Cultural Transformation
A Discourse on Conflict: A Tale of Resilience, Innovation and Truth.
Jan 20, 2025
Mercy Ogedengbe
0:00/1:34
Africa is often presented in the media as a continent plagued by violence, reinforcing the narrative of constant instability. However, this viewpoint overlooks one important fact: violence and power struggles are not unique to Africa, but rather aspects of the human condition.
This article investigates the historical setting of African warfare, from pre-colonial conflicts to postwar battles, and how these obstacles impacted the continent's attitude towards innovation and growth. When seen in this light, the narrative becomes more sophisticated, revealing themes of persistence, change, and growth.
Understanding how Africans have overcome misfortune and continue to develop new avenues to growth gives insight into the complicated interplay of human nature, conflict, and the never-ending quest for advancement.
Conflict has always existed in Africa independent of colonial impact; military operations are universal tools of power and wealth building. Given the frequency of military operations, pre-colonial African civilisations were sometimes set up as linked city-states and kingdoms—a sensible configuration. Leaders launched campaigns against surrounding territory whether by official succession or aggressive conquest.
Among the notable instances are Sonni Ali's expansion of the Songhai Empire at Mali's cost, the Oyo struggle against Dahomey, and Queen Amina of Zazzau's attempts to defend her people by founding tributary republics. As historian John Pellar Jr. noted, Africa kept original and cogent systems grounded in its customs and traditions.
The Global Context of Conflict
The 20th century marked the height of armed conflict in the world with its sheer scale and global reach. We witnessed 2 world wars, a cold war, genocides, and the alienation of ethno-religious groups.
The magnitude of these wars influenced the African continent as a result of colonial ties and external backing of factions by allies to further disintegrate communities for their gain. The Rwandan genocide, the Nigerian Civil War, and the Sudanese conflicts were catalysts of the impact of these wars with recurring themes of the divide and conquer rule. According to UN reports, about 800,000 people lost their lives in the first 100 days of the killings in Rwanda, a staggering number between 500,000 to 2,000,000 people lost their lives in Nigeria, and 2,000,000 more in Sudan.
Colonialism fostered a divide and made us aware of our identities and differences while deepening internal divisions and intensifying feelings of animosity among ourselves. The Belgians viewed the Tutsi minority as superior and favoured Tutsi for leadership positions. This favouritism created ongoing and deeper tensions between Hutu and Tutsi. As both groups sought power during the struggle for independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the hatred grew. And when the opportunity presented itself some 32 years later, a massacre ensued (Maron . J, 2019).
With Nigeria, the progression of the Civil War started with the perception of the government after independence as corrupt and incapable of maintaining law and order (Ilo, C. 2020); which however led to several coups and then a full swing of pogroms in the North against the Igbos, a southern ethnic group. The killings were seen as unacceptable and so the Igbos were called home; the secession had begun.
In both cases, emotions ran wild and our vulnerabilities were exposed. We were not prepared for the change that was presented before us. With our vulnerability exploited, we developed a false sense of security in those who led us and a false sense of distrust in ourselves.
Africans are said to be a people with tough skin (literally) and our experiences have given us the hope we need to forge ahead. We have experienced pain and lived through dark times where destruction plagued our days, and sadness plagued our nights — yet, we as a race have created opportunities to tell our stories differently.
Though illiteracy robbed us of the strength we had, the evidence of our resilience is shown in our constant pushback to do better and make informed decisions.
Post-Conflict Initiatives
Conflicts leave lasting scars, causing immense human suffering, destroying infrastructure and institutions, and fostering political instability. This perpetuates uncertainty, stifles investment, and hinders economic growth, creating a challenging trap that may seem difficult to escape.
One of the devastating consequences of conflict is trauma and societies have to live with their current realities which may look like a not-so-thorough, not-completely-satisfactory to both parties but-they-have-to-take-it type of deal. It is difficult to move on from such pain, but acknowledging its depth and choosing peace and willingness to rebuild over anything else is very important.
