Mandela Day: It Is In Our Hands To Combat Poverty And Inequality

Never in African and world history has a man been revered and acclaimed like the late Nelson Mandela first black president of a democratic South Africa. Mandela was a celebrated hero in all the continents of the world. Yet he never took pride to his genius head but remained as humble as ever.

He was not buried in a Mausoleum like a number of world leaders but just in his home village of Qunu in Transkei where he grew up as a little boy enjoying the beauty of nature in the land he treasured as his own home. Spending 27 years in prison at Robben Island and later at Pollsmoor Prison never embittered Mandela. He harboured no hard feelings against those who tormented him mentally and physically. He lived true to his word as a warrior against racism and black inferiority. He had no vengeance against his political enemies but exercised forgiveness at every turn. He was loved by people of all age groups and little children in early childhood centres in the continents adored and cherished this departed great son of Africa. He was of his own kind and enjoyed the company of the poorest of the poor. He had a very unique personality with his ever beaming charming smile. Laughter was great therapy for our grand hero who did Africa proud and still remained simple, down to earth, sincere, honest and passionate for freedom of all people from poverty and exploitation by the haves. The have nots were dear to his heart. He was their spokesperson.

He cherished a non-racial society for South Africa where all people were to appreciate each other as human beings. He was ready to die for serving humanity and campaigning against racism. He fought injustice and never compromised. He was a great pillar of strength for Africa and the rest of the world.

When Africa wanted to host the World Cup for the first time ever in its history, South Africa was among the three other competitors from the continent and his presence at the FIFA selection of the country to host the 2010 World Cup just mesmerised people and we knew that through the respect the nations participating in the selection to host world cup South Africa was going to be the first country on our continent to do it. For the first time an African team Ghana could have been the first black country to go to the semi-finals of the World Cup had Asemogyan from the first country in black Africa to attain independence missed the penalty kick. Africa wailed in dismay.

Today we must reflect on the theme “It is in our Hands to combat poverty and inequality” as we celebrate this great hero of our Motherland Africa. Mandela never wanted to see people die of hunger and subjected to mass illiteracy in the whole of Africa and other Third World nations. He stood for food security and equity of all nations in the quest for prosperity. Madiba wanted a world with minimal levels of abject poverty and absolute eradication of illiteracy. He never wavered in his resolve to ensure that a new world order considerate of total delivery of its people from poverty, exploitation, ignorance and disease. He knew that poverty and illiteracy were synonymous and never minced words when campaigning for the eradication of the two evils which are mostly like Siamese twins.

Poverty and illiteracy are commonplace in all African countries including the oil rich nations. It smells with an unpleasant odour in millions of homes across Africa. Greedy and corrupt African leaders disguised as champions of development play double standards. They preach long sermons on issues of poverty and inequity but in their true sense they impoverish their citizenry by dipping their fingers in the coffers recklessly and inhumanly and diverge the public funds to offshore accounts to enrich their families and aggravate poverty as they take public funds to developed countries where they pay astronomical tuition fees for their children in universities and schools. They even use the state machinery to grab land from the poorest of the poor and give it to their children, relatives and political allies. With such leaders Africa will not go anywhere insofar as economic development is concerned.

The culture of selfless leadership vested in founding fathers of African countries such as Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Ben Bella, Sir Seretse Khama, Apollo Milton Obote, Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Tourre, Gilchrist Olympio, Modibo Keita, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Leopold Sedar Senghor, and Patrice Lumumba all hated by imperialist powers has been supplanted by the get-rich-quickly by stealing public funds. So many youths entering politics are not there to serve people with sacrifice and diligence but to serve their pockets and placate their ego.

The poverty and inequalities characterizing many African states are a result of the greed ingrained in many young African leaders. The greed entrenched in political party leaders across Africa is retrogressive and the electorates must map out strong measures to bring this to a stop. We should not celebrate criminals and family cartels to take occupancy of the presidential offices by enacting constitutional laws which would bar all convicted folks from participating in elections or being appointed to public offices for life. If we want to gauge their repentance and remorse, the convicted criminals with desire to get back to politics should be banned from participating in elections or taking occupancy of public offices for at least ten years. Faulire to bring such laws would always result in gangsters taking instruments of power and lawbreakers will be making their own laws to protect their perpetual evil deeds.

Let us emulate the lifestyle of late Nelson Mandela and many other honest founding fathers of African countries who never stole a coin like Nyerere and Kaunda among many others. We have the key to combat poverty and inequality in our hands. It is not the Chinese, Russians and North Koreans who will combat glaring poverty and inequality in Africa. It is us in Africa who hold the key not foreigners from across the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, let alone those across the Mediterranean Sea. The solutions are in our hands.

By Shaddon Chanda
Luanshya based Historian and Academician