It has been 14 years into the new European millennium and six into the Ethiopian. Hence both are calendars now in the twenty first century.
The race to an unpredictably clouded future in the second millennium was crowded with participants hustling one another. The first millennium, as had been stagnant, was better predictable. At its closing it dislodged, in the open air, much of the dirt it carried hundreds of years. It was colonialism that persisted until its end.
The presence of colonial forces was routed? in the last 50 years in Africa; but not yet – and never to be raised as an issue – about the “Americas” and south of the Pacific ocean, after a decade and half added to 500 years of the first millennium. Even in the first century of the new millennium, the world, now, shrouded in a blanket of uncertainties is heading to an avenue devoid of worthwhile lesson from the past.
The nineteenth century – the golden age of European colonialism, and a disaster for the rest of humanity – is unlikely to appear in its old form. The First World War, too, is too old to replicate itself. But the younger – the Second World War – will share its philosophy and practices to the new in the incubation. But, the alignment of forces, the battle fields and the means to carry on will be slightly different.
The First World War generation, after a century, must have gone by now, though some old people peep on the screen of the media as authorities to that generation and the war it faced.
As to witnessing the horror of the Second World War, many have crossed their ages at 87 years and more. No doubt, its architects are not expected to live for so long. The survivors still alive may lament, or glorify the event, but they are no more able to influence, one way or the other, repetition or non-repetition of that part of history. The generation now active in the twenty first century has no full sense of the devastating consequences of that war. It is in an absolutely different location on the time line and the influence of new developments worldwide.
To an extent, the twentieth century had shared the heyday of colonial plunder and some restlessness in world politics, and wars. A good part of the groundwork in the making of the twenty first century was done in the twentieth century, for Africa too.
The development of the sciences for human extinction, industry and warfare in the last century has passed the dreams and fears of the West. Africa as a victim of the consequences of such developments has taken its share. It is horrified as to when it will have an understanding of the findings and products of the Western laboratories devastating its population with a new weapon – the complex viral system deliberately stretched throughout the continent. Probably for luck of consciousness, the continent itself is a major contributor to the effectiveness of the evil undoing the whole population in death and interminably deteriorating confidence, and fear.
The sciences and mathematics are allergies to the continent, and the same are research and deep studies on the “mysteries” decimating African human life in millions. The continent warmly embraces its ignorance about the sciences and mathematics, now a chain of weapons of annihilation upon its sons and daughters.
Formal education in Africa is European by origin. Almost all the subject matter in the curriculums in Africa is shaped according to the Europeans’. The sciences – Physics, Chemistry, Biology … – and mathematics are given in high schools and universities throughout the continent. But the theories and practices never cross the “Red Line” to research and innovation as practiced anywhere out of the continent.
The institutions of higher education, in various fields of the sciences produce manpower for the West, at high cost to the continent. The reason behind this might be the mismatch between the educational system, continent wide, and activation of the requirements of the times.
Academic life in those institutions does not engender sacrifice and curiosity within the learned on the wellbeing and strategic survival of the continent and its population; it does not create a sense of direction to searching long term solutions. This is not to say the continent has no medical doctors, nurses, engineers and technicians and other professionals. It has, but not enough. It loses many of those to others when they climb higher up the academic ladder. But the point of this article, if addressed properly, is beyond the continent having those professionals. It is about more than saving the millions from the disasters it’s facing at the level of its extinction. No doubt, “extinction” could be sour to swallow. What else then with what is observed, and visible on board?
How many universities are there throughout the continent? Has any one of them produced a resident scientist or a mathematician among the few with highest honor on the subject, with influence to its development?
Whatever the “reason,” lacking the will, the eagerness to be engaged in thinking on the barrier between the continent and its obligations in the sciences for its survival, is what identifies Africa with its dire problems. The route to elimination of the major diseases, severing early the ages of Africans is the limitation in capacity and vigor of institutions of higher learning in their endeavors on the sciences. It is sustained serious thinking, organization of the thinking process, garnering the tools for its practice, daring to face failures, corrections, more mistakes, and more corrections, still more mistakes and corrections for the final product.
