I was in Egypt some years ago and as I was
walking on a busy street in central Cairo
that night, there was some commotion. A
group of young Egyptians were angrily
talking to a foreign tourist. When I
stopped to see what was happening, they
were asking the tourist why he chose
to photograph woman sitting by the
street corner carrying a baby instead of all
the beautiful things in that environmen t
I joined a Facebook group that was
formed for people to post the beautiful
things about Africa and that page is
almost dormant. The question I
continually ask myself is “why are we so
hostile to this continent that is so blessed
with human and natural resources?” I
think that from what I have gathered from
my interaction with the youths and other
Africans that I have had the opportunity of
discussing with, is the fact that because of
the long history of bad governance, many
have lost faith in this continent’s future.
They would focus on other places where
others have paid the price to make their
pastures green rather than find ways of
cultivating the land and growing their
own pasture. The problem with this
mindset is that it blinds us to the
numerous opportunities and possibilities
that abound around us.
During a discussion sometime last year,
someone drew our attention to the fact
that what we saw in sci-fi films some
decades ago, have become today’s reality.
People project futuristic inventions that
made innovators to start thinking in those
directions and today we are enjoying
those technological breakthroughs.
08
I
Believe
in
Africa.
What are we as Africans, projecting?
How are we using the platforms
available to us through the various
media platforms, social and
conventional, to portray Africa in her
beauty and provoke people to start
seeing Africa in another light?
Hollywood and the foreign media
know how to throw light on the
good in their societies, why are we
always talking down on what we
have and helping others to sell their
own? We have done it to a point that
even the upcoming generations are
made to believe that we have to be
western to be accepted. Most private
schools in Nigeria sell themselves by
having foreign curricula. We know
more about what is happening
outside this country than what is
happening around us.