Sister Destee, I think Zullie makes a “sad but possibly true” point when she said, “If there is going to be any African unity in the future, it will need to be done by force”
Throughout history and even African history the initial underlying unifying apparatuses for most dynasties, empires, and kingdoms are force, power, and warfare. It’s easy to romanticize great civilizations after the fact, but most of us are in denial when it comes to what really kept most powers in power for so long historically, and kept them relativity civil long enough for growth, higher learning, and advancement.
There is an oppressive and brutal side to the growth of China as an independent world power (just as it is in America). China not only had a “revolution” it had what was deemed a “cultural revolution”. Like I said, it looks good to progressive thinkers standing on the shores of America, but how would our people in the continent, or even our own communities’ deal with the use of uncompromising military and political forces from within telling us how to think, work, and dress (for the good of the people)?
I think it’s interesting that we find orthodox religionist such as some Muslims, and some Christian groups to be so controlling and non-democratic when they tell women they can’t wear certain clothes, or when men are severely punished or ostracized for the most mundane of crimes, and then we look at China who execute criminals for offenses that would usually give you some jail time if not probation in the west, and see only the fact that they are doing so well on an international level.
This is the age old question that cannot be answered, but is usually only enforced for the betterment of a whole culture and generation of people, and that is, can we give up our vices, and self-democratization if that would stop or remove exploitation, poverty, crime, rape, drug dealing, drug abuse, the welfare state, single motherhood, homelessness, and murder (especially of our children)? For no matter how much we care, we as a people do not give up too much of anything too easily.
There will always be a thin-line between strong leadership and tyranny, just like there is between a controlling cult and a very progressively orthodox religion.
This goes back thousands of years and it’s hard to see it ever really changing anytime soon.
Peace