By Kushi Libi Isaac
That Nigeria is still a country after 100 years after amalgamation is definitely one of the wonders of the world.
With over 400 tribes and almost equal number of Christians and Muslims is an amazing feat we tend to ignorantly or deliberately ignore.
This is the price you pay for multiculturalism. It is definitely not easy to keep people of different cultures and ideology on the same soil. It looks good on paper but what is obtainable on ground is quite different and tedious, multiculturalism is more of an idealist policies filled with utopianism rather than realism filled with implementable reforms and policies that harmonise people, but Africa is proving such notions wrong by living side by side with each other from different clans, tribe, religion, ethnicity and countries.
Africa has managed diversity more than Europe and other so called saner climes who regard themselves as civilised and we primitive.
Nigeria’s States of Adamawa, Plateau Gombe, and Taraba, Nassarawa, Borno and Bauchi have tribes more than Europe and North America.
Yugoslavia couldn’t stand for hundred years, the following countries were birth from it due to ethnic variation except for Bosnia and Herzegovina that are predominantly Muslims, but the rest are mostly same faith, same denomination Catholic, they’re; Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
The story is the same about the defunct USSR. New nations were birth in 1991 thus are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Czech and Slovakia’s marriage also ended in divorce.
Ireland could not remain as a single country because of variation in denomination and ideological sectarianism. Northern Ireland are Catholics and Southern Ireland are Anglican, giving rise to Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as independent sovereign nations.
The story is the same in Scotland, as they want to break away from the union of Great Britain due to ethnicity.
India and Pakistan had to partition due to religious dichotomy, one Hindu, the other Muslims.
In Spain, Catalonia wants to break away from Spain due to the historical resentment and what they regard as economic exploitation by Madrid.
Burma had to break as well, Myanmar and Bangladesh exist now independently as sovereign nations.
Similar things happen between the present Malaysia and Singapore.
Kurds want an independent Kurdistan state Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran.
Ethnicity is a big factor that makes up a country, and it can not just be ignored like that. Sectarianism is so loud in the Middle East to the point that the Shiites-Sunni conflict is the main reason for the destabilisation of region beyond what the eyes can see.
Ethnicity divided Korea into North and South, Vietnam into North and South, Israel and Palatine due to race, ethnicity and belief system
In South America, they are predominantly Catholics on the same continent, gulping up over 90% of the continent’s population but has one of the highest homicide rate across the world, same with the Caribbean and Mexico who experience such conflict despite their homogeneousness.
In the North America, racial discrimination, gun violence and homicide is the order of the day with state of Chicago having the highest gun fatalities in the USA.
They speak same language, same faith but can’t manage just racial disparity even though it’s a natural phenomenon.
The practical Examples are enormous, Africa has managed diversity amazingly well despite the ethnic conflicts that have claimed many lives over the years.
Don’t fall for this cheap imperialist western media propaganda that Africans are too primitive fighting wars.
Africa never went to other countries to subjugate, land grab, or enslave the natives. Neither did they takeaway their resources and rewrite their history for them. No African country dropped atomic bomb on any country within or outside the continent.
Africa is still beautiful, the imported lifestyle and deities from the so called advance countries is a bigger threat to the continent than ethnicity.
Africans call themselves brothers and sisters even without generic connection, in Africa brotherhood is beyond family ties. Africans attend to each other fortunes and misfortunes by the fate of just being neighbors. From weddings, funerals, naming ceremonies and other events which strengthen bonds.
Such feats are not found in the so called saner climes, it’s so deteriorating to the point neighbors of decades don’t even know each other’s name, let alone share in each other’s fortunes or misfortunes.
The ruins africa is going through today, similar or worst happened in Europe and the Middl-east.
From the fall of the Greek empires, to Roman empire, French revolution, othoman empires, to haulocaust the stories are worst than little ethnic wars were faced with in Africa.
It wasn’t fellow Africans that killed 20 million blacks in the present North Africa, but Arabs who pursued the natives who are mostly Tuaregs, Bambara, fulfulde, Bora amongst others, who now occupy Mali, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Mauritania amongst others, paving way for the Almohads to settle there today.
Equally, it wasn’t fellow Africans that killed 14 million Congolese but the Belgians.
Africa has the best vegetations, mountains, rocks, rivers, wildlife and arguably the prettiest women.
Africa’s two most profitable mineral resources are gold and diamonds. In 2008, Africa produced about 483 tons of gold, or 22 percent of the world’s total production. South Africa accounts for almost half of Africa’s gold production. Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Tanzania are other major producers of gold.
Africa equally has a great quantity of natural resources that makes the world go round, these are diamonds, sugar, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum, and cocoa beans, but also tropical timber and tropical fruit, with the continent accounting for over 35% of global mineral resources.
Africa is experiencing far lesser natural disasters than any any continent, from low earthquakes, volcanos, tonados, hurricanes, wildfires amongst others which is a reoccurring decimal.
Of course africa is suffering from man-made climate related issues such as desertification, deforestation, weather extremes, logging, poaching, overgrazing, flooding, drought and hunger, we can not embrace denialism as a propaganda weapon but as Africans we must gear up to summount the challenges confronting us. Africa’s young growing population is an asset if well harnnest.
All what Africa needs is strong institutions to assemble right purposeful leadership to cut waste, increase productivity, prudence in resource management, next and equally important is eliminating impunity. Africa doesn’t need strong individual leaders but strong institutions. With strong institutions the exit of one person doesn’t create a vacuum.
Africa’s growing population makes it inevitable for its country to increase local manufacturing in quality and quantity.
Africa has no option but to invest its arable lands for agricultural purpose, massive employment and Job creation through by creating favorable environment for the private sector to thrive, most importantly, investing over 25% of it’s budgets across countries on quality, accessible and affordable education
Massive investment in energy through inclusive electrification, development of the steel industry as it is the bedrock of industrialization.
Provisions of basic infrastructures and social amenities.
If african countries through the African Development Bank can invest in its economy through bilateral trades with other continents to help boost its GDP thereby improving GDP per capita, increase purchasing power parity amongst the inhabitants of the continent
We must invest in the creative industry from film, poetry, arts and culture, music and content writing because that’s the tool other races and nations use to sell their narrative
Africa is home to largest wildlife Parks, reserves and sanctuaries, it is equally a home to world’s heritage sites. Billions of dollars can be harnessed from the conservation industry and jobs will be created for the ever growing population.
For african democracy to survive and thrive, separation of power across tiers and arms of government must be upheld, Independence of the press, judiciary and legislature must not be toyed with.
Protection of minorities, dissenting views, organized opposition and partisan politics with rights to freedom of religion and legal associations.
Security agencies must be neutral and apolitical.
Lastly, africa must invest in media and ICT. We must tell our own story by ourselves, other people who sees you as a threat will not tell your story in good light and will never portray you to the world as a giants but cloak, not as hero but villain.
Africa is the cradle of civilisation where Europeans and Asians came to learn from African civilization with Alexandria, Timbuktu, Addis Ababa as the port of call.
Africa shall rise again
Kushi Libi Isaac writes from Bauchi
Savannah Environmental Protection Center.
