AS Nigeria celebrated its 58th year of independence, CEO of the uThungulu Foundation Chris Mkhize offered a bird’s-eye view into pre- and post-colonial Africa.
Mkhize was invited to be the guest speaker by the Association of Nigerian Residents in uMhlathuze (ANRY) at the Veldenvlei Community Hall.
‘I consider this assembly an opportunity at which we can galvanise and unite the people of Africa for a common purpose, particularly to promote and develop socio-economic values based on self-reliance, respect for human dignity and human rights, as well as self-development,’ he said.
‘As we today celebrate pre- and post-colonial Africa, one obviously needs to reflect on what has so far been achieved on the African continent.
‘The boundaries that currently divide African states were drawn long before the balkanisation of Africa by imperialist powers, mainly Britain, France, Portugal and others into what we now call African states. African governments, at the time, had no say, and one doubts if their ideas were ever heeded in the scramble for Africa and its rich mineral and cultural resources,’ Mkhize said.
In many African countries, independence from Colonial empires ushered in a new optimism, founded on the dreams of building a nation and achieving economic prosperity.
‘At the heart of these lofty dreams was the youth, partly because youth is often associated with the future, but more so because an increasing number of young people, who acquired formal Western education, were perceived as occupying a unique position to speak the language of universal human rights and, at the same time, draw on their African cultures.
‘The flip side of the coin is that young people embodied the hope and prosperity of Africa, which had recently emerged from centuries of foreign domination and exploitation,’ Mkhize said.
‘The South African experience was a replica of those in other African states.’
Mkhzie said one should be thrilled to look at what has since then been achieved by Nigerian nationals, globally, in almost all sectors of society: education, medical fields and others.
‘I know very well that perceptions of some fellow South Africans are that Nigerian nationals remain mainly responsible for the spread of drugs in South Africa.
‘Against these unsubstantiated allegations, I have seen more fellow South Africans become victims of drugs, and not a single Nigerian national.
‘I just hope such allegations do not degenerate into some ugly forms of racism.
‘Both South African and Nigerian nationals equally have a responsibility to rid our communities of the spread of stupefying and other forms of drugs,’ he concluded.
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