Enough of walls Africa, it is time to build and to consolidate bridges. The only way to reap the benefit of unity in diversity is to build bridges across the nation states that make up the African Union (what used to be called the OAU).
After the oil boomed in Nigeria, the economy began to go down due mostly to gross mismanagement and in 1983, the infamous Ghana Must Go displaced over one million mainly Ghanaians from Nigeria. While apartheid lasted, all the nations of Africa joined voices and forces in condemnation of apartheid until change happened. South Africans took refuge and found succor amongst their brethren in Zimbabwe, Namibia and other neighboring states but now, as the SA economy picks up, xenophobia was introduced. This is not the spirit behind African Unity.
Even locally we see these ugly policies and practices rear their heads…Ijekoebee were forced out of Waawa….a people that used to be the old Anambra State up until the 80s. We see these behaviors among Hausas, Fulanis, Igbos, yorubas and even among other African groups. In America, even among blacks divided along the countries of origin, you still see this tension and reluctance among African-Americans and other black African people, basically those that have accent different from the accent on this side of the Atlantic.
Who did this to us black folks? Why are we doing this to us? I look forward to Africa that is home to all black people irrespective of where they were born or whose passport they carry. We want to see Africa that celebrates the different shapes and shades of our culture, our color, our languages, our accents, our people and where the common passport we carry will be the African passport. I want to see before I die the Africa where all Africans can move freely by train or bus from one side of Africa to the next without answering many questions at unnecessary colonial-made borders. Why can’t a graduate of the University of Harare decide to look for job in Lagos even though he was born and raised in Kenya? If an American can move from coast to coast at will in search of the America dream, why can’t an African?
What I suggest is Africa without walls. Why haven’t we explored this option and develop our economies in such a way that we can cross pollinate and cross fertilize ideas through collaboration and free trade relations. Africa where every African is home in any part of Africa and where nobody is called ‘foreigner’ is what we propose and what we want to see happen in no time. This will be the only way she can compete with China and the rest of the world. We therefore charge our leaders to go to work and get this done for us.
Let me know your thoughts
Mezie Okolo is a leadership analyst at www.mezieokolo.com