The Leaders that Africa needs

This week I got to travel to South Africa for a work project. Not that you are asking, but it very well.

On arrival, the inquisitive little me started prodding and poking about the current state of affairs here. From the recent xenophobia attacks to the government’s popularity among its people. I found out some very interesting things (I can’t share everything but I will summarize my observations).

• Even though many people appear to join the world’s “stop xenophobia” campaign, there are actually many others who would excuse it. For instance, one person I spoke with explained with huge disappointed how it is so easy for foreigners to simply strode into SA unquestioned and take over homes that were built to support struggling South Africans. He explained to me how the attacks were not the first and how people have been
  complaining to the government for a while only to not have much done. So there I was thinking, does the blame lie on the illegal immigrants themselves (They shouldn’t have come here), on the angry locals (The immigrants asked for it) or the government (Which of course is never to blame. Please note the sarcasm).
• I feel for the people of SA that feel that their resources are being stripped away from them by “undeserving fellow Africans”. It is a shame that a history tainted by so much layered hate can actually fog someone’s ability to be democratic and show wisdom to the point of taking a life.
• It hurts me that despite all that Africans have been through TOGETHER, we have allowed each other to be separated by greed, lack of morals and neo colonialism. In all these years (not too many), we have managed to gain independence only to abuse it. I am going off on a tangent I know, but maybe we were not ready for it.
• A day after my arrival, I heard on the radio that the president is getting a pay raise. I found that amusing. Who decides that the president needs a pay raise? Who decides that what he made initially was not enough? Wait! Who decides what enough is? It seems to me that our “Leaders” want nothing more than to get into power so as to abuse their countries. I apologize but I cannot count a handful of leaders in Africa today. Just wealth hungry ignorant men and women who want the Hollywood lifestyle on the backs of other Africans. People who have become worse than those that their ancestors
  fought against. I see no legacy in African leadership today.

To the future: So where do we go from here? I see the Africa that we currently have and my heart aches for her. It’s as though once the goals for independence where obtained, people had nowhere to go from there. It’s as though, there was never an after-thought to “what we shall do AFTER we become independent. From conversations I have had with people, all those who were passionate about making a difference here have been murdered. The same thing happens in other countries. How silly is that!!!

It is enough! I am not going to vent anymore. Instead I am going to send out a plea to
anyone who reads this, to share it. Africa has a huge population of youth who can propel it to greatness. We can take over from where true developmental mindsets left off. We can build our nations and be remembered for it. We can be the paradigm shift that Africa needs. We don’t have to all become presidents to be the difference. Let us start in our immediate circles of influences. Discussion topics: How can we/I make Africa better?