Africans; get off your REAR!

Where does the story of pain end and the story of glory begin? Is it a merger of the two that will continue as the typical ‘African story? I spent a good fraction of this afternoon making entries rebuking ignorance on Africa and the ‘Save Africa from itself’ notion. Till I watched a video that someone shared with me on Facebook that just changed my perspective on things.

For how long, we’ve asked on this continent, that the likes of BBC®, CNN®, Aljazeera® and Sky News® will continue to tell negative stories of Africa? Why are there so many stories of pain and desperation than of triumph and hope? I am not going to delve into that argument right now, I want to flip it back to you the observer; the African. What are you doing about that horrible story told of the suffering African in your part of the continent? Do you go out to see for yourself and see if you can make a difference in what is told? Turn that story of tragedy that you saw on the news to triumph through a joint effort to make it better.

However much we detest the reporting; I think that we have bought in to it more than the rest of the world has. The magnitude of seeing a story of a starving village in Uganda, Kenya or in Sierra Leone is just too much to bear. We look at it in pity and almost self loathe as to why this still happens in Africa. Well it still happens because we aren’t doing anything about it. It ‘s because we look at the larger picture and not see what little it is that we should do that will go a long way. I guess when we see and hear the statistics we get so scared by it that we feel helpless.

How long is it going to take for you to do something about the pain and plight that you see? How long are you going to want to run to a developed country to ‘save yourself’ from poverty and deal with the ignorance ‘out there?’ I have no problem with leaving the continent to resettle in another to help yourself out. I just have issue with the spirit of dependency that we breed by constantly sending money to relatives and family instead of showing them how to be independent and build an empire of their own ‘back home’. We (Africans) are the only plan ‘A’ to save ourselves from poverty and all the other evils that we face.

I go to a church in Nairobi called Mavuno Downtown. I have learnt and something that my church advocates for is Social justice. This is not the usual CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) nonsense that most people do, where we thrust buildings and equipment at people and give ourselves a round of applause for how much ‘our companies care about the environment and hungry children’. Social justice is pretty much going the Jesus way literally. You don’t just show up, give and leave. You visit, establish a relationship with that community, see what they lack see what you can do with THEM to help build a self sustaining community. A friend of mine told me today we (Africans) mistake Social Justice with Escapism.

It’s nice once in a while to feed a cute abandoned baby in children’s home once a year and feel all giddy inside. But how about going to the source of the increase in abandoned children and find out what you can do to help that community’s women. Help the women get an education or start up an institution and start up their own business. I know, that’s being a bit too out there…right? Wrong! See where the escapism comes in? To escape from the guilt of a bad situation and poor people, we do the easiest act of charity to appease our haunted consciences.

Forgive me for what I am about to say, this is for my African brothers and sisters. If you are fed up of missionary and charity work from Europeans and other Caucasians, then it’s time YOU got off of your middle class rear and did something. You don’t need to have a Beamer to make a difference. As long as you’re breathing, that is all you need. Go to a community build a relationship and work with them, to find THEIR solution. Don’t impose one, work with them. I am done talking. I am taking the challenge up myself, what are you doing about it?