We as Africans are not divided, we are just not united. We strive to be more western, more ‘international’ when it is our own customs and ideals that are and always will be our future and survival. It is with the help of the writers Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde that I will write this piece, this story that deserves to be told. The unassuming wise-words that have sprung from the mind of Mr.Twain and Wilde are what inspire the writer in me, but it is the African spirit and tenacity that fuel my aspirations.
We start with Mr. Oscar Wilde who says, “The only duty we owe history is to rewrite It.”, a relevant statement at this point in the African journey. For many African States it has been a hard and turmuilous journey to secure and maintain freedom, made even harder by external influences that have succeeded in fuelling conflicts within these newly formed states. From the eras of chieftaincies and kingdoms, Africans have been able to assimilate into and engulf other cultures without losing the authenticity of ideals, rituals and the dialect of any of the involved culture groups; it is through this adaptability that African languages have evolved and formed over the last few centuries, it is – therefore – soon to be our downfall. We have adopted the ‘western ways’ and neglected our own ways, I am not referring to technology – I understand its importance – I am referring to the ideals, customs and rituals that we are robbing our cultures of. These are not old-fashioned themes that have lost their relevance, they are time-less idioms and anecdotes that survived many invasions and oppression, these are the words before the age of ink and paper, we should revere them, but it seems as though we are incapable of this. It is neither the struggle to become independent nor the hardship that preceded the fight for freedom that defines us as a people, it is up to us to write our own stories, write a past that will be looked back at by the Africans of tomorrow with pride and gratitude.
Mark Twain writes, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”, what you learn and what you know can determine your attitudes, ideals and personality ; it is therefore important to understand that there are things you learn from school – that is from books – and things you learn from experience and heritage. One can learn from grazing ones knee while playing or while hunting for small rabbits ‘ezilaleni’ that falling cannot stop you from getting right back up again and trying your hardest to succeed, school supplies us with knowledge on how to spell and count but life can teach you where it is that both are necessary. The importance of knowing does not surpass that of having knowledge; you can know where to find a certain fruit but you will not be able to find that fruit without the knowledge of the terrain and the vegetation in it. We can then deduce that somewhere our attitudes have failed us: our attitudes towards our cultures, because it is from culture that knowledge is obtained, schooling provides auxiliary education that supplements the life-lessons and idioms imparted onto us from generations past, knowledge that we will have to resurrect and impart onto our children. It is pointless to know that you are African when you do not conduct yourself as one; this is something a large percentage of the African population is guilty of.
“A man cannot be comfortable with his own approval.” as written by Mr.Twain, correctly reflects The African attitude; we as Africans cannot comprehend the fact that we can also have high-expectations for ourselves that we will fulfil. We are no longer victims of circumstance; that was not our label from the moment we decided to live as free nations without discrimination, we dictate our future, and it should then be up to us to maintain this land and its people. The unhealthy dependence on European countries to sustain our economies is being perpetuated by the ideals encroached upon Africans, whether it be beauty, social interaction or lifestyle, the African is a changing phenomenon that is moving further away from its roots. Do not misunderstand my concerns, how you dress and speak will not affirm your ‘African-ness’, it is rather how you act and interact that should reflect your heritage and knowledge. It is up to us to appoint ourselves standards by which we will live, and no-one else. “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” - Oscar Wilde. Africa is filled with varied cultures, races and religions it is a hub of creativity and talent yet lacks originality and an awareness of ‘self’ and the climate in which we find ourselves. Why is it that we cannot have a person who hails from another country live in our own? Why do we decide to despise and oppress those who cannot return to their own land and have come to our own to build a better life? Are we not all sisters and brothers? This is an example of how far gone we are, ‘umuntu, ngumuntu ngabantu’ is an African idiom that translates to ‘You are, because We are.’ synonymous with unity and forgotten by us. It is un-African to be so violent, as the people involved in the xenophobic attacks, it is un-African to harm another individual because they do not speak your language or live as you live. Where – then – do these uncharacteristic behaviours originate?
We Africans come in many forms, we are born here, bred here and most of us will die here, very few will die as Africans – by choice. To many, being a true African involves excusing heinous behaviour; upholding ones cultural norms and culture does not mean carrying out archaic rituals that do more harm than good, it is upholding the ideals of our ancestors who – although had different obstacles to overcome – had the same objectives in mind; to better themselves, their surroundings, situations and to unite. How hard is it to understand that the answer lies in the question, the question being: What defines us as a people? As Africans? The answer is: We are the people of Africa, we are of the soil, our gaze wonders on virgin lands rich with iconic beauty and able hands. We are as we have always been, but we refuse to acknowledge it because it is not currently sociable acceptable. If not ourselves, then who can we be?
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