AFRICAN INTEGRATION

Not much emphasis has been put on “African integration”. What! I almost forgot about it. In fact, for a while now, I have been seeing my fellow Africans from different countries as foreigners! Oh yes, we all call them that name.

When I say African integration, I simply mean the “coming together” of African countries. In short, it will consist of creating some sort of pan- Africanism kind of spirit between Africans. I am tempted to say this simply because it annoys me to see all these barriers that have been placed between us. Let me give you some fine examples (please bear with me):

1.      When most Africans meet abroad (outside of Africa), they seem to ignore each other. And please don’t disagree with me, because I know exactly what I am talking about. Each one wants to show that they have changed “levels”, trying to speak English like the Queen Elizabeth, while twisting words…trying to speak French like Sarkozy, while mixing up “le” and “la”…

2.      When I left Zambia to come to Senegal, I spent almost 2 days, simply because there is no direct flight from Zambia to Senegal. Don’t tell me there isn’t any pathway in the air to connect these two countries directly

3.      Just to get into another African country is yet another hassle! Travelling from Senegal to the Gambia by road (and it’s not very far) is an experience you will not forget in terms of “police check -ups”…Trying to enter Mauritania from any part of the west Africa is just as good as ZERO! May I remind you that these are in the same region, i.e. the West African region?

4.      I have seen segregation at its highest level here. What I mean is a situation where you see Gabonese only associating with their fellow compatriots, Nigerians doing the same, Congolese always speaking Lingala even when they are around people that don’t speak the language…Before they call me a racist, let me also point out that my fellow Zambians here never or rarely intermingle with Senegalese! Shame!

These and many more examples all point to the fact that Africa is filled with selfish people, who don’t think about the development of the continent! And the worst thing is that this selfishness is not only displayed between African countries, but also between people of the same country! Or haven’t you heard of the genocide in Rwanda? Haven’t you heard of all the tribal massacres in Nigeria! Take a look at Congo DRC and you will know exactly what I am talking about…

I can go and on, but I fear I would not finish today! As for me, I refuse to be a victim of this selfishness and barbarism! You are all my brothers and sisters, regardless of where you come from