FOLLOWERSHIP MADE VITAL

Human nature has it that we all fight for power, some sort of recognition, a position of significance. We all strive to leave a mark, to unleash our potential, to be the best above the rest but funny enough most people tend to either abuse or neglect that authority. It's quite unfortunate that our thirst to be in control is not accompanied by a willingness to accept responsibility. That is why we are surrounded by leaders who pride in their titles but do little to prove themselves worthy of those titles. It's as if people have been brain washed that all a leader has to do is dictate and bask in the sun while others follow his commands. We have forgotten the true meaning of leadership which is to serve ones followers rather than to be served. It requires humility, self sacrifice, a strong character, patience,  attributes that sadly most people lack.
We need to come to an understanding that not everyone is called to lead, some are called to follow and contribute to an effective leadership. The problem we face in Africa today is that our leaders lack a proper support system because the people who are meant to help them lead are the same people who are fighting them for their position. They are the same people who are carrying out corruption using their so called "titles" as ministers or senators, whatever they may be. We often see that no matter how the economic situation of a country might be going down the drain those "men of power" still afford to live a lavish life. My question therefore is what kind of image does it portray of you as a leader if your people are struggling while you are comfortable? What has happened to the leader being for the people and not against them? Shall we then sit back and fold our arms to a leadership that only satisfies a few forgetting that the people being oppressed are the same people who had appointed those leaders in their positions? It breaks my heart that generation after generation we see the same traits and oppose them yet when it's time for us to take over as leaders we carry on that same appalling legacy that the leaders before us had left.
We dream of a better Africa,  a land no longer called the dark continent but we can not achieve this if we are not willing to fight forces that make us a dark continent. We can not uplift our continent if we repeat the same mistakes that the leaders before us made, we cannot have the peace we hope for if we are not willing to elevate each other rather than fight one another. It all starts with a positive attitude that says I am proud to be African and I will do my best to make Africa a  better place, I will support my leaders rather than pin them down and I will bring about the change I want to see bearing in mind that I cannot do it on my own. An attitude that says I will lead from the front and take full responsibility of the task at hand, to live in a better Africa.

We see a united Africa

We see a united Africa,

A place of peace and tranquility,

A place where wars have long ceased and unity reigns supreme,

Where we are all brothers and sisters, children of mother Africa,

We see a united Africa,

A place where poverty is nowhere to be found,

A place where resources are shared equally among the people,

Where Africans live in overflowing riches,

We see a united Africa,

A place where corruption is a thing of the past,

Where leadership is transparent,

Where leaders are for the people and not for their own gain,

We see a united Africa

A place where Africans are proud of who they are,

A place no longer known as the Dark Continent,

Where we as Africans take our place and help each other to be the best we can be,

This is the united Africa that we see.

Written by Panashe Gabrielle Maningi

Menelik II: The Ethiopian Emperor is yet to find an equal in Modern African History. Besides protecting the Empire of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and becoming the only Nation to resist Colonialism, Menelik developed the Ethiopian Nation to a cohesive model for the African people and a future descendant would attain a godlike image in the faces and hearts of many, especially in Central America. Menelik II a direct descendant of King Solomon and an uncle to Haille Selassie (The Holy Trinity) is a great Son of this beloved Continent.