The aftermath of these conflicts ushered initiatives like the Gacaca (community courts) in Rwanda, to help with confronting and prosecuting perpetrators and rehabilitation of victims. According to Amnesty International, the gacaca court system was aimed at restoring the Rwandanese social fabric that was torn by armed conflict and genocide and by locating those who participated in the genocide. Another initiative called “Never Again Rwanda” attempted to engage youths to openly discuss sensitive issues, settle differences, overcome wounds of the past, and work together towards a common vision for the future and also think critically about the past, tolerate differences, manage diversity and collectively promote peace, healing, and reconciliation in their communities.
In Nigeria, the 3Rs policy which stood for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation was employed to be the bedrock to help the nation heal from pain and reintegrate the Igbos into society, this scheme was employed to help change the narrative and foster innovation.
However, one may argue that some of these initiatives never fully put to rest the hurt and pain experienced as a result of the conflict. In the words of Onuoha in 2018, the initiative is argued to have been aimed at eliminating group differences and peculiarities shoring up a sense of inter-ethnic cohesion and giving the impression that Nigeria emerged from the war as a stronger and more united nation.
Innovation
In 2014, an article published by The Financial Times, offered the term “Africa rising” to mean the rapid economic and exponential growth of Africa. In the words of Alan Beattie, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen some of the classic development patterns - workers moving out of low-productivity agriculture into manufacturing and services. In a McKinsey report, Africa was categorised into oil exporters, transition, and diversified economies. However, both reports suggest that the rise has been partial and unsustainable.
When it comes to creating value and hustling, Africa is anything but passive. Despite the setbacks we have faced, Rwanda's economy has remained resilient and adaptable, achieving a 7.6% growth rate in the first three quarters of 2023. Their GDP growth is expected to regain momentum in 2024–26, with a projected average growth of 7.2% (World Bank Group, 2024), and on paper, Nigeria's trade surplus widened to an all-time high of NGN 4128 billion in June 2024, up from NGN 1039 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year according to Trade Economics while Sudan relies on humanitarian aid and according to the World Bank, its once-emerging economic potential, now lies in ruins.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported that 15 African countries deployed AI-enabled surveillance technology, such as algorithmic analysis and CCTV camera-assisted facial recognition, to monitor and respond to crime. Rwanda became the world's first country to offer commercial drone delivery in 2016, collaborating with Zipline in the United States to transport life-saving medical supplies to distant rural areas. That same year, Nigeria became the first African country to openly disclose the use of a drone to attack a terrorist group.
With the impact of technology and innovation, the continent has seen a significant rise in participation by the people, especially the youth. African youths are increasingly taking an active role in shaping their future. In an article by the World Economic Forum, The African start-up scene has secured over $2 billion in funding and many of these start-ups are owned by the said demographic.
It is no news that youths make up a large percentage of our evolving continent and in all spheres including technology, peacebuilding, entrepreneurship, and advocacy, they are taking charge now more than ever and advocating for accountability from both the government and the people.
The possibilities that lie in our future are limitless and as we continue to harness them, the better we become.
Africa has had its fair share of shortcomings; some of which have allowed its innate desire for control to supersede the respect for the lives of its people, yet we have managed to rebuild from a place of fragile trust.
Conflict disintegrated indigenous tribes and led us to a point where unity seemed like a threat. Our story, however, speaks to our willingness to accept change, learn from our mistakes, and create new paths for development and growth.
Truth
In the words of the Greek dramatist, Aeschylus, the first casualty in war (in our case, conflict), is truth, echoing this sentiment is Sun Tzu who
states that “All warfare is based on deception”.
Parties in conflict are usually adamant about their standpoint as a means to justify their actions. The story is oftentimes multi-faceted and it is in all the chaos that the truth disappears.
The deadliest conflicts have also happened at the behest of a leader who urged his compatriots to fight for what they believe.
However, in truth, taking up arms to harm another human being at the command of one individual or a group of individuals as the case may be, seems to me like second-hand foolishness.
One could argue the clear margin between right and wrong in certain instances yet people do not deserve to die because they identify with a different tribe or ideology, or because they speak a different language. In fact, the reason why the world experiences balance is because we all have different perspectives.
