When will Africa and Africans be free?

NKWAZI NKUZI Mhango

THOUGH colonialism, be it political or cultural, took place all over the world, Africa seems to indefinitely languish in it for a very longer time than all continents.
Africa is the only continent still under colonial grip whereby the indigenous inhabitants are still inferior before their invaders. It is only Africans who have never felt at home everywhere at home and abroad. I am writing this article after hearing of the deaths of some ’black immigrants’ on the way to Europe. This sad catastrophe has been repeating itself over and over again. The island of Seuta in Spain has become another Bagamoyo for these modern refugees -who are not being driven as it was before- taking and submitting themselves before their torturers! They risk their lives so as to make it through to Europe.
November 13 here in North America, was Halloween or all hallow saints’- day. On this day, people wear like devils. Their regalia are surreal and devilish. Red is the colour of this day. This has no difference from the ceremonies of Egwugwu in Chinua Achebe’s Umuofia. The difference is that it is not condemned by the church or being referred to as pagan though it is. Legend has it that in the night of Halloween anything can happen. Devils can take a person. In Toronto it was reported that grave symbols and stones were stolen by those who believe that stealing such stuffs in the night of Halloween makes a person so stealing powerful! This reminds me of the diwali which is an Indian holiday associated with god of fire. What is the difference between Ryuba or sun god or other gods of mountains and caves? Aren’t such gods better than gods like cows and idols?
I remember Euro-Afro names, Afro-Arabic names and all stuffs. I remember the love of imported faiths surpassing the love of even our nation. When the opposition unearthed stinky corruption in our country, one would think that our destitute people would take on the street to agitate the criminal behind this corruption be dealt with ruthlessly. Nobody, to this day, has ever done so! But a few days ago when Christopher Mtikila went to the court to seek his constitutional right, many threats were issued to him to the point of even proposing to have his head beheaded! This is terrorism. For terrorism is the act of terrorizing others. How can we sacrifice the love of our country and the harmony we are enjoying so jokingly?
Sadly though, these stuffs we?re agitating for are the same that stood in our way when we were fighting for our independence! Let’s ?heroically- face it. Where do we get the guts to love foreign superimposed culture and forget that after all we are all Tanzanians? Try to imagine -for example- the celebration of mass in which the flesh and blood of the son of God is eaten and drunk. Imagine how cannibalistic would this be branded had it been an African concoction. Try to imagine what the West would have said if homosexuality had its origin in Africa. Or an African sleeping, kissing and eating with a dog. What would the Western media say? Tanzanians are fond of making the Ngoni a laughing stock simply because of their funny names that mean nothing but animals; names like Mapunda, Mbawala, Nguruwe, Nyati, Nyoka and what not are common in Songea. Yet names such as Seif (Panga), Abu Hurreira (The father of cat), Bakar (kine or cow),Fish (Masatu), wall (Jengo), Livingstone (Mwamba), Gibbons (Nyag’au), Bush (Pori) and what have you, are not scorned! Robert Mugabe reclaimed the farms which were stolen by white invaders. He is demonized and cursed; instead of cursing the Boers who for decades killed and tortured Africans because they?re black! America accumulated capital and economic superiority by exploiting slaves from Africa. It has never apologized! Arabs in conjunction with Europeans sold us in slavery. Yet the same are teaching us to love each other! Why didn?t they see this when they were turning us into saleable goods? Africans going to Europe just like explorers, missionaries and other thugs did are barred and referred to as illegal immigrants; whilst in post colonial era Africans still remember dirty names such as Livingstone, Mungo Park, Henry Morton Stanley, Carl Peters and others who are still treasured! What is this if it is not self denial and colonial mentality? What makes matters worse is the fact that when one is intending to travel, he faces corrupt immigration officers who illegally vend our passports to foreign criminals as they deny us the same. You’ll be asked for your grandma’s signature and all nonsense as if you are a foreigner! Guys stop this bulimia, your grand kids will pay dearly the other day. If Carl Peters were alive I?d ask him what brought him to Africa. Was he not looking for greener pastures? Did he posses any passport or visa? Did he go through the electronic checks we are subjected to? African rulers in European regalia, Speakers of our Parliaments with snakes and ostriches decorated on their dresses, judges with European wigs, are still shamelessly proud of this bulimia! Our budgets and political and economic policies are fabricated and determined in Washington, New York, London and Paris! Our rulers are proud of going quite often to Europe to beg! With all this disgrace we still go thumb-up proclaiming that we are free! What a lie and shame! This chronic decadency is even deeper in our brain. How many semi-skilled personnel do we import as experts? Apply for a job with locally obtained credentials along with a person who has obtained his abroad. You will be left in the cold. We need to understand and appreciate the truth that charity begins at home. If we don’t love one another,who will love us? We don?t trust each other. Who then will trust us?
Look at how we complain about fake medicines. Why don’t we heavily penalize those who bring these poisons to our country? How can we do that if at all we even fear our colour? Refer to the brighteners or mikorogo and the way our women, even menfolks spend lavishly on them. Our local workers are humiliated and degraded by Indian and European investors and get away with it by being defended by our colleagues in our offices! Refer to the gunning down of a Kenyan citizen by the grandson of Lord Delamere, and the current killings reported in Arusha by an investor; not to mention Bulyankhulu and Mirerani massacres.
November witnessed child traffic by French so-called missionaries as they were rounded up in Chad. When this happened, the French president flew in. Cameras caught the imageries of the Chadian President, Idriss Derby kissing his French counterpart, Nicholas Sarkozy! Seven out of 17 were expediently released and right away handed over to the guest! What is this nonsense? Imagine if this were committed by Africans in Europe. With dismay and anger, I still remember a Tanzanian woman who was laid by a dog under the order of some German criminals. I still remember the woman killed by American soldiers. I still mourn the girls who were used to make pornographic imageries and others who are doing the same everyday in our guest houses. What do our authorities do, apart from issuing threats and empty talks? Another tenacious and pernicious myth can be witnessed when an African travels to America, Australia or Europe. He or she is required to be medically examined.
Whilst African countries are offering citizenship to Indian and Middle East and European citizens, their countries of origin have nothing of the sort! This is detrimental to our future. Just imagine finding that almost all foreign criminals we award our citizenship have dual citizenship as it happened in the case of the man behind the hiked purchase of the radar. Sadly we?re denying our own citizens dual citizenship!
It is high and right time we started putting our house in order and stop looking for pretexts for our underdevelopment. By begging for, be it money or policies, Africa can never forge ahead. By degrading our ways and adore foreign ones, we’ll still be taken as a laughing stock. We’ll be exploited and degraded to the bone. Because we’re enhancing every misery we’re facing. Indeed the foe number one for our development is an African him/herself. These things we regard as minor wreak us havoc. Like chuckwalla, Africa is our rock. Let us expand ourselves in order to threaten the enemy in lieu of behaving like an octopus which collects fire for its peril. Shall we? What do I know? nkwazigatsha@yahoo.com mpayukaji.blogspot.com