Opinion / Columnist
African lessons to be obtained from the Russo-Ukrainian war
11 Jun 2023 at 19:16hrs | Views
As we linger in the hangover of the recent Africa day commemorations, there is a raging war which has been shaking all nations around the world. The Russo-Ukrainian war has been ongoing for over a decade. It has been probing and prodding principles, logic, ethics as well as demographic, social, economic and political patterns. There is no doubt that as this bloody conflict continues, it is shedding light to the thoughtful mind on how much power corrupts, civil rights matter, politics matter and that lessons can be obtained symbolically to inaugurate appropriate action in turning around our own experiences as a continent, nation, communities and individuals here in Africa.
History is ad infinitum and those who do learn from it risk falling prey to the same traps and chains which they sought to free themselves from. African countries have been downtrodden and subjected to various forms of abuse for decades. These have created a disenfranchised people and extensively disrupted thought processes towards harnessing and using strength and unity meant to encourage sustainable and constructive change at all levels. This can be witnessed in the inadequate provision of energy, slow establishment of Free Trade Areas and common market agreements.
Disunity, violence, factionalism, individualism, greed and selfishness still plague our African continent politically, socially and economically. Many economic partnership agreements have become white elephants and paper tigers. These range from provision of proper water resource management, agriculture, promotion of health facilities, pharmaceuticals, energy conservation, environmental management and information technology just to name a few.
When we take a look at the swift response of NATO and the EU in favour of Ukraine it is astounding. One wonders if they would have done the same for any African nation giving the same distress call. Here African nations need to learn to have the same expedience and unity of purpose when making and implementing decisions. This is a subtle but basic reminder of walking the talk and not just talking the walk.
Nelson Mandela once said 'A good head and a good heart are a formidable combination.' In light of this statement, Africans need to be emboldened obtain these qualities and utilise them as soon as yesterday. The wheels of progress may turn slowly but as long as they are moving in the same direction success is imminent and nuances and cracks will be overwhelmed. Clear lines in the sand have been drawn which means we should not doubt our resolve to annihilate poverty and the progenies of government deficiencies.
Let's stop finger pointing of blame at others and start accepting accountability for bad choices and actions. No to corruption, selfishness, greed, disenfranchisement, segregation, factionalism, procrastination, individualism and juvenile delinquency resulting from adult deficiencies. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but African leaders should remember that problems left hanging by an older generation should not be passed on to be a headache meant to be solved by future generations.
History is ad infinitum and those who do learn from it risk falling prey to the same traps and chains which they sought to free themselves from. African countries have been downtrodden and subjected to various forms of abuse for decades. These have created a disenfranchised people and extensively disrupted thought processes towards harnessing and using strength and unity meant to encourage sustainable and constructive change at all levels. This can be witnessed in the inadequate provision of energy, slow establishment of Free Trade Areas and common market agreements.
When we take a look at the swift response of NATO and the EU in favour of Ukraine it is astounding. One wonders if they would have done the same for any African nation giving the same distress call. Here African nations need to learn to have the same expedience and unity of purpose when making and implementing decisions. This is a subtle but basic reminder of walking the talk and not just talking the walk.
Nelson Mandela once said 'A good head and a good heart are a formidable combination.' In light of this statement, Africans need to be emboldened obtain these qualities and utilise them as soon as yesterday. The wheels of progress may turn slowly but as long as they are moving in the same direction success is imminent and nuances and cracks will be overwhelmed. Clear lines in the sand have been drawn which means we should not doubt our resolve to annihilate poverty and the progenies of government deficiencies.
Let's stop finger pointing of blame at others and start accepting accountability for bad choices and actions. No to corruption, selfishness, greed, disenfranchisement, segregation, factionalism, procrastination, individualism and juvenile delinquency resulting from adult deficiencies. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but African leaders should remember that problems left hanging by an older generation should not be passed on to be a headache meant to be solved by future generations.
Source - Tafadzwa Calisto Murwisi
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