Life in itself is not black or white, it is made up of the greys, the taupes, and the light shades of red. This is what makes life colourful.
Our truth is flawed but it is ours to keep, we as Africans have made mistakes that have cost us lives, relationships, and family; mistakes that have displaced us from the environment we are used to; mistakes that will haunt us for generations but it is ours to fix.
Conclusion
The African narrative offers evidence of human resilience and adaptation rather than just a record of problems and strife. Although great mistakes—choices that have split families, relocated communities, and left generational scars—have weight in our history—these deeds do not determine our course. Though complicated and perhaps hurtful, our reality contains transforming seeds.
Being African means to inherit a rich tapestry of events spun with strands of culture, hardship, sacrifice, and relentless optimism. Our uniqueness is in our ability to confront our reality and go forward, not in our immunity to human fallibility. The same challenges that have tried us have also shown our remarkable capacity for creativity, reconstruction, and visioning of new opportunities.
Our greatest power as we grow is unity—not in eradicating our differences but rather in celebrating them. This is maybe our most important message to the world: real resilience comes from confronting hardship together, learning from it, and embracing it as a spur for good rather than from avoiding it. In all its intricacy, our narrative serves as a potent reminder that the human spirit is unboundedly capable of rejuvenation.
Africa is often presented in the media as a continent plagued by violence, reinforcing the narrative of constant instability. However, this viewpoint overlooks one important fact: violence and power struggles are not unique to Africa, but rather aspects of the human condition.
This article investigates the historical setting of African warfare, from pre-colonial conflicts to postwar battles, and how these obstacles impacted the continent's attitude towards innovation and growth. When seen in this light, the narrative becomes more sophisticated, revealing themes of persistence, change, and growth.
Understanding how Africans have overcome misfortune and continue to develop new avenues to growth gives insight into the complicated interplay of human nature, conflict, and the never-ending quest for advancement.
Conflict has always existed in Africa independent of colonial impact; military operations are universal tools of power and wealth building. Given the frequency of military operations, pre-colonial African civilisations were sometimes set up as linked city-states and kingdoms—a sensible configuration. Leaders launched campaigns against surrounding territory whether by official succession or aggressive conquest.
Among the notable instances are Sonni Ali's expansion of the Songhai Empire at Mali's cost, the Oyo struggle against Dahomey, and Queen Amina of Zazzau's attempts to defend her people by founding tributary republics. As historian John Pellar Jr. noted, Africa kept original and cogent systems grounded in its customs and traditions.
The Global Context of Conflict
The 20th century marked the height of armed conflict in the world with its sheer scale and global reach. We witnessed 2 world wars, a cold war, genocides, and the alienation of ethno-religious groups.
The magnitude of these wars influenced the African continent as a result of colonial ties and external backing of factions by allies to further disintegrate communities for their gain. The Rwandan genocide, the Nigerian Civil War, and the Sudanese conflicts were catalysts of the impact of these wars with recurring themes of the divide and conquer rule. According to UN reports, about 800,000 people lost their lives in the first 100 days of the killings in Rwanda, a staggering number between 500,000 to 2,000,000 people lost their lives in Nigeria, and 2,000,000 more in Sudan.
Colonialism fostered a divide and made us aware of our identities and differences while deepening internal divisions and intensifying feelings of animosity among ourselves. The Belgians viewed the Tutsi minority as superior and favoured Tutsi for leadership positions. This favouritism created ongoing and deeper tensions between Hutu and Tutsi. As both groups sought power during the struggle for independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the hatred grew. And when the opportunity presented itself some 32 years later, a massacre ensued (Maron . J, 2019).
With Nigeria, the progression of the Civil War started with the perception of the government after independence as corrupt and incapable of maintaining law and order (Ilo, C. 2020); which however led to several coups and then a full swing of pogroms in the North against the Igbos, a southern ethnic group. The killings were seen as unacceptable and so the Igbos were called home; the secession had begun.
