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The Independent (Banjul) OPINION January 11, 2002 Posted to the web January 11, 2002 Mukazo Mukazo Vunda Banjul, the Gambia As a teenage student in Europe, an adolescent growing into a man in a place where I suddenly became conscious of my colour, which was pushed in front of my eyes as if it should be the most important factor of my entire being, more important than my gender, my feelings, my humanity, I, a sensitive person who often took it too personally, often fell into crises because of this. Unaware that I was in the grips of a depression and had given up, or had become dangerously aggressive in reaction to this mentality, I would sink into states from which a few have emerged whole. Looking back today, almost two decades later, it is almost inconceivable that I made it through this entire period whole like I am, and though this is not an achievement in itself, given the number who pass through this trial and make it back to their homelands whole, even better persons, it is an achievement for me if one considers the levels to which I sank, and mind you: a disproportionately large number of Africans in the west, disadvantaged already by the cultural shock, dodge behind covers behind which they spend the rest of their lives, because of this. When freed from the confines of these societies, their personalities have usually already coagulated, and thus cannot be bettered. One need not think of others who lose their careers or give up their ambitions when they react to the status of not being wanted because of a colour. I have a lot to thank for this balance, for this resilience, the love and support of my family and close friends, and my own luck included. The acts cannot be discounted, but it is the words that I am prone to go back on. Words like "it is never too late", or "take care of yourself" though maybe banal or trite, preserved my sanity, the former by giving me the will to go on, the latter by providing the warmth and advising the caution that every human being needs to take in order to make it. In turn, I direct these very same words to a like situation, this time not to an individual in crisis who may need it, but to Africans and the situation that has become so bad that many have given up hope because they feel that things have gone on for far too long without an improvement, or any positive signs of this. Those who have given up hope need to be reminded that it is never too late. They also need their pride reinstated, since the loss of hope is usually precipitated by a dawning belief that the capacities of their own kind have to blame for the inability to free themselves from the chains of oppression. Losing faith in the dream of a free, prosperous, war free Africa is coping out. It is accepting defeat. In such a state, one risks becoming apathetic as one gets engulfed in the very same conditions that those who misuse powers of authority create. Seeking refuge in foreign climes is never a complete solution neither. As observed already by Marcus Garvey, there is no race on this planet that accepts "all" of our kind. Those who meet the criteria for acceptance in these foreign lands are also not necessarily the best among us. It goes without saying then that those who cope out, live to fight another day.

Where hope has not been lost and the individuals are engaged in positive actions to remedy their respective situations, they are mostly still doing it in a way that will not ensure the permanence of the state they are fighting to achieve. An organized movement to prevent a return to the very same state they are fighting to correct is missing. These individuals need to be reminded of the pain they will experience when they discover that they have succeeded, only to find that the aftermath of their success has been abused by an individual or regime which is like, or maybe even worse than the one they helped remove from power, because they neglected to take care of the other basics of any liberation struggle. This will make them take the very same positions of the cope outs, or, if it does not, will simply prolong their agony as they will have to start from scratch, with a new, though similar set of conditions to fight against.

When Arap Moi relinquishes power in Kenya, how are the Kenyans going to be sure that the new regime will be the cure for which they have long awaited. Will they have to wait ten more years before they can rid themselves of a new evil that will be more debilitating than the Moi regime ever was? When Zambians have been freed from the manipulation that creates the shame they have of their leaders, the disinterest in national politics, and eventually almost completely turn their backs on the issue, how can they be sure that they will be protected from apathy's negative effects in future? If Liberians succeed to depose Tailor, how will they be sure that their land will no longer be prone to the debilitations such men bring to their own people. How long do Africans think that such situations will continue to exist if they do not consciously step in to prevent the vicious circle from going on indefinitely?

As we go about removing those we think are not fit to lead us, and choosing those we entrust our future welfare and peace of mind with, we should also make it a point to ensure the permanence of the attained states. Our welfare deserves better than to be an issue of dice throwing. The state we find ourselves in, of individuals working hard to correct a wrong situation, cannot be transient if we do not make concerted efforts to make it so. This is a state that does not come into being of its own accord. It has to be instituted by the efforts of conscious individuals in the concerned group. Without such an effort, our sons will still be launching similar campaigns that we are launching. Our descendants will still be struggling to make a home of their continent in the very same manner that we are.I believe that, to the agendas of our individuals and organizations fighting for African freedom, should be added this other agenda which is just as important, which should also be pursued with the very same fervour, and with the very same level of intensity as the existing campaigns to free the African from oppression. Only then will we remove the hit and run aspect of our fight for a prosperous, free Africa. The permanence of this state is what we are fighting for, after all.