Africa needs partners and not donors?

25 Sep, 2016 - 00:09 0 Views
Africa needs partners and not donors?

The Sunday News

africa

Successful Solutions with Kilton Moyo

I WAS just meditating on the words of the Lord Jesus as quoted by Paul in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I have also heard people gladly declare, “Blessed is the hand that gives than that which receives.”

There is so much truth and power in these words. According to God, it is more blessed to give than to receive. This means that if I want more blessings from God, I must be in the habit of giving to others. Blessings never come so easy, beloved. However, Africa thinks the other way round.

I want to look at this principle from the context of our people in Africa. It will appear that Africa is not aware of this principle that has kept the other world so blessed. I do not understand why generally speaking, it is so hard for Africa to give even to herself. I have tried to find out but the only thing that I notice is a mindset that believes giving is for the rich. The thinking that Africa is too poor to give is very unfortunate. I am not sure where this comes from but I believe it comes from religion and culture too. The assumption that poor people cannot give is being used as a science in development work all over Africa.

Donor agents and many others that work among the communities have systematically kept Africans in poverty by perpetuating this mindset that the poor cannot give and communities are too poor to give towards their own development. I am one who believes that the way out of our lack and sickening poverty in Africa lies within us as Africans. I am one who believes that true development will only be realised when communities take it upon themselves to fund their way to the top.

I am one who believes Africa has been deceived and only Africa can deliver herself. I am one who flatly refuses that African communities are too poor to build themselves. I believe strongly in my heart, that if we want development in our communities, we must mobilise resources from within our communities and those who come from elsewhere can only add to what we have. Where are our rich people in Africa? The challenge is that even the rich in this continent do not know how to give to Africa. Their riches are for showing off, profiling and oppressing others more. We do not need donors but partners.

Now who can partner with our communities when they have nothing but begging bowls?

Our communities are so lost in this “we are poor mindset”. Everywhere you go, they believe they have nothing. They have no money, no resources, and no ideas. Now this is the trap. Our people cannot see beyond this mindset. They believe they cannot do anything by themselves. We have worsened this by responding to this deception by giving at every turn free things. Politics in Africa has also taken advantage of this deception and kept our people believing in their poverty more than their success.

Foreign aid has also taken its portion. Religion also has played a role here. Pardon me my beloved, but the truth is I do not understand the current mindset portrayed by sections of the Church. In Zimbabwe, over the past years, companies have been closing down and people losing jobs and income. Some of these people attend churches and are also members of various groupings. It is the church’s response to this that baffles me.

Big guys with mega bucks invaded the industrial sites and turned factories into auditoriums. I ask myself, Is this the right way of doing it now? Is this the only opportunity these guys see in all this? Was it not going to be more relevant had these people put their monies together and reopened factories and gave people hope? I had thought and hoped the Church would demonstrate the Kingdom of God mentality and show the world how things are done. However, I realise that it is the same African mindset also afflicting the Church. We want somebody to come from somewhere to do it; meanwhile we will just maintain the status quo. Africa must be saved.

Our key to success as Africa is in our realisation that we can do it on our own. We need to realise that there is a huge blessing in giving than in receiving. Our people just love to receive things. Even the working class still hungers over free things. They still can cheat the poor to get free things. The free things syndrome has robbed us of our blessing. I walked past the market place along 5th Ave the other day and my heart sank. Have you seen the things that are being sold there? Where are they from? Someone has given away their old stuff only for us to receive and turn into business.

Our key to success as Africa lies in our inner power to rid ourselves of the second class mentality. We somehow have believed we are second hand to anything. We love junk and we love handouts. Africa, who has bewitched you?

Our success as Africa lies in our recognition that we are rich despite circumstances that state the contrary. Our riches lie in our giving. Our riches lie in our coming together to partner each other and put our meager resources together and beat the world. If only those who do development in our communities could teach them to give, to put together their resources and seek partnerships, Africa will turn this corner.

To achieve this we need to seriously delearn this poverty mindset. Poverty is a mindset that refuses to see opportunity. We have such an opportunity in Zimbabwe to turn Africa upside down with goodness. We have such an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that there is power when people can come together to do what they want to do. The money we need for our development is in our communities and not in Europe. The love and compassion we need for each other is within us.

The healing of our communities is within the communities. It will not come from outside. Everything we need is within us and in our communities. We lack the desire to push one more step into the deep and get out and shine.

Africa can do it and Zimbabwe is to lead the way. The Church can breathe a fresh mindset to us all. There is hope for Africa.

There is a future in Africa but it’s not in donors. It is in partnerships. Africa partnering with Africa for the good of Africa.

Kilton Moyo is the author of Celebrating My Africanness. A book written for Africa in these last days. You can call him on +263 775 337 207 and +263712384 841. You can also email him at [email protected].

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