One of my life's visions is deeply rooted in the African vision. Leaders after leaders from across Africa have longed passionately for a new continent. We saw that in Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Marcurly, Albert Luthuli and others. They have imagined and envisioned a continent imbued with visionary leadership, capable of mobilizing and harnessing Africa's enormous human and material resources towards social, economic and political peace and stability. In the actualizing that, they came together to form Organization of Africa Unity. Since then, was Africa united? It was at the face of this Organization Africa continent was tore apart through racism, segregation, war, genocide and what have you.
Presently, this vision looks far-fetched. It perhaps looks more far-fetched today than it was yesterday. Almost all the negative indices are up. Political instability. Poverty. Corruption. Ethnic wars and the worst of it is the xenophobic attack on foreign national especially Nigerians in South Africa. Africa's rapid population growth rate falls far below its economic growth rate. Saddled with heavy debt burdens, visionless leadership and the all-pervading corruption, the continent - with its 600 million plus people - has become a laughing stock and the object of international concern.
Africa has always been in the news. At one time the continent was the theatre of the heinous crime of slavery between the 16th and the 19th centuries. At another time, it was at the receiving end of a big scramble that led to the partitioning of the continent into colonies. The road to freedom from colonialism was paved with blood. The misuse of that freedom paved way for neo-colonialism. The cold war led to a second partitioning of Africa into the communist and capitalist camps. Africa became the bride wooed by two powerful forces in a battle for supremacy. That battle bequeathed to our continent corrupt and inept governments that were propped up by their masters and were more concerned about their personal survival than the survival of their people. The cold war had hardly ended before globalisation of trade became the vogue. Trade globalisation has exposed the African economy as weak and non-competitive.
One of the latest sobering news coming out of Africa shows that AIDS, the world’s most dreaded disease, has gotten its foot-hold in the continent. Of the global total of 34.3 million people infected with the deadly virus, 24.5 million (or 70%) of them are Africans. In the year 2000 alone, the Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 3.8 million new cases of HIV/AIDS!
Ebola virus has done devastating havoc most especially to the people of West Africa. Thousands of lives were claimed by Ebola in Liberia, Serea Lone, Gambia, Garbon and few in Nigeria.
Good news, but…
But it is not all bad news from Africa. Obviously the most cheering news is that Africa today is the most Christianised continent in the world!
My thinking is that Africa can use what she has got to get what she does not have. Our cathedrals are bursting at their seams. Sunday after Sunday, African Christians throng the churches for worship and spiritual guidance. Our leaders openly request for prayers and attest to their faith in Christ. But this massive outpouring of the Spirit is yet to translate into new habits and lifestyles that are capable of bringing our continent out of the pit of despair. Corruption has not abated.
Observers have noted that this seeming piety is directed to 'An Unknown God' who has remained a mystery to a lot of Africans. Like the Athenians, Africans are known to be deeply religious people. But God has become a mere tool of worship to achieve a selfish end rather than One to relate to and obey in all things. It could be said of a lot of African Christians as "having a form of godliness but denying its power….” Profession of faith is hardly matched with the practice of faith. The yawning gap between profession and practice has brought the African Church into a state of disrepute and has given the impression that she is an accomplice to the corruption and ineptitude that characterize Africa rather than the Light that she claims to be.
Church as Agents of Change
Even then, the African Christians remain the most potent forces to counter the darkness that has overwhelmed the continent. If adequately mobilized, reset her priority and stop fooling herself because of fanciful edifice of their place of worship, that is. This is because the Church remains the only Body of Christ and the Pillar of Truth on earth. Not only that, the Christian faith is a revolutionary faith. It calls believers to a new life (new creation) and the submission to a Biblical worldview through discipleship. Believers are advised to develop a radical mind that is in conformity with the new creation realities and to firmly resist the temptation to be conformed to the world standards.
Church supposed to be non-conformist, anti-corruption crusader, a new breed without greed, a radical opposition to corruption and usher in a new order of life, norms, system, structures and attitudes that will dignify man.
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude]…"
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