Walter Rodney, a Ghanaian activist murdered at 38, argued that Africa's underdevelopment came from African choices, not external forces. The speaker warns that modern media distracts Africans from productive work, and that blaming leaders won't change anything without personal responsibility.
Chapters
What I found out as a student of history is that history in itself is brutal. It's true. History is not kind. History is not fair. Accurate stories are correct documentations of events, and they are not perfect. They reveal both flaws and maybe heroes and villains. It's true that there has been part of our journey of faith and the history of Christianity in Africa that is quite brutal. It's true that the Bible was used by some people to enslave the first generation of slaves. It's true that slave masters preached from the Bible to justify what they were doing. It's true that some of the most iconic figures celebrated across the world, even America, owned slaves in that era. It's true, but the fact that it is true according to history doesn't make Christianity itself bad. Some have used it, as some still use it now, for their own personal gain. But until we come to accept from the standpoint of what is true about history, we'll keep making fool of ourselves. And there's a story I like to bring in that regard, and that's the story of the man called Walter Rodney. He was a 38-year-old writer and activist who was killed specifically at the age of 38 with a bomb by his own country. He