In both cases, emotions ran wild and our vulnerabilities were exposed. We were not prepared for the change that was presented before us. With our vulnerability exploited, we developed a false sense of security in those who led us and a false sense of distrust in ourselves.
Africans are said to be a people with tough skin (literally) and our experiences have given us the hope we need to forge ahead. We have experienced pain and lived through dark times where destruction plagued our days, and sadness plagued our nights — yet, we as a race have created opportunities to tell our stories differently.
Though illiteracy robbed us of the strength we had, the evidence of our resilience is shown in our constant pushback to do better and make informed decisions.
Post-Conflict Initiatives
Conflicts leave lasting scars, causing immense human suffering, destroying infrastructure and institutions, and fostering political instability. This perpetuates uncertainty, stifles investment, and hinders economic growth, creating a challenging trap that may seem difficult to escape.
One of the devastating consequences of conflict is trauma and societies have to live with their current realities which may look like a not-so-thorough, not-completely-satisfactory to both parties but-they-have-to-take-it type of deal. It is difficult to move on from such pain, but acknowledging its depth and choosing peace and willingness to rebuild over anything else is very important.
The aftermath of these conflicts ushered initiatives like the Gacaca (community courts) in Rwanda, to help with confronting and prosecuting perpetrators and rehabilitation of victims. According to Amnesty International, the gacaca court system was aimed at restoring the Rwandanese social fabric that was torn by armed conflict and genocide and by locating those who participated in the genocide. Another initiative called “Never Again Rwanda” attempted to engage youths to openly discuss sensitive issues, settle differences, overcome wounds of the past, and work together towards a common vision for the future and also think critically about the past, tolerate differences, manage diversity and collectively promote peace, healing, and reconciliation in their communities.
In Nigeria, the 3Rs policy which stood for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation was employed to be the bedrock to help the nation heal from pain and reintegrate the Igbos into society, this scheme was employed to help change the narrative and foster innovation.
However, one may argue that some of these initiatives never fully put to rest the hurt and pain experienced as a result of the conflict. In the words of Onuoha in 2018, the initiative is argued to have been aimed at eliminating group differences and peculiarities shoring up a sense of inter-ethnic cohesion and giving the impression that Nigeria emerged from the war as a stronger and more united nation.
Innovation
In 2014, an article published by The Financial Times, offered the term “Africa rising” to mean the rapid economic and exponential growth of Africa. In the words of Alan Beattie, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen some of the classic development patterns - workers moving out of low-productivity agriculture into manufacturing and services. In a McKinsey report, Africa was categorised into oil exporters, transition, and diversified economies. However, both reports suggest that the rise has been partial and unsustainable.
When it comes to creating value and hustling, Africa is anything but passive. Despite the setbacks we have faced, Rwanda's economy has remained resilient and adaptable, achieving a 7.6% growth rate in the first three quarters of 2023. Their GDP growth is expected to regain momentum in 2024–26, with a projected average growth of 7.2% (World Bank Group, 2024), and on paper, Nigeria's trade surplus widened to an all-time high of NGN 4128 billion in June 2024, up from NGN 1039 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year according to Trade Economics while Sudan relies on humanitarian aid and according to the World Bank, its once-emerging economic potential, now lies in ruins.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported that 15 African countries deployed AI-enabled surveillance technology, such as algorithmic analysis and CCTV camera-assisted facial recognition, to monitor and respond to crime. Rwanda became the world's first country to offer commercial drone delivery in 2016, collaborating with Zipline in the United States to transport life-saving medical supplies to distant rural areas. That same year, Nigeria became the first African country to openly disclose the use of a drone to attack a terrorist group.
With the impact of technology and innovation, the continent has seen a significant rise in participation by the people, especially the youth. African youths are increasingly taking an active role in shaping their future. In an article by the World Economic Forum, The African start-up scene has secured over $2 billion in funding and many of these start-ups are owned by the said demographic.
It is no news that youths make up a large percentage of our evolving continent and in all spheres including technology, peacebuilding, entrepreneurship, and advocacy, they are taking charge now more than ever and advocating for accountability from both the government and the people.
