For a long time, people have been trying to teach us how to live, how to breathe. In the past, we lived in Africa with our own cultures, our own traditions, our own way of being. But over time, we were led to believe that our traditions were satanic, demonic, that our culture was obscure. We’ve been pressured to completely adopt a foreign, supposedly more evolved culture. Today, time brings more and more demands.
In a tumultuous debate, the Chairman expresses his thoughts
In a recent video, the President of Zimbabwe can be seen chatting with a CNN journalist. Typically, a strong journalist is sent to ask tough questions with the aim of making the interviewer lose spirituality and intelligence. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, he confronted a well-informed person, an ex-military man, in the form of the President of Zimbabwe, who was able to give appropriate answers.
The journalist’s blatant disrespect and arrogance towards the President, pointing the finger at him and imposing a Western way of thinking on him, is already evident. The reporter asks tough questions about gay marriage and whether the president will support the rights of LGBT+ people. He goes further, asking her to promise to adjust the law in the near future to allow people of different sexes to get together.
So the journalist tries to convince the president that accepting the rights of LGBTQ+ people would show that he’s not just interested in money, that he’s different from other presidents who are seen as dictators. It’s a clear form of manipulation. But the president remains firm in his words, explaining that this is not a priority for Kenya, that they have other problems to solve such as infrastructure, youth, finance and the inclusion of women.
In addition, the President states that the majority of Zimbabweans do not wish to accept same-sex marriage. He points out that forcing this idea is pointless, because those who came during the election to supposedly protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people didn’t win the election. He insists that the priority is to develop the country’s economy and enable its people to benefit financially from the opportunities.
Read more: Ugandan President adopts strict anti-homosexual measures
An Appeal Against Assimilation and Uniformity: the challenge of cultural identity in Africa
We should also mention the story of Barack Obama, former President of the United States, who wanted to inject this kind of mentality into the country. A charismatic and respectful black man, many believed he would seek to move Africa forward. Unfortunately, this wasn’t always the case, as he supported Western thinking, siding with his white mom. Since then, many laws have changed in America to the detriment of black Americans, and horrors have occurred in Africa during his reign.
The President of Zimbabwe also criticized the idea of standardizing everyone, of creating a society where everyone loses their cultural identity. He stresses the importance of preserving authentic African names and traditions, criticizing those who adopt Western names in the hope of appearing more intelligent or advanced.
It’s encouraging to see African presidents expressing themselves openly and forcefully. We’d like to see more French-speaking leaders express themselves with such courage. It’s important to reflect on these issues and consider different points of view.
Totally inspired by Zack Mwekassa’s video
