The Unfinished Freedom of Africa: Reflections
Can Africa ever be free of the imperial grasp?
Arguably, almost 90% of our experiences are shaped by what the senses absorb. The brain needs data to process function, and thus, it is entirely normal to find yourself caught in a dilemma, contemplating what could be or should be against what seems to register little to no significant impact at that moment. During a recent visit to Ghana, I visited the Kwame Nkrumah Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum in Accra. As I gazed upon the historical relics of one of Africa’s greatest sons, my emotions were a rollercoaster of mixed experiences. I had arrived in the country at an airport named after the man who overthrew Nkrumah, and I took the opportunity to quench my budding curiosity—for I had long revered Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. I asked the guide a question. Although she gave me an answer, that is not what I want to express here. Rather, I wish to highlight how Africa has never truly been free from the grip that the trespassers tightened long ago.
They came, saw the wealth and the people, and continue to exploit while we celebrate a so-called independence. Oh, how different the narrative could be if Africans could brush anew a fresh canvas. The lessons are evident—we are independent only to a certain extent. The generous colonial master still has work to complete at his home, and Africa remains fertile for exploitation.
Some say we can never truly be free of the imperialists’ grip on our resources, but I am more concerned with how to break free from the chains they locked on the African mind. I recalled Bob Marley’s words, “How long shall they kill our prophets, while we stand aside and look?” What happened to Patrice Lumumba? For every crime the White Man committed, an African participated! How long, then, must we wait? The imposed poverty—a strategy to keep us wanting more of what we perceive to lack, needing them to provide—has left us to govern ourselves with a system they designed to keep our rulers on strings. Ours is a sad story!
Wake up! Rise up! Africa and Africans deserve better. If leadership is what you seek and represent, it is imperative to keep the interests of the people a priority. Greed might have infiltrated integrity, but do not let it define your actions. Speaking of our interests, Kwame Nkrumah worked tirelessly to unite Africa. Imagine using your country’s resources to help other countries break free from the chains of colonialism. This is the vision that must guide us, the purpose that must drive us.
As I stood in that museum, surrounded by the echoes of our past, I couldn’t help but wonder: how much of our present is dictated by what our senses absorb, and how much by the unseen chains that still bind our minds? We are caught in a dilemma—torn between the potential of what could be and the reality of what is. But it is in recognizing this struggle that we find the strength to redefine our narrative, to truly break free. Africa, the time to brush anew a fresh canvas is now. Our independence must not only be in name but in spirit, in mind, and in action. Only then can we truly claim the freedom that has long been our due.