The possibilities that lie in our future are limitless and as we continue to harness them, the better we become.
Africa has had its fair share of shortcomings; some of which have allowed its innate desire for control to supersede the respect for the lives of its people, yet we have managed to rebuild from a place of fragile trust.
Conflict disintegrated indigenous tribes and led us to a point where unity seemed like a threat. Our story, however, speaks to our willingness to accept change, learn from our mistakes, and create new paths for development and growth.
Truth
In the words of the Greek dramatist, Aeschylus, the first casualty in war (in our case, conflict), is truth, echoing this sentiment is Sun Tzu who
states that “All warfare is based on deception”.
Parties in conflict are usually adamant about their standpoint as a means to justify their actions. The story is oftentimes multi-faceted and it is in all the chaos that the truth disappears.
The deadliest conflicts have also happened at the behest of a leader who urged his compatriots to fight for what they believe.
However, in truth, taking up arms to harm another human being at the command of one individual or a group of individuals as the case may be, seems to me like second-hand foolishness.
One could argue the clear margin between right and wrong in certain instances yet people do not deserve to die because they identify with a different tribe or ideology, or because they speak a different language. In fact, the reason why the world experiences balance is because we all have different perspectives.
Life in itself is not black or white, it is made up of the greys, the taupes, and the light shades of red. This is what makes life colourful.
Our truth is flawed but it is ours to keep, we as Africans have made mistakes that have cost us lives, relationships, and family; mistakes that have displaced us from the environment we are used to; mistakes that will haunt us for generations but it is ours to fix.
Conclusion
The African narrative offers evidence of human resilience and adaptation rather than just a record of problems and strife. Although great mistakes—choices that have split families, relocated communities, and left generational scars—have weight in our history—these deeds do not determine our course. Though complicated and perhaps hurtful, our reality contains transforming seeds.
Being African means to inherit a rich tapestry of events spun with strands of culture, hardship, sacrifice, and relentless optimism. Our uniqueness is in our ability to confront our reality and go forward, not in our immunity to human fallibility. The same challenges that have tried us have also shown our remarkable capacity for creativity, reconstruction, and visioning of new opportunities.
Our greatest power as we grow is unity—not in eradicating our differences but rather in celebrating them. This is maybe our most important message to the world: real resilience comes from confronting hardship together, learning from it, and embracing it as a spur for good rather than from avoiding it. In all its intricacy, our narrative serves as a potent reminder that the human spirit is unboundedly capable of rejuvenation.
Africa is often presented in the media as a continent plagued by violence, reinforcing the narrative of constant instability. However, this viewpoint overlooks one important fact: violence and power struggles are not unique to Africa, but rather aspects of the human condition.
This article investigates the historical setting of African warfare, from pre-colonial conflicts to postwar battles, and how these obstacles impacted the continent's attitude towards innovation and growth. When seen in this light, the narrative becomes more sophisticated, revealing themes of persistence, change, and growth.
Understanding how Africans have overcome misfortune and continue to develop new avenues to growth gives insight into the complicated interplay of human nature, conflict, and the never-ending quest for advancement.
Conflict has always existed in Africa independent of colonial impact; military operations are universal tools of power and wealth building. Given the frequency of military operations, pre-colonial African civilisations were sometimes set up as linked city-states and kingdoms—a sensible configuration. Leaders launched campaigns against surrounding territory whether by official succession or aggressive conquest.
Among the notable instances are Sonni Ali's expansion of the Songhai Empire at Mali's cost, the Oyo struggle against Dahomey, and Queen Amina of Zazzau's attempts to defend her people by founding tributary republics. As historian John Pellar Jr. noted, Africa kept original and cogent systems grounded in its customs and traditions.
The Global Context of Conflict
The 20th century marked the height of armed conflict in the world with its sheer scale and global reach. We witnessed 2 world wars, a cold war, genocides, and the alienation of ethno-religious groups.
