In 2010 it will be 50 years since Nigeria and 15 other African countries gained independence from colonial rule. Many things point in the direction that there will be national celebrations. I heard during this week while at a meeting in Addis Ababa that Nigeria is proposing a joint celebration wih around 15 other African countries that will be 50 years in 2010.
This evening, I have reviewed tons and tons of media reviews and reports on Nigeria, through major news outlets including BBC, CNN, Aljazeera, Bloomberg and U-Tube. I see both the good, the bad and the annoying. Often it is assumed that only negative news about Africa and indeed Nigeria is shown by the international media, my reviews tonight point in a different direction. The news about Africa is generally negative, but some attention is also paid to the positive. I was particularly impressed with a 7 minute news report on CNN about the famous "Eko city" project in Lagos.
This is my reason for writing this blog. Many people know very little, and often only negative things about Africa. A continent of the hungry. A continent that is dying of AIDS, a continent of endless wars, floods and disasters. Are there perhaps any good things about Africa? While I was in Ethiopia, my view was simply- there is nothing to celebrate in 2010. Rather 2010 should be a time of sober reflections on our past, present and future. I still hold that view. However, I believe that perhaps 2010 is also a year to showcase how far we have come. To showcase our heritage, which colonialism would have otherwise prevented us from promoting and to share both locally and internationally what the international media empire would otherwise ignore about the continent.
If nothing, a significant number of African countries now practice some form of democracy. Citizens participation and the participation of women is now gauranteed in the political processes and in many cases there is relative media freedom. Perhaps 2010 will be the chance to showcase these including how far we have come in developing frameworks and planning systems that work for us. In responding to this need, I am coordinating a major effort to work with young African academics in different sectors to write on salient issues about their countries that people do not know about or choose to ignore. The project will be coordinated under the auspeces of the International Forum on African Development and will have a leading academic as co-editor. If interested in the project and if your country will be 50 years in 2010, kindly email me mail@dabesaki.com and we will discuss more.
I hope that 2010 will provide the opportunity for Africa and indeed Africans to work together towards a prosperous future!
Posted at: 06:55 PM | Add Comment
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