To die is not just to perish physically, but to remain stagnant, to let potential spirit or society slowly wither in outdated ways.
Die or become. This mantra has followed me around. The death I am referring to is not a process, but an end. To die is not just to perish physically, but to remain stagnant, to let potential spirit or society slowly wither in outdated ways. To become is to embrace the new.
I have felt familiar temptation and the safety of old beliefs and habits. But I have also felt how stagnation suffocates, leading to a slow death of the spirit. The choice is between growing or dying. There is no other option.
Many African countries experience this internal struggle as well. We carry inherited identities, some given, others formulated, and we wrestle to keep what should die.
To die or become extends beyond personal decisions. Outdated systems that failed to die persist with the old. Consider our educational systems, many countries still use curricula inherited from colonial times, teaching children to thrive in the past world. This has created a gap between the effort and current needs or future challenges, slowly killing the promise of the youth.
The same is true of the political institutions. Some African leaders do not hand over power. Ruling elites often surround themselves with loyalists who have the mindset of the old world. Such loyalists are often led by ethnicity, age, or party, and are not afraid to silence new voices.
Africa is operating below its potential. The identity and survival of our countries now demand that the old be shed. Old systems must die for new ones to be born.
Becoming has been part of the African nations’ history. Rwanda, once known for civil war, is now known for its cleanliness, sustained annual GDP growth, and rush to technology. They painfully chose to kill the old.
Thomas Sankara once tried to change. He removed the lavish lifestyle of officials, advocated for women’s rights, and fought corruption. In doing so, he killed outdated traditions and colonial-era laws. Sadly, he died before the old world did, paying the ultimate price for the becoming he imagined.
Today, despite many good plans, inertia, lip service, and stagnation persist. In the AU headquarters, delegates draft progressive resolutions but implement them in old ways. Two voices are in Africa: one cries out for transformation, and another clings to the old. One thing is true: if African institutions don’t become, they risk becoming empty shells.
From personal to continental, the theme remains. Transformation is not an option. Because not dying is stagnating, and stagnation is death.
