I drive past MTN when taking my kids to school and today I saw that their employees are all wearing yellow and white t-shrits written Africa United. I liked that. For me it is a timely reminder to the fact that this World Cup is meant to be an African World Cup, not just a South African affair. We say it's an African World Cup, but what have we done to promote it locally and throughout Africa as such? We pay lip service to this ideal of brotherhood that we share with all peoples of African decent.
Too often I hear people say that they are told that they are not from here until they produce an identity document. We should be striving for this unity which will make us stronger and not weaker, this unity which will give us a common purpose to uplift the continent rather than individual people.
This division of them and us goes beyond country borders but also infilitrates even the South African population where your ability to get an opportunity is determined by the language that you speak, rather than your qualification for that opportunity. Too often there are tribalistic rumblings which are not only unhealthy but are also extremely dangerous. When these rumblings are fueled by desperation, they lead to the Xenophobic attacks which we saw last year and continue to hear about albeit softly, this year. Xenophobia is not very far from ethnic cleansing. This we need to be conscious of!
Firstly we need to believe that there actually are enough resources in the country for all of us, there are enough resources on the continent for everyone if only they are distributed properly and countries are developed for the benefit of the people and not individuals.
African spirituality is focuses on the collective unit starting at the family level. Western notions of life are very focused on the individual (I) and this system cannot work on this continent. The gap between those who have access and those who do not, widens on a daily basis and this is not the African way. Countries are run like personal property with benefits going to a few connected people, this is not the African way. It saddens me when corruption and incompitence become identified as the African way when this is not so. Our history tells us this, unity was always our way and our strength.
So, Africa unite. Become the village that looks after each child, each household. Become the village that demands education of its people. Become the village that works to make sure no-one goes to bed hungry or cold. We will become the place where humans are valued from the time of their conception to beyond their death.
