When
the former President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, delivered
the ‘I am an African’ speech in 1996, I was barely in my teens and did not know
that over 10 years later, I would be so interested in the affairs of this
continent. I also did not know that there would come a time when I would define
myself as an African rather than being affiliated to a particular country in
the continent. Very
often I have been asked by numerous numbers of people where I come from and I always
say to them that I am an African after which they look at me dumbfounded. It was
not until I decided to understand and confront my identity demons that I realized
I was a child of many formations and could not necessarily be affiliated with
one country. I am deeply passionate about the African continent, I find myself
asking a lot of why questions about Africa’s past, and have so much optimism
about the continent’s potential.
I
was born in Kenya and my formative years until late teens were spent there. It
was there that I learnt the importance of family, hardwork, sharing with one another
and the basic tenets of Ubuntu. It
was in Kenya that I received an education that would enable me to access higher
education institutions in other African countries. It was in Kenya that I first
realized that I was interested in questioning why things were they way they
were and what I could do to change things for the better. But it is the same
country that I am very often critical of because of lack of governance, proper
planning, corruption, and a leadership vacuum. I have often said that I am only
connected to Kenya because I have family there and that still remains true. Nonetheless,
because I am an African, I remain optimistic that the waves of change will hit Kenya
and that my children’s children will have a better future if they ever decide
to live there.
I
moved to Botswana when I was about 16 years old and there I learnt that it was
possible for Africa to have good leaders, political stability, peace, and a
focus on service delivery for its citizenry. It was in Botswana where I learnt about
the role of public servants in ensuring that public policies were implemented.
It was in Botswana where I interacted with people from all kinds of nations and
began to appreciate the diversity that this continent is.
I
now live in South Africa, a land full of possibilities. A land even though still
struggling to define itself as a nation, is made up of a majority of citizens
that want it to be the best that it can be. A land where my love for the
continent has been strengthened in ways that I would not have imagined. A
land where I have been afforded opportunities that I never dreamt of. A land
where I have met some of the most wonderful people who have become my friends
and chosen not to embrace me wholly. A land where I have learnt that it is
possible to reach for your dreams. A
land that has made me aware that if a country builds strong institutions, has
an all inclusive constitution, and check and balance mechanisms, leadership and
government can be challenged in ways that I only saw on the media happening in
developed countries. And it is a land that continues to define it role in
African and international politics in a manner that is sometimes contradictory
but that sometimes takes stands that aim to protect it allies, mostly other
African and developing nations.
So
how can I turn around and say that I am of a particular country in the continent? How
can my identity be defined by the travel documents that I carry? And how can
anyone expect me to not stagger the answer to where I come from?
Who
am I?
I
am an African that will not rest when our leaders want to make this continent a
failure. I am an African that will continue to make noise for what I know the
people of this continent deserve.
I
am an African that will not rest until I have made an impact.
I
am an African that refuses to be defined by borders or travel documents.
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