The magnitude of these wars influenced the African continent as a result of colonial ties and external backing of factions by allies to further disintegrate communities for their gain. The Rwandan genocide, the Nigerian Civil War, and the Sudanese conflicts were catalysts of the impact of these wars with recurring themes of the divide and conquer rule. According to UN reports, about 800,000 people lost their lives in the first 100 days of the killings in Rwanda, a staggering number between 500,000 to 2,000,000 people lost their lives in Nigeria, and 2,000,000 more in Sudan.
Colonialism fostered a divide and made us aware of our identities and differences while deepening internal divisions and intensifying feelings of animosity among ourselves. The Belgians viewed the Tutsi minority as superior and favoured Tutsi for leadership positions. This favouritism created ongoing and deeper tensions between Hutu and Tutsi. As both groups sought power during the struggle for independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the hatred grew. And when the opportunity presented itself some 32 years later, a massacre ensued (Maron . J, 2019).
With Nigeria, the progression of the Civil War started with the perception of the government after independence as corrupt and incapable of maintaining law and order (Ilo, C. 2020); which however led to several coups and then a full swing of pogroms in the North against the Igbos, a southern ethnic group. The killings were seen as unacceptable and so the Igbos were called home; the secession had begun.
In both cases, emotions ran wild and our vulnerabilities were exposed. We were not prepared for the change that was presented before us. With our vulnerability exploited, we developed a false sense of security in those who led us and a false sense of distrust in ourselves.
Africans are said to be a people with tough skin (literally) and our experiences have given us the hope we need to forge ahead. We have experienced pain and lived through dark times where destruction plagued our days, and sadness plagued our nights — yet, we as a race have created opportunities to tell our stories differently.
Though illiteracy robbed us of the strength we had, the evidence of our resilience is shown in our constant pushback to do better and make informed decisions.
Post-Conflict Initiatives
Conflicts leave lasting scars, causing immense human suffering, destroying infrastructure and institutions, and fostering political instability. This perpetuates uncertainty, stifles investment, and hinders economic growth, creating a challenging trap that may seem difficult to escape.
One of the devastating consequences of conflict is trauma and societies have to live with their current realities which may look like a not-so-thorough, not-completely-satisfactory to both parties but-they-have-to-take-it type of deal. It is difficult to move on from such pain, but acknowledging its depth and choosing peace and willingness to rebuild over anything else is very important.
The aftermath of these conflicts ushered initiatives like the Gacaca (community courts) in Rwanda, to help with confronting and prosecuting perpetrators and rehabilitation of victims. According to Amnesty International, the gacaca court system was aimed at restoring the Rwandanese social fabric that was torn by armed conflict and genocide and by locating those who participated in the genocide. Another initiative called “Never Again Rwanda” attempted to engage youths to openly discuss sensitive issues, settle differences, overcome wounds of the past, and work together towards a common vision for the future and also think critically about the past, tolerate differences, manage diversity and collectively promote peace, healing, and reconciliation in their communities.
In Nigeria, the 3Rs policy which stood for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation was employed to be the bedrock to help the nation heal from pain and reintegrate the Igbos into society, this scheme was employed to help change the narrative and foster innovation.
However, one may argue that some of these initiatives never fully put to rest the hurt and pain experienced as a result of the conflict. In the words of Onuoha in 2018, the initiative is argued to have been aimed at eliminating group differences and peculiarities shoring up a sense of inter-ethnic cohesion and giving the impression that Nigeria emerged from the war as a stronger and more united nation.
Innovation
In 2014, an article published by The Financial Times, offered the term “Africa rising” to mean the rapid economic and exponential growth of Africa. In the words of Alan Beattie, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen some of the classic development patterns - workers moving out of low-productivity agriculture into manufacturing and services. In a McKinsey report, Africa was categorised into oil exporters, transition, and diversified economies. However, both reports suggest that the rise has been partial and unsustainable.
