By Nthungo Ya Afrika
ON May 10, 2025, I encountered a man who had once vowed never to read my articles, dismissing them as propaganda. This time, however, he extended his hand in apology. Surprised, I asked what had changed his mind. He pulled out his iPhone and showed me a video his son from the UK had sent him.
The clip revealed that the original Egyptians and Israelites were, in fact, Nahasis —black Africans. Featuring portrayals of Pharaoh, Moses, and other biblical prophets as black Africans in the Tambou Bible, the video cited Herodotus, the Greek historian, as evidence. Though I was taken aback, I didn’t show it. Instead, I refl ected on the power of artifi cial intelligence (AI) and how visual evidence, even more than text, can shape belief.
This underscores a truth of our time: information without AI-generated support may no longer be taken seriously. People believe what they see. Whether manipulated or not, visuals created by AI are redefi ning narratives across the globe. For Africa, this tool must become an integral part of our identity reawakening. This brings me to a pivotal article in The Patriot by Evans Mushawevato, titled “Liberating the Defi nition of Work: No One but Ourselves — Redefining the Worker in the Age of Black Sovereignty” (May 2-8, 2025). This is no ordinary article, it is one of posterity. A piece that Kwame Nkrumah, Cheikh Anta Diop, G.M. James, and other pan-African thinkers would have relished.
It deserves to be disseminated across the African Union (AU) Secretariat and referenced frequently as we embark on the critical task of defi ning and redefi ning ourselves in a world that was originally created for us, as the Glorious Qur’an in Al-Hijr (15:26) reminds us. Today as a people we face the crisis of identity. Africa’s biggest challenge today is not just poverty, confl ict, or disease.
It is the lack of self-defi nition. Our inability to define or redefi ne ourselves as a race leaves us vulnerable to infiltration, confusion and psychological colonisation. Meanwhile, Europe, led by France and the UK, is busy uniting under a coalition of the willing to rebuild and defend Ukraine. Africa, on the other hand, remains fragmented and hesitant. France, a former coloniser that continues to wield economic and political infl uence over many African states, exemplifi es duplicity. A country that opposes black sovereignty while advocating European unity. Look at Haiti, the first black republic to gain independence from France in 1804, and yet it has never known peace.
The same patterns are evident in the American inner cities, ghettos encouraged to self-destruct because their inhabitants have not been allowed to def i ne themselves. Libya’s tragic story is another example. Col Muammar Gaddafi initially sought Western favour, thinking his Arab identity would shield him. When the West shunned him, he turned towards African unity, calling for a self-reliant Africa. He was assassinated on October 23, 2011. His sin? Advocating for Africa to defi ne and redefi ne itself. We’ve seen what happens to African leaders who dare to redefi ne their people. Nkrumah tried this for nine years before being ousted in a Western-backed coup. Ghana remains globally recognised largely because of his legacy. Burkina Faso’s story is equally telling.
After gaining independence in 1960, it languished in undefi ned governance until Thomas Sankara assumed power in 1983. He redefi ned leadership and black pride, but France orchestrated his assassination in 1987. Burkina Faso’s leadership history is a carousel of coups and military rule: Maurice Yaméogo (1960-1966), Sangoulé Lamizana (1966-1980), Saye Zerbo (1980-1982), Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo (1982-1983), Thomas Sankara (19831987), Blaise Compaoré (1987-2014).
The current president, Ibrahim Traoré, came to power in 2022. He has refused to ‘play ball’ with France, expelled French forces, and aligned with Russia. He reportedly survived an US$5 million bribe off ered to his bodyguard for his assassination. The bodyguard’s integrity has stunned many, challenging the stereotype that Africans can be easily bought.
Can we imagine how powerful it would be if AI created by Africans for Africans supported such leaders and their narratives? Colonial laws still rule After reading the article on redefi ning work, Zimbabwean African youths must be inspired but one persistent question remains: Why are African governments still enforcing colonial laws that favour foreigners over locals? One glaring example is the daily harassment of vendors by municipal police in all provinces and many parts of the continent. Even registered shop owners are not spared, facing exorbitant licensing fees and rental rates that stifl e innovation and employment.
This is an African problem. Many young people are forced to migrate not out of desire but desperation. Why has the AU Secretariat not done more to address this? It must move beyond summits and speeches. It must engage youth across the continent, ask tough questions, and dismantle the colonial economic structures still holding us back. It is a cruel irony that the descendants of enslaved and colonised Africans now migrate willingly to the lands of their historical oppressors, while being discouraged from building their futures at home. The spiritual aspect of our struggle cannot be ignored.
Today, most of our people are trapped in foreign religions introduced by colonial powers, which suppress indigenous spirituality. These religions, powered by AI-backed media, continue to drown our traditional beliefs. Yet Zimbabwe, unlike other nations, has fi rsthand experience of the Positive Spiritual World through Mbuya Charwe, in whom Nehanda Nyakasikana manifested during the liberation struggle. No religion in the world boasts of a spirit medium like Nehanda, one that can manifest in times of crisis and guidance. She represents African spirituality.
This is why Mushawevato’s words, “defi ning and redefi ning ourselves in our environmment”, must not gather dust. Every political leader in Africa should begin each year asking: “Have we redefined our policies to favour Africans without external interference?” Satan, for all his resistance against divine annihilation, survives because he is constantly defining and redefining his domain. Shouldn’t Africa do the same for its survival? Africa must adopt AI and use it As it stands, AI is both a threat and an opportunity.
The same technology that can be used to manipulate minds can tinction clock ticks louder. Birth control campaigns fill our streets while hunger, disease and unemployment go unaddressed. also liberate them. AI-generated content, videos, images, lessons, can rewrite the false history taught to African children and replace it with truth and pride. A retired teacher like the man I met in Harare changed his view after seeing an AI-generated video.
Imagine what this could do for a six-year-old exposed to such content from kindergarten. We owe it to our descendants to stop passing on our trauma and failures. Africa is the richest continent in minerals and weather, but the poorest in material and spiritual capital. Despite our history, no force has managed to suppress the spirit of Nehanda. She remains a powerful emblem of African resilience. The Glorious Qur’an reminds us that we often reject true messengers and follow the ones who lead us astray. Let this not continue. Let the 1,3 billion Africans with Nahasi blood in their veins embrace AI, Nehanda, and the concept of redefining our race.
The clock is ticking
We are not alarmists, we are realists. The Chinese and Europeans are already preparing for a future without us. They are building humanoids to do the work Africans once did. As we dither, the ex-tinction clock ticks louder. Birth control campaigns fill our streets while hunger, disease and unemployment go unaddressed.
The song ‘We Shall Overcome’ cannot be sung by a divided race. It is time to wake up. It is time to define and redef ine who we are, politically, spiritually and economically. If AI came to my rescue, it can come to the rescue of our race. Let’s invest in AI education, rooted in African perspectives, to rebuild the selfworth of our people. Let’s use technology not to mimic the oppressor, but to heal, inform, and empower