story”.
Youths
Many youths in Africa do not see the most incredible heritage in the world that Africa possesses that Onyekachi talks about.
To many youths, the vestiges of the “single African story” are real as opportunities at home are limited and prospects of securing jobs to support a decent living are becoming slimmer and dimmer.
Some youths in other parts of Africa have experienced the brunt of war, terrorism and banditry.
To them, talking of “incredible African heritage” is far-fetched. Kalundi Sarumaga, in his article; “Is Africa’s education system fit for purpose?”, stated thus: “The large number of Africans — particularly younger ones — trying to leave the continent is evidence of a space that has not managed to make its citizens feel wanted and able to be productive.”
The large number of African youths leaving for Europe on balloon boats risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean galvanises those that project the single African narrative in the mainstream media.
Transformation
As we celebrate Africa Day, the challenge for us Africans is in taking the lead in changing the “single African Story.” Africans need to regain lost ground and reclaim the space that others have used, for self-interest, to stereotype Africa through a single narrative.
But this cannot be done by words and voices only. We need to create conditions, in Africa, to enable our communities and nations to grow and thrive. We need creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship to grow our economies and create opportunities for the youth to thrive at home.
We need less reliance on aid and donor funding. Instead, we need to leverage on our abundant natural resources and use them to build industries at home and create millions of jobs to end poverty.
We need to change Africa’s education system and make it fit for our purpose. We need good governance, fight corruption and create inclusive economies that benefit all. These are the things that we need to do, apart from voices, to change the “single African story”.
Resources
African Union (AU) statistics show that Africa has abundant natural resources — about 12 percent of the world’s oil reserves, 42 percent of its gold, 80 to 90 percent of chromium and platinum group of metals and 60 percent of arable land, in addition to other resources.
But the paradox is that these abundant natural resources are not working for Africa’s development in a manner that is inclusive and benefits all people leading to coining of the “resource curse” narrative on Africa. African resources can spur Africa’s development if we move away from reliance on exporting low value primary products prone to bouts of price volatility on global markets.
AU commodities strategy: “Value Addition for Global Competitiveness” seeks to propel a commodity led economic diversification program through creation of manufacturing industries, producing high value finished products for domestic consumption and export.
The AU commodity strategy, if implemented, could be a game changer in Africa’s resource utilisation as industries will be set up in Africa, creating millions of jobs.
SAATM
Winnie Odinga, in her article: “African? Welcome, but not really”, laments that; “While the rest of the world has opened its skies, built railways and expressways and seen the value of affordable transportation, African governments have closed their skies, imposed heavy taxes over use of their airspace and set up a raft of regulations that have made air transport within Africa not only extremely cumbersome, but, also perhaps, the most expensive in the world”.
The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) signed in 2018, if implemented, seeks to open African skies, improve connectivity, reduce flying time and costs. SAATM seeks to facilitate increased movement of people, goods and services across Africa.
CFTA
African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), launched last year sets to break trade barriers inhibiting African trade development.
According to Afreximbank, intra African trade is a paltry 15 percent of total continental trade, or US $170 billion, compared to European intra trade at 70 percent or US $6 trillion. CFTA is set to become the world’s biggest economic trading bloc integrating 55 countries with 1,3 billion people and a combined GDP of US $3 trillion.
Africa has great potential if it unites, integrates, removes political boarders (a product of 1884-1885 Berlin Conference) and allow free movement of people, goods, services, labour and capital.
If AU initiatives like AU Commodity Strategy, SAATM and CFTA are aggressively implemented, Africa has the potential to be a global superpower, just like the mythical Wakanda Kingdom in Black Panther.
AU Agenda 2063
The AU Agenda 2063 themed “The Africa We Want” is anchored on seven aspirations: a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development; an integrated continent based on ideals of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance; an Africa of good governance, democracy and respect for human rights and rule of law, a peaceful and secure Africa; an Africa with strong cultural identity and common heritage and values; an Africa whose development is inclusive and people driven and unleashing potential of its women and youths and lastly an Africa as a strong, united, resilient and influential global player and partner.
As we celebrate Africa Day, let this be a day we celebrate our African heritage, diversity, solidarity and unity and remind ourselves to work tirelessly to build “The Africa We Want” leveraging on our abundant natural resources and human capabilities for the benefit of current and future generations. Unless we do this, we will continue in the same mould of a single African story for generations to come.
Allen Choruma can be contacted on [email protected]
