Could nationalism help Africa?
We look at most developed countries worldwide & the one consistent pattern is that they are either: 1) nation states or 2) speak one language. Perhaps this looks almost meaningless to us Africans but I hope to explain to you, the reader, why it is almost fundamental to have a unified identity for a country to prosper. The oldest example of a land that fell apart because the residents spoke different languages is in the Bible, where the people wanted to reach God's heights in Babylon & God made them separate by making them all speak different languages & scattered them. For the religious, this may be enough to lay them off multiculturalism but I think I'll need more to convince those who do not read the Torah or Bible.
A unified identity for a country means everyone has a way to express themselves & find their place in a land, compare this in contrast to South Africa where white South Africans refuse to unite with black South Africans citing cultural differences. Maybe they are afraid that we'll be like how the media portrays Brazil where drugs, crime & promiscuity are rife (apologies to Brazilians reading this, I'm sure not all of Brazil is as the media portrays to the rest of the world). But the concept of a unified South African identity is difficult because of our bitter racially divided past & tribal differences which make it near impossible for us to unite into something that could vaguely resemble a nation state. Maybe this is not so important to others but day-to-day, I see why it is important for us to have 1) a unified identity & 2) the same education. We might claim these differences are normal & eternal in South Africa but time is catching up to us. Who are we kidding? This country is on a knife-edge, we are talking of a country that is consistently on the verge of a civil war based on race. A unified identity in South Africa is more important than we think. If we're not going to have a single identity, culture & language; we're simply doomed. South Africa will not last.
We look at Africa, most of the countries in Africa were created at the Berlin Conference where tribes were either grouped with other tribes or separated from their own tribes. It still sort of annoys me that Africa's leaders couldn't unite & redraw Africa's borders along ethnic boundaries. It almost amazes me but not as much as knowing how much the world's beloved Nelson Mandela sold South Africa's black struggle for his own personal gain. Some might've done the same in his position as he was facing life in prison & was released on agreement that he'd have to agree with certain terms & conditions set by the Apartheid government. The fact is 85% black South Africa is still ruled by a 9% white minority. It really is one of the most absurd socio-economic scenarios in the world. Most of Africa's attempts at nationalism/socialism have been stifled by global powers except when Muammar al-Gaddafi nationalised all of Libya's oil reserves to profit that land. I'm under the belief that if Africa was divided along ethnic lines it might create healthier competition (as opposed to constant tribalism/ethnic cleansing) & develop Africa in a better & more natural way. It may not be as perfect as I'm describing & there might even be border squabbles initially but it will create a decolonised Africa because the borders of the Berlin Conference were the first step that destroyed Africa's indigenous systems. Sure, our indigenous systems are not perfect but in our own lands we could mold them into better versions & what we want them to become. If you agree with me, please like the Repartition Africa Facebook page & if you do not agree with me, I'm alright with that too, I'm not forcing you to buy into my beliefs.
A unified identity for a country means everyone has a way to express themselves & find their place in a land, compare this in contrast to South Africa where white South Africans refuse to unite with black South Africans citing cultural differences. Maybe they are afraid that we'll be like how the media portrays Brazil where drugs, crime & promiscuity are rife (apologies to Brazilians reading this, I'm sure not all of Brazil is as the media portrays to the rest of the world). But the concept of a unified South African identity is difficult because of our bitter racially divided past & tribal differences which make it near impossible for us to unite into something that could vaguely resemble a nation state. Maybe this is not so important to others but day-to-day, I see why it is important for us to have 1) a unified identity & 2) the same education. We might claim these differences are normal & eternal in South Africa but time is catching up to us. Who are we kidding? This country is on a knife-edge, we are talking of a country that is consistently on the verge of a civil war based on race. A unified identity in South Africa is more important than we think. If we're not going to have a single identity, culture & language; we're simply doomed. South Africa will not last.
We look at Africa, most of the countries in Africa were created at the Berlin Conference where tribes were either grouped with other tribes or separated from their own tribes. It still sort of annoys me that Africa's leaders couldn't unite & redraw Africa's borders along ethnic boundaries. It almost amazes me but not as much as knowing how much the world's beloved Nelson Mandela sold South Africa's black struggle for his own personal gain. Some might've done the same in his position as he was facing life in prison & was released on agreement that he'd have to agree with certain terms & conditions set by the Apartheid government. The fact is 85% black South Africa is still ruled by a 9% white minority. It really is one of the most absurd socio-economic scenarios in the world. Most of Africa's attempts at nationalism/socialism have been stifled by global powers except when Muammar al-Gaddafi nationalised all of Libya's oil reserves to profit that land. I'm under the belief that if Africa was divided along ethnic lines it might create healthier competition (as opposed to constant tribalism/ethnic cleansing) & develop Africa in a better & more natural way. It may not be as perfect as I'm describing & there might even be border squabbles initially but it will create a decolonised Africa because the borders of the Berlin Conference were the first step that destroyed Africa's indigenous systems. Sure, our indigenous systems are not perfect but in our own lands we could mold them into better versions & what we want them to become. If you agree with me, please like the Repartition Africa Facebook page & if you do not agree with me, I'm alright with that too, I'm not forcing you to buy into my beliefs.
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