Empowered by our foot prints

Africanism paints different feature of language or culture regarded as characteristically African. It is not with bad taste to say it also brings out the belief that black Africans and their culture should predominate in Africa.

This characterization of Africanism is by far insightful because according to the thoughts of the likes of Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Walose Nyika, PLO Lumumba, etc , the African continent through its natives is now more proud of its roots, culture and creations. African youth of today have shown that they don’t want to ape their European counterparts, and would rather be the first to achieve an African feat that no other generation has achieved before.

Prime examples to recently emerge are the likes of Trevor Noah, Black Coffee, Lupita Nyong’o and Eliud Kipchoge. Even the former president of the United States of America (USA) was proud of his African roots, despite the criticism he faced from his American counterparts about his ancestry. None of the mentioned examples have ever denied their African heritage, but instead have proudly displayed their African ancestry, i.e. Africanism.

The emergence of social media and other online platforms has provided the youth with a way to get inspired like never before, as well as voice their opinions. Social media has showed the less privileged youth that anybody can make it regardless of their background. Celebrities and people considered to be high achievers now have larger platforms in which to reach the youth. This has in turn given the African youth the hope that they can be successful in any country, including the previously impenetrable America. Social Media has also given the youth a sort of history lessons in terms of easily accessible information about the African history. The effect of the slave trade and colonization is now more visible than ever to the emerging youth, giving rise to the advent of nationalization among the respective African countries.

As nationalization gained momentum, so has the belief that Africans should be in charge of their African legacy. History has shown that most African countries that came into power after colonization became dictatorships, however that has not deterred the belief that Africans should be in charge of their respective countries. Colonization robbed the African continent of its minerals and power, and most importantly its ability to rule itself. That, in essence, is what we call freedom.

Freedom is crucial to empowerment, and ultimately the sense of self or self- awareness. Self-Identity is directly linked to a sense of freedom whereby you can independently make decision about your future. Every individual needs to know where they come from in order to know where they are going. Self- identity is also linked to your history, thereby paving a way for your future. In order for Africans to know where they want to go, they need to know where they come from.

Lastly, in order for Africanism to fully manifest, Africans need to move away from expecting handouts and fully take charge of the African continent. Colonization and slavery left the continent at a disadvantage. However, as we push full throttle towards the fourth industrial revolution, Africans need to take full charge of their destiny. Lessons need to be learnt from the past in order to avoid the repeat exploitation of the African continent. As a whole, the African continent stands at a disadvantage as the economy has been crippled by many factors which are too many to mention. However, Africans need to evoke the power of unity. If we are united, then the full power of Africanism can be fully recognized locally and abroad.

Blog By Bontle the African Girl