Africa's Ability To Play On The World Stage

Africa's ability to play on the World stage seems limited but I tell you we can do more to help the continent if we will just learn to say to the box the world's media has placed us in.

Despite its troubles, Africa as far as I'm concerned is still the richest continent on earth. There is wealth of natural resources that is yet to be discovered and if the world thinks its over for Africa...think again because we are on our way to reclaiming our heritage.

We have the power and ability to change the way world sees our continent.
Its time we stand up to our leaders and bring them to account.
Its time we say no more to the traditional mindset that has kept us captive.
Its time we say no to the culture that has kept us conditioned to the point where we now see wrong as right and right as wrong.
Its time we raise our voices and change our song about the motherland.
Its time we raise our voices and sing a new song about the motherland.
Its time we take our talents and paint our own picture
Its time we say our own 'Never Again' and mean it
Its time we stop producing those stories the Western media enjoys as it ridicules our motherland
Its time we start writing the stories that the world will read and realise we have a light that can never go down.
Its time we start producing as a continent and stop relying on aid
Its time we start looking out for each other and stop being all about, me, myself and I. And I boldly say that to our leaders. Stop taking what belongs to the people.
Its time we stand up and be counted as Africans who are proud to be Africans.
Its time Africa and its children stand up and be counted as a continent to be reckoned with on the world stage.

Dealing With Disappointment

How do you deal with disappointement?????


There is no easy way to take disappointment most of the time. When it is something you wanted desperately, it hits you harder and there is a pitbull of rage in your stomach. But do you stay down crying and singing your favourite song, 'No one knows the trouble I have seen?' You alone can answer that but if your choice is to stay down then, you have let yourself down.

There is no straight cut to the ways we handle being let down or being passed up for a role but the key is; once you have done your crying and danced to your sorrowful songs, pick yourself up and try again.

Try and try until you get a yes.

You only have one destiny but there are many roads and choices to lead you there.

Our Sons and Daugthers Are Not For Sacrifice

So much has been written about the upsurge of knife crime in London. The stabbings seem like they will never end. The youngest victim was David Idowu, he was 14-years-old.

I am not a mother and have no idea what it feels like to lose a child. But I can imagine it must be a gut wrenching pain to know you will never see the baby you nutured into a boy and just when he was on his way to becoming a man, he was snatched by a cruel act from you.

I don't want to go into what it feels like to know a knife has just been jabbed into you by another human being. We all know the end result of such an action. Lately, it is the grave for the lives of young men and women, who have fallen victim to these cruel actions.

Our sons and daugthers have forgoten what respect for another human life is all about. They have taken the law into their hands, settling scores with each other by way of the knife.

Some parents have no idea what their children have been up to.

The government is laying down the law to get the perpetrators behind bars. Great that we are getting tough but has anyone taken the time to ask themselves; when was the last time you took interest in a young man you knew was at risk of joining a gang because that's what he thinks will give him protection?

When was the last time any one of us took interest in a young man, being raised ny a single mother? Forgetting she can't be everywhere to keep an eye on him?

When was the last time we got off our backsides and took an action that would in turn empower a young man, a young black man at that? So we can show him that a knife in your bag or pocket is not what empowers you in life?

When was the last time you bothered to ask about their education or mental state of mind?

But we are all quick to judge and write about their past.

Don't get me wrong, everthing has got to be balanced and I refuse to make excuses for the action of one human being which leads to the death of another. In my oipnion, it is despicable, vile, cruel and plain outright wickedness.

It should never be the case where parents have to bury their children but that is what we have been living with for the past year and more.

I am yet to figure out why a young mand feels joining a gang and carrying a weapon is what will empower him. On the other hand, if you look at it with a mindset of, I know who I am, it goes to show the poor state of mind our sons and daugthers are in.

Their self-worth has been eroded by lies. Their values twisted and their ability to care has been frozen, and when they act out or do the things they do, they make themselves a target of getting demonised by all.

I have no expertise in criminology or psychology but some things do not take rocket science to figure out, face the facts and be practical about it.

We need to go back to the drawing board, the home. That's where it all begins. I have no parenting skills and I cannot be judge and jury over other people's ability to raise their children the way they need to be raised but we must start at home.

We need to take our homes back from our children. They are not meant to be running the house but their parents. We need to instill the core values that we hold on to in society which helps to keep life going in them.

I do not want to know about what you believe in or don't as far as religion is concerned. But whatever it is, you need to teach your children what is good and what is evil and the reason they must uphold the good.

Please, believe me, I am not preaching at you. I am being practical. What we have today is the fact that the kids are no longer afraid of anyone. There are different reasons why they are not but I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions about that.

Discipline needs to come back into the home. The government cannot do it alone, neither can the parents. This is a joint effort which requires our attention and efforts as members of society.

It is time we work together and not aganist each other. Reading the Statesman a few weeks back, there was a great report about Childhood in Britain. Guess what, our children are the most unhappy set of young people in Europe, we have the highest number of disenchanted youn people. We lock them up faster than they can say 'A.'

And we over medicate them and we talk down at them.

Now, there is more to that but I think that pretty much paints the picture for you. We all need to change our attitude to this problem and change is hard but possible.

We need to take decisions concerning the lives of our children, knowing their future is at the heart of what and all that we do.

I personally don't have any answers to a whole lot of questions people have but if we start looking within and stop pointing fingers, we will find the courage to take that first step to make things right.

The lives of our children matters. The lives of our sons, daugthers, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters matter. They are not for sacrifice. They are not lambs for slaughter and its about time the killing spree stops.

Wake up London and agree with me that our sons and daughters are not for sacrifice.

Image from Google

For further reading - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/05/knifecrime.ukcrime2
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/2008/07/crime_is_down_but_what_about_k.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jul/21/youngpeople.knifecrime
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/18/knifecrime1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/18/knifecrime.ukcrime2
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2262680/David-Idowu,-14,-becomes-19th-victim-of-London-knife-crime.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4301774.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7518751.stm

Teenagers killed in London street violence this year | UK news | The Guardian

Teenagers killed in London street violence this year | UK news | The Guardian

When is this madness going to stop?

When are we going to stop the blood bath and tears from grieving parents?

Enough is enough London.

Wake up London, its time we take our city back and secure the future of our children.