MY LOVE MY PASSION FOR AFRICA. (Do not read unless you love and feel for Africa. Do not read unless you bleed you the African child. African mother or African dad. Do not read unless you mean well for Africa.) Dear Africa. I love you because I am part of you. I am you in my blood. Your pain is my pain. Your tears are my tears. Together we are together. Your pride is my pride. We are igugu lethu as we will say in South Africa. We are our pride. Why are we the way we are? Lagging behind in the world commerce. Dominated by others in areas we should dominate. We are rich in minerals and yet our people are poor. Many a places are fertile yet many a people die of starvation. Deep in my heart I bleed of shame that I have not done my part as I should. My love is from my heart for who we are. Yes the omission of yesterday must not be our destiny. We must make a turn around in us for our people. But how do we make a turn around for us? We must change our mindset about everything. We must not rely on somebody to come from outside to help us. Yes let us take any helping hand but that hand must not be the only way forward. We have everything need to get started in us. I have spoken to African scientists and engineers who can help. They are all African either of Asian origin or European. We are in this together. If you turn your life around everything will change. For 38 years some guy lay by the pool waiting for somebody to push him into the pool of healing. Meanwhile commerce was going on around him. For 38 years he only heard of the commerce even though he was very near to it. Nobody but Jesus showed up and asked him if he wanted to be healed. The guy told Jesus that nobody was there to push him into the pool the right time. That is how he had missed his seasons for 38 years. He knew what was to be done but nobody sent him into the solution. Jesus changed that in mindset. He told the guy to walk. The guy walked. I know Africa. All we need is somebody to tell us to walk. We will walk. We have what it takes to walk like anybody else in the world. Being behind in economics does not mean stay there for ever. We must change that today. Yes there is no capital but that is not the first step to moving a head. Mindset change is. Let us fix our mindset to change ourselves. The rest will follow. Africa! Today you know what to do. You need to trade with the world. You need to make that which you must trade in. You must make that which you use. African people are strong and they are hard working. I know this to be true because I was born and raised African. If this is true then why are my people lagging behind? History did bring us to where we are but we do not have to stay there. Let us change this. We are the ones to change this. We must refuse to accept the status quo. Do not continue the same way. You are the one to start the change. When David had to face a giant: He did not have relevant equipment to fight the giant. The rules required him to have the right armor but nothing could fit. He did not sit and look at the giant. He changed how the fight would be fought. He used what he had. He won the fight. African will win at the end. Our fight is not against anybody but poverty. Africa we may not have the right equipment to compete in the world market on all fronts. But we have enough to participate with dignity. How come people come to Africa with nothing and soon they are very successful? Because they have been exposed. They know something from wherever they have come from. Let us use that which they know but we must learn it and have the determination to do it. "My people are perishing for lack of knowledge." Says the Lord. Africa must start producing some basic items. Having a multinational corporation producing some basic commodities and saying made in Africa does not help Africa. It only helps the company to produce near the market. It will only help Africa when girls in the village can participate in producing that which they use. When young men will work in factories owned by their people to retain wealth in the village. It is worse when others who can produce many products using the educated labour available here imports that which can be made in the village. Why will anybody import soap to anywhere in Africa? Soap is water, caustic soda and any edible oil mixed in a plastic container. A 20 minute process and you have soap. I am sure most people are busy but almost everybody has 20 minutes to make soap for himself and some village members. African women love lotion and cream. Lotion is 84% water, 5 % bee wax and 11%any vegetable oil. Mix this for about 30 minutes. Warm the ingredients to about 70 degrees celsius. There are a lot of simple things that I know that Africa can produce with easy. Why do we not? "Nobody is telling us what to do." You may say. Nobody told David to use the sling and some rock but God put that knowledge in that young man. Let us change the rules. You can change from where you are. Recently as I taught how to make soap to refugees in Dadaab refuge camp. I was shocked to see tears of joy as the women used the soap they had made to wash their clothes. Surely can we not make every village make their own soap? As I have been traveling in Kenya and explaining these simple skills I am challenged how much we can do with minimal effort. With $100. One can make enough soap and keep making for a small village. This can be expanded. Can somebody lend a hand to somebody to change the life of that individual? I offer all my facebook friends in Kenya a free livelihood skills on soap. The only condition: "You must purchase your own materials from a source of your choosing." If you do not know I will recommend to you some sellers. The soap you will make you will take it with you. Anywhere in Africa we are looking at possibilities of doing the same. By faith let us get to change ourselves. We have what it takes. God be praised in everything. I trust you Africa. I know you have what it takes. Let us change our villages and our families. We are the ones to change us. Let us change us. In the name of Jesus I pray.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 07:14:51 +0000