Africa! A Little more Steps Forward.

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Humanity as a complex unit is not inert but rather dynamic. She has the capacity to change. And within this definition, we call her an evolutionary organism. Here, we say evolutionary because she is not wholly bound or configured by the mechanics of one particular historical epoch and standpoint.  Millions of years of evolution had not only uttered her but also redefined her. Human spices over the cause of time had learnt the better ways of living within a highly functioning and organized society. It is only within this social construct that man and woman can fully realize themselves, their happiness and their dreams.

Yet a closer look at social evolution reveals that all races of people did not evolved into highly organized societies at the same time. While some developed earlier, there were others that came later. But in all, humanity as a whole is not a finalized project. She is in a constant state of awareness—a sort of an ongoing social revolution.

To bring this point home, Africa like every other race of people on earth is undergoing a gradual social change. To so many observers, this gradual change seems not fast enough. And without sounding like a masochist, I would be bold to state that the collective social consciousnesses of the African people are still behind compared to other races. Primitivism is still ingrained within the collective thoughts and self-expressions of the African people. Any person would turn bitter when called primitive. But in the absence of scientific awareness of the universe, what else except primitivism?  My reasons for stating this is simple: the way a people run their society, say self-governance or economy tells much about where they are in a particular phase in the human metamorphosis.

As a historical fact, humanity as whole, represented in the different races had at one time or another been in the phase of savagery, barbarism, uncivilized, unscientific, ignorant, dangerously selfish, mythological, ethnocentrism and so on and on. They remained thus, until a wave of new mass awareness sweeps across and a progressive shift is made to the next level. In today’s Africa, massive ignorant still plays a very huge role in the seemingly retardation of the continent. It does not matter weather one has all the paper degree available in every university in the world. What matters is how civilized and innovative a person had become. We as Africans should not deny the obvious. By identifying certain factors of primitive mentality in our present consciousness, we can work towards creating a better society.

Africa  is a continent where majority of the people, including those who parade themselves as the brain-powers still rely on the primitive notion of ‘juju’ or talismans as a means of effective control of the universe, other people and the forces of nature. For instance America and other highly developed countries in Europe rely on science and human thinking as a solution to the existential challenges of this universe. Thus people strain their brains to develop better technologies and new scientific knowledge about things.  They crack their heads to improve their communities and human condition as a whole by initiating pragmatic, new and better ways of socio-political and economic advancements. The new world as we know it came through scientific breakthrough, ingenuity and prowess.

 

But in a society where witchdoctors still have a tremendous control over the lives of the people, the idea of pure science is often non-existent. As ‘notoriously religious’ as Africans are often categorized, this obvious description no doubt does more harm than good to the Africans. The African ‘notoriety’ of religious practice what a symbolism of the Dark Age in Europe. It is one which is often based on mythic views of the universe as contrary to scientific-view. Theology as we understand from the western perspective has evolved from its primitivism and embraced a science-approach to suit the modern realities. African traditional religion has not changed from its inherited ancestral myths and belief systems. We cannot dream of change when we ourselves are not ready to face modification from rigidity.

 

Again, ethnocentric-based societies as far as the modern society are concern is seen as still in the semi-primitive state evolution.  Tribalism is a big problem in Africa. Majority of the people, including the informed minds, are still bound by clannish mechanisms accrued to primitive societies of the yore. And thus, they cannot see beyond this naivety to embrace the wider human family. In the most advanced societies, the primitive tribal affiliations had been replaced by the idea of ‘nations’. African tribalism ought to graduate into the idea of human nations. The idea of nation itself is gradually being replaced by the notion of globalism and its focus on human family as a whole instead of bigoted racial views of the world.

In the mind of so many Africans leaders, the ethical consciousness of public service to humanity is often replaced by the service to egoistic self and clannish affiliations. Public money is emptied into private purse simply because the perpetrator or the embezzler is still primitively bound, like miserable folks in the Lockean State of Nature, to pursue and gratify his or her instinctual needs against the collective growth of all.

People’s egos puff off when vain primitive tittles are added to their names. People still see woman as house slaves rather than co-equals unified in matrimonies. And here we are talking about not only those in the remotest tribal villages but also those who had seen the fore-walls of universities and collages.

As Africans were called notoriously religious, an era had come when they should seek to be also called notoriously civilized and cultured.A civilized mind is one who recognizes that nobody is safe until everybody is saved. And since everybody ought to be saved before anybody is saved, there is every necessity to work towards the good of all. If African decision makers should imbibe this principle, they should be building an Africa of equal opportunity and creating a sound African civilization that meets the standard of the new world order.

I believe the only way forward for a better Africa is the way of scientific knowledge and liberation from ignorant via education. Education should serve as a mind opener.  If an African had gone through a rigorous educational system yet remains bound and unchanged to the voice of the new world, he or she is as good as the uncivilized mind.

CSN: 451-02-2009-01-29

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