The “mysterious” products of science and mathematics for flight to space, in medicine, in communication … are all man-made; and no doubt, the deadly viruses tested, in the bodies of Africans, for effectiveness at depopulating the continent too.
EBOLA, the West tell us, was identified early on in the 1970s. Malaria is rampant throughout. HIV virus has lived the continent for more than 20 years. All these causes of disaster have not been accounted for any time in the life of the continent; and there is nothing African to counter those diseases with. It was there African scientists could have emerged through serious research and studies. The effort of the West on science and mathematics is all generated from their history as gloomy as it was; from social, economic and political problems. There is nothing different with that other than seriously worrying, owning the problems, thinking and engagement at trying, trying and trying for the final solution for the problem.
More than at any time in the past, Africa in the twenty first century is sliding back relative to the rest of the world. It is not because others have any magic for the race in their hands. It is because Africa is comfortably sleeping for an intolerant future.
The continent is braced between incongruent factors: overpopulation, and threat of checking it the wrong way – thoroughly injecting the population with infectious epidemic diseases. With the latter, HIV/AIDS and EBOLA have taken and are still taking their tolls.
The other façade of Africa is overpopulation vis-à-vis the agricultural yield in the continent. Agricultural land once in abundance has shrunk now, and will go on shrinking more, relative to the population. If one assumes the continent released from the grip of Western virus-laboratories, it is the clash between overpopulation and the scarcity of the means of livelihood that will disturb peace and tranquility.
A lot can be talked and written about new and major accomplishments. But what is in store not yet getting a touch of continental thought and practice is where there is a need for reflection, and urgently crafting worthwhile agendas of strategic value.
The darkest spot in the grey areas of the façade of the continent is lack of knowledge of the sciences and mathematics to challenge with the manmade and natural calamities.
As a consequence of that, Africa is dotted with the following:
* Loose ends of peace
* Lack of visible long term continental aspirations, vision, and long term strategy
* Shaky economic base
* Lack of a rock-steady foundation on which the continent could count on in time of adversity (viral-system attacks, and more)
Visible features are:
* Soaring population
* Surging unemployment
* A big part of the youth sentimentally migrating across the oceans
* Less secured peace
* Extreme aloofness of the continent from the requisite knowledge in science and mathematic
* Absolute dependence on foreign health-materials (a dangerous dependency)
* Too much dependence on costly outside brain work (consultancy, others’). expertise
Foremost is recognition to what strategic (long-term) problems the continent is stuck to, and the consequences and cause/s. Searching for solutions must rest on fundamental principles in the sciences. This may call for continental institutions now inexistence; neither national nor regional.
What makes those institutions continental? Following is a sample of how they may be may be idealized. They will in all aspects be continental including:
* Definition and elaboration of purpose
* Mission and strategy
* Decisions for establishment
* Financing and running
* Location as per continental decision
* Resource allocation
* Follow up and management
Some of those institutions could be:
* Continental universities: established to continental capacity. The starting would better be for mathematics, science, technology and medicine.
* Agricultural universities on their own: They may be for specialized training and dip research.
* Continental research centers: for armament and security.
* Specialized technical Universities: For road, railway, airports and seaports design and construction. Their purpose will include specialized training programs.
* Continental Telecommunication Institutions: Honestly, telecommunication science and technology is admittedly mysterious for Africa. Under the circumstances, the fact that this technology is in absolute ownership of its creators makes it the most dangerous weapon – more dangerous than the viral system haunting Africa and Asia. But, it doesn’t have to be left out from the strategic cluster the continent has to hasten to study deeply, before it is too late. Too late for Africa differs from too late to others.
An action plan will have to guide the whole process until the attainment of products worth the purpose of the scheme.
The beginning of this journey will necessarily require to experience quantitatively and qualitatively the major universities all over the continent. Uphill, within the continental framework, it will be as drudgingly testing as the continent has comfortably been very late to wake up. Otherwise, Africa will be rewarded from such relentless effort of its own signatories peeling the darkness mystifying the twins – science and mathematics.
The warning from the shimmering indicators will thus die, and history will be tolerant, as is to others, to Africa too.
*******
Leave a Comment