When it comes to creating value and hustling, Africa is anything but passive. Despite the setbacks we have faced, Rwanda's economy has remained resilient and adaptable, achieving a 7.6% growth rate in the first three quarters of 2023. Their GDP growth is expected to regain momentum in 2024–26, with a projected average growth of 7.2% (World Bank Group, 2024), and on paper, Nigeria's trade surplus widened to an all-time high of NGN 4128 billion in June 2024, up from NGN 1039 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year according to Trade Economics while Sudan relies on humanitarian aid and according to the World Bank, its once-emerging economic potential, now lies in ruins.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported that 15 African countries deployed AI-enabled surveillance technology, such as algorithmic analysis and CCTV camera-assisted facial recognition, to monitor and respond to crime. Rwanda became the world's first country to offer commercial drone delivery in 2016, collaborating with Zipline in the United States to transport life-saving medical supplies to distant rural areas. That same year, Nigeria became the first African country to openly disclose the use of a drone to attack a terrorist group.
With the impact of technology and innovation, the continent has seen a significant rise in participation by the people, especially the youth. African youths are increasingly taking an active role in shaping their future. In an article by the World Economic Forum, The African start-up scene has secured over $2 billion in funding and many of these start-ups are owned by the said demographic.
It is no news that youths make up a large percentage of our evolving continent and in all spheres including technology, peacebuilding, entrepreneurship, and advocacy, they are taking charge now more than ever and advocating for accountability from both the government and the people.
The possibilities that lie in our future are limitless and as we continue to harness them, the better we become.
Africa has had its fair share of shortcomings; some of which have allowed its innate desire for control to supersede the respect for the lives of its people, yet we have managed to rebuild from a place of fragile trust.
Conflict disintegrated indigenous tribes and led us to a point where unity seemed like a threat. Our story, however, speaks to our willingness to accept change, learn from our mistakes, and create new paths for development and growth.
Truth
In the words of the Greek dramatist, Aeschylus, the first casualty in war (in our case, conflict), is truth, echoing this sentiment is Sun Tzu who
states that “All warfare is based on deception”.
Parties in conflict are usually adamant about their standpoint as a means to justify their actions. The story is oftentimes multi-faceted and it is in all the chaos that the truth disappears.
The deadliest conflicts have also happened at the behest of a leader who urged his compatriots to fight for what they believe.
However, in truth, taking up arms to harm another human being at the command of one individual or a group of individuals as the case may be, seems to me like second-hand foolishness.
One could argue the clear margin between right and wrong in certain instances yet people do not deserve to die because they identify with a different tribe or ideology, or because they speak a different language. In fact, the reason why the world experiences balance is because we all have different perspectives.
Life in itself is not black or white, it is made up of the greys, the taupes, and the light shades of red. This is what makes life colourful.
Our truth is flawed but it is ours to keep, we as Africans have made mistakes that have cost us lives, relationships, and family; mistakes that have displaced us from the environment we are used to; mistakes that will haunt us for generations but it is ours to fix.
Conclusion
The African narrative offers evidence of human resilience and adaptation rather than just a record of problems and strife. Although great mistakes—choices that have split families, relocated communities, and left generational scars—have weight in our history—these deeds do not determine our course. Though complicated and perhaps hurtful, our reality contains transforming seeds.
Being African means to inherit a rich tapestry of events spun with strands of culture, hardship, sacrifice, and relentless optimism. Our uniqueness is in our ability to confront our reality and go forward, not in our immunity to human fallibility. The same challenges that have tried us have also shown our remarkable capacity for creativity, reconstruction, and visioning of new opportunities.
Our greatest power as we grow is unity—not in eradicating our differences but rather in celebrating them. This is maybe our most important message to the world: real resilience comes from confronting hardship together, learning from it, and embracing it as a spur for good rather than from avoiding it. In all its intricacy, our narrative serves as a potent reminder that the human spirit is unboundedly capable of rejuvenation.
© 2024, The Nuruba Media & Publishing Company Ltd. & Aberdeen Experience Labs
© 2024, The Nuruba Media & Publishing Company Ltd. & Aberdeen Experience Labs
© 2024, The Nuruba Media & Publishing Company Ltd. & Aberdeen Experience Labs
© 2024, The Nuruba Media & Publishing Company Ltd. & Aberdeen Experience Labs