A Continent Without Leaders

Welcome to my motherland. The land of my fathers, of milk, honey and rich resources in bountiful abundance. A land of rainbows and sunshine. Whose foundation was hope and its pillars were held by living faith. A land with coats of many colours. This same land is now desolate. The land of my fathers is without a lamp of light, with which to march into the future.

Welcome to Africa, the land with no leaders. The land is begging for leaders, for men and women of goodwill, who will put the collective will of the people above personal greed and do what is right for them. The land begs of leaders, who have a foresight, vision and determination to make things work and pay the ultimate sacrifice should the need arise.

Persons who understand that education is key to eliminating poverty. Through the use of state resources and proactive policies to ensure that no child is left behind with respect to primary, secondary and tertiary education. This would build a generation of well-informed citizens that would be able to chart a prosperous future for themselves and the nation alike. Poverty is not an excuse for ignorance. No African child deserves to be uneducated.

Who understand that the enablement of economic institutions like the banking system would go a long way in eliminating poverty from the land. Persons with a good plan, a good heart and a sense of loyalty to their nation. Who will not sell out to neo-colonialists.

Persons whose primary objective is to lead by example, inspire courage and patriotism in the people and be accountable. Leaders who understand that access to adequate and affordable healthcare is a fundamental human right and not a luxury. Respect the rights of citizens, the press and do not become despotic.

Persons with the intellectual acumen to govern a nation and enable her become prosperous. Who stand up to  neocolonialists and maintain loyalty to their nation. Men and women of goodwill and a passion to see their nation and people prosper. Men whose heart is willing to serve. Unless and until these kind of leaders spring forth from our land, we would always be a third class continent.

My heart bleeds for Africa. No African child deserves to be denied education, access to healthcare and basic living standards by leaders who are unable to plan. No African child deserves to lynched and killed on the streets for an unproven allegation of theft. No one deserves to be imprisoned without access to justice for  a decade. No African deserves to remain unemployed for 5 years after graduating from a university. No African deserves abject poverty, hopelessness, starvation and gross injustice in their own land.

This is the state of my fatherland. Desolate and hungry, famished and deprived. My fatherland desperately begs for good leaders.