THAT Africa’s dream is yet to be realised is a fact of life.

There is something about Africa that cannot be ignored.

There is something beautiful about it that cannot be wished away. Its innocence, so calm and disarming.

Its silence, so serene and soothing.

Its beauty, so amazing and tantalising.

And beneath that eternal glow is its pride of place.

Ours is a land of plenty.

Ours is a land of more.

A land of, and for, the people.

A land that loves its people.

A land that caters for everyone.

A land so abused but still loving.

A land so exploited but still producing.

A land that gives its all to a greedy world.

A land that gives so charming words.

What is that word, our word?

The smooth word says Africa needs to be loved.

It says the world we have charmed.

A dream.

The ever shining beam.

The people’s dream.

A dream that our founding fathers conceived.

A dream born out of the people’s ambitions.

Created to cater for the people’s vision.

To make Africa the world’s dream.

To provide sustainable livelihoods to the masses.

To be the oxygen of the globe.

To provide the world with hope.

To feed the world.

To develop the world.  

Africa turned 57 on Monday, but there is still so much to do to achieve that dream.

There are many things to be done to turn that dream into reality.

Yet the forces of exploitation still fight that dream.

They employ all sorts of tactics to derail that dream.

They use all sorts of methods to kill that dream.

The anniversary came with a dark cloud hovering over us.

Like the rest of world, COVID-19 has not spared us.

It has severely affected the continent.

But it has spurred us to be innovative.

Countries like Zimbabwe, Senegal and Madagascar have provided a silver lining.

They have come up with innovations to counter the pandemic.

And the results have been pleasing.

We have learnt that united we can conquer any affliction.

Madagascar comes to mind.

It revives the dream and vision of the likes of Captain Thomas Sankara.

It invokes the spirit of the great Kwame Nkrumah.

It brings to the fore the ideals of the legendary Robert Mugabe.

Suddenly the Col Muamar Gaddafi United States of Africa agenda becomes a real possibility.

Wars and guns that are affecting our neighbours, Mozambique and other parts of the continent, have no place in times like these.

The only war should be against imperialism.

The only war should be against hunger and poverty.

Our guns must till the land.

Our guns must aim at unemployment.

Those guns must take aim at neo-colonialism and exploitation.

Zimbabwe continues to revel in agriculture.

This is because of the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme.

Our farmers are, as usual, smiling all the way to the bank.

They continue to make huge strides.

This is despite of the illegal economic sanctions against the country.

This is why Africa must unite.

This is why it should come together and defeat the enemy.

Together we can and we will make it.

We should invest heavily in research and innovation.

This is where the future is.

And we are on a good stead on that front.