Friday, July 17, 2009

A Message To All of Africa's Long lost Children....

Trust me when I say I don’t mind what the pundits say about President Obama’s slipping approval ratings. He has shown us that he is doing his best and as citizens of the world we must do our best too. One of Africa’s children has shown the world that no longer are the problems of Africa will be ignored. Corruption in the government, poverty, disease, and the weakened education system plagues the many governments but many, including the media turn away from it. Now why not visit his countrymen in Kenya many ask? His goal was not to show Africa’s problems but put the spotlight on a symbol of what the rest of Africa can become: Ghana. The rest of Africa know that of course help is on the way but that means that the governments must hold up their end of the bargain and end habits corrosive to the stability of their nation. Thank you Mr. Obama but it did not have to take this long before the spotlight returned to the dark continent.

Many black people in this country fail to acknowledge their connection to Africa. The conditions of black people’s separation from this rich continent still has an effect to this day and affects the apathy for its problems. The entertainment industry’s depiction of Africans as animals in many movies has made our black people even more ashamed of their continent and long lost heritage. The ills of this continent are as painful to black people in America as it is to Africans. The child soldier’s life in the Congo mirrors that of a young boy in an American inner city struggling to get by. While the file cases against racial profiling and police brutality in this country, our Africans cannot speak up against a government without a secret midnight ride in their future. The education disparities in this country do not compare to the illiteracy rates across the continent that continue to stagger in the midst of destructive changes in government.

Ghana is a shining example of what other African countries can reach one day. Yes, he’s our president but he said it before and he said it again today. He cannot make change without our help. He has acknowledged Africa, so now it’s our turn. So when are people on this side going to realize that an injustice in one part of the world is an injustice everywhere, especially where civilization started? Now is the time to grab ourselves up by the bootstraps and make a better tomorrow for ourselves in America and those of color across the world. African citizens are skeptical of the change that can happen in their countries. With a little more help, a lot could happen and change can be realized in many countries. We have a history of overcoming obstacles at our disposal and with the help of many, Africa’s dream can become true one day, but it’s up to Africa’s long lost children to know if they really care to help.

More coming soon…

- Samuel Collins, Jr.

1 comment:

Zahara said...

wow. powerful post.