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St. Cloud State University
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Africa Night: You can make a difference
By Phil Appiahene-gyamfi
Published:
Monday, October 28, 2002
Phil Appiahene-gyamfi -- Guest Column
African Night is one of the activities held at SCSU every year to create awareness of the cultural diversity of the university community. African Night also serves as a vehicle for entertaining the university community and the general public and educating them about the rich cultural heritage and development problems of Africa.
For centuries, the African continent has been the source of minerals such as gold, diamond, bauxite, manganese, copper and iron for the so-called developed countries. Colonization and slave trade disrupted the development process of the indigenous people and kingdoms such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai.
In recent years, diseases, political instability, ethnic wars, corruption, mismanagement and poverty have characterized the continent. Although political leaders, international development institutions, non-governmental organizations and some governments of the so-called developed countries have tried to help the continent reverse its negative trend in development, most of the problems have been aggravated by the forces of international trade, neocolonization, globalization and brain drain.
During the course of our studies at SCSU, students of African descent have to seriously think about the contributions they can make to their home countries. On our return home, we can actively participate in many activities and in many capacities to solve some of the problems highlighted in the preceding paragraph.
It is high time we stopped blaming everything on the vagaries of colonization and neocolonization. Active participation in community development and educational programs will help some of the socio-economic problems and create a better future for future generations.
We don't have to expect governments of the so-called developed countries, international development institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF to determine the nature and pace of our economic and social development process. Our destiny should be in our own hands.
This is the time for us to realize where we are coming from and what we can do to better our beloved continent. We are the future leaders and the future of the continent dependence on us.
It is my hope that this year's African Night will be a wake up call for students of African descent to prepare for leadership roles that will be beneficial to our home countries and future generations. Each and every one of us can make a difference. I wish everyone the best in everything they are engaged in.
