Who Has Failed Africa? A Continent at the Crossroads
Today, we must confront a bitter truth: many African leaders and elites have become collaborators in the continued exploitation and deprivation of their own people.
Uganda Today Edition: Who Has Failed Africa? A Continent at the Crossroads
By Dr. Joshua Einstein Brian
President, Africa Youth Convention
President, Network of Africa Mental Health Advocates
As Africa commemorates Kaunda Day, we find ourselves grappling with a painful but necessary question: Who has failed Africa? How did the radiant dreams and fierce sacrifices of our forefathers dim into the haunting shadows of unfulfilled promises?
Reflecting on the towering legacy of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana and father of Pan-Africanism, it is clear that betrayal from within—more than external colonialists—hastened the collapse of African dreams.
“The forces that wish to keep Africa divided are still active today, and they now operate with black faces.” — Kwame Nkrumah
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Today, we must confront a bitter truth: many African leaders and elites have become collaborators in the continued exploitation and deprivation of their own people.
A History of Leadership Betrayal
Our leadership crisis did not begin today. It stretches back to the tragic assassinations of visionary leaders like Patrice Lumumba, who warned, “Africa will write its own history.” Yet decades later, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains a battleground of foreign plunder and internal decay.
Leaders who once marched for freedom have, in many cases, become new oppressors. Today’s long-serving presidents preside over nations crippled by poverty, youth unemployment, decaying healthcare systems, and collapsing education—while stubbornly clinging to power.
Similarly, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, who dared to imagine an Africa free from foreign dependency, was silenced by assassination.
“He who feeds you, controls you.” — Thomas Sankara
The Curse of Overstaying Power
An old African proverb teaches: “When the music changes, so does the dance.” Yet many of our leaders refuse to hear the change in the music. Surrounded by sycophants, they remain entranced by their own illusions of grandeur.
Meanwhile, the youth—the engine of Africa’s future—languish. With unemployment rates soaring above 60%, young Africans drown in frustration and despair, while billions are siphoned into offshore accounts by the privileged few.
Stuck in Endless Power Struggles
Africa’s reluctance to embrace peaceful transitions of power has resulted in coups, civil wars, and shattered dreams.
“We love power so much that we cannot imagine life after it.” — Prof. PLO Lumumba
Until leadership becomes a calling of service rather than an empire of self-interest, Africa’s hopes will continue to be sabotaged from within.
Signs of Hope: A New Generation of Leaders
Amidst the gloom, figures like President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia and Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso provide hope. By investing in education and defending African sovereignty, they remind us that liberation today must mean freedom from ignorance, disease, and poverty.
Education must no longer be a luxury; it is the right of every African child.
Healthcare must be prioritized as a measure of true national dignity.
The New Face of Neocolonialism
Africa’s new colonizers do not arrive with chains but with debt traps, manipulated elections, and economic dependency.
Captain Traoré’s defiance against foreign dominance is a rallying cry for all young Africans. On April 30th, solidarity marches around the world will stand with Burkina Faso, demanding respect for Africa’s sovereignty.
We call upon IGAD, ECOWAS, the African Union, and all Pan-African voices to rise in defense of Africa’s dignity.
“The colonizers may have left, but their systems remain. If we don’t dismantle them, we remain prisoners in our own homes.” — Anonymous Pan-Africanist Saying
Kaunda Day: Not Just Memory, But Action
Kaunda Day is not merely for remembrance—it is a summons to action. The tragedies unfolding in Sudan, Ethiopia, DR Congo, and other conflict-ravaged regions demand urgent solidarity and collective will.
The late Kenneth Kaunda once declared:
“We fight not for glory, nor for wealth, nor for honor, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”
Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Africa must act now—or history will judge us harshly.
The Final Word: Africa’s Time Is Now
Africa’s destiny is not a passive fate but a living force in the hearts and hands of its sons and daughters. Let us reclaim the dreams of Nkrumah, Lumumba, Sankara, Kaunda, Mandela, and countless others who urge us to be fearless and united.
We owe it to them—and to ourselves.
Happy Kaunda Day!
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