Were you perplexed when you saw that the topic referred to Africa as a mentality rather than a continent that we know it as? I had the exact feeling as I began writing this topic. I was quite unsure if this would depict the true essence of this content but I do hope you get the message, irrespective.
Adding to the plethora of reads on Africa as a continent will be a commonplace and may not add anything different to shine the known light of my beloved Africa.
As you know, a lot has happened of recent; Starting with non-Africans framing Africans up, kneeling on their lung to death, the calling for the head of the African leading the AfDb (can you even imagine 😓), to Africans making home an unsafe abode with killings by trigger happy policemen, ethnic clashes and the African Mentality.
For context, this write up will be limited to scenarios I have witnessed and heard in Nigeria.
The Mentality Called African is one which celebrates bad news about Africa from Non-Africans. Well, in few cases, Africans rejoice over terrible news about them from local outlets too.
The crux of this piece isn’t in whose news we rejoice over but the kind of news we amplify and second guess. Good news about Africa are usually met with doubt, disbelief and distrust. No wonder news about Africans making strides abroad hardly find it way to the trend table.
Take for example, when the World Bank announced that Nigeria overtook an Asia country to lead the World Poverty League, a position the country has maintained since the announcement in 2018, almost all Nigerians took the news and the stats without a second thought.
A large number of Nigerians didn’t ask questions, maybe because they don’t see the positives in belonging to Nigeria anyway. Similar thing played out when the Northern kids gave a glimpse of their wealth on Twitter some days ago. Instead of celebrating our fellow Nigerians, the non-Northerners were quick to remind them of how poor the region is. I mean, does any region, state, country, continent have it balanced and figured out?
Let’s look at another scenario of the recent GDP figures released by NBS, the positive news of the country growing in positive direction seems to irk some people. You read articles, listen to podcasts, see the news and hear people questioning the authenticity of the numbers, just because the International Community has been saying the country can’t escape a recession. Does recession just hit without a run-up of events? I just hope curious cats and doubting Thomases have enough buffer to shield them from the pang of the recession they so much covets, when it happens.
The above illustrations are just one of the so many itching happenings that will make you wonder why the Africans has refused to see the total awesomeness of being African (except the compliment/attraction comes from a non-African), the need to toot loudly our wins and project the greatness embedded in Africa to the worldwide village. Nothing stops Africa from serving as a reference entity when it comes to economic performance predictions or providing world-moving updates.
It’s high time we scratched the African Mentality and live up to the true meaning of the unity in our diversity. The simplest and best way I know we can do this, is to grow and unite in brotherhood, continually celebrate our wins and stay happy in our own skin.
God bless Africa!
Written By: Abdul Azeez- Hussein
