HAPPY AFRICAN UNION DAY, 2024

 

HAPPY AFRICAN UNION DAY

By Benjamin Pulle Niriwa. In Peace and Unity, 25.05.2024.

It has been a long time since I posted on the Africans Union’s Day! The last time I posted that I could remember was 2017. The reality about life is that, for most fruits, someone has to climb the tree in order to pluck them for those standing on the floor. If the one on the tree does not want to send some down to those on the floor; when he/she gets down there would be no fruit to eat. That is how leadership is!

A leader who builds the economy without stealing from the citizens, builds it for himself or herself. Every leader wants a good name but it is not every leader that deserves a good name. True Africa’s Unity requires strategic, supportive and selfless leadership. Division at any part of the globe is a global division. So, promoting Africa’s Unity is promotion of World’s Unity (Figure1)! 

Figure 1: Promote African's Unity to Promote Global Unity.

The safest environment on earth is the one without hungry people. The more people go hungry: the more they would look for alternatives of surviving. Self-Assessment Is Peace! Unity in Africa with increasing “Coup d’états” is nothing but a mirage (Chin & Kirkpatrick, 2023; Duzor & Williamson, 2023). Let us self-assess our political systems which are obviously the main reasons for increased coups.

True unity will be realized only when we have change of hearts and minds, and say a very BIG NO to any form of negativity, especially “dirty politics” (Shook et al., 2017). It is a shame, if in this democratic world, politics still continues to divide even people of the same country. If we cannot genuinely be united as a country because of our differences, how can we be united as a continent?

Democratically elected persons, in most parts of the world, turn around to behave as if they have gained power through a coupe’ d’état! These behaviors to me are modern forms of slavery. People because of their political affiliations, live like strangers in their own lands/countries. How can you call this Unity?

 

References

Chin, J., J., & Kirkpatrick, J. (2023). African Coups in the COVID-19 Era: A Current History. Front. Polit. Sci, 5:1077945. Doi: 10.3389/fpos.2023.1077945. PubMed.

Duzor, M., & Williamson, B. (2023). BY THE NUMBERS: COUPS IN AFRICA. VOA News, Retrieved from; https://projects.voanews.com/african-coups on 25.05.2024 at 11:42 AM.

Shook, N., J., Oosterhoff, B., Terrizzi, J., A., Jr., & Brady, K., M. (2017). Shook, N., J., Oosterhoff, B., Terrizzi, J., A., Jr., & Brady, K., M. (2017). “Dirty politics”: The Role of Disgust Sensitivity In Voting. Transla Issues Psychol Sci, 3 (3): 284-297. Doi: 10.1037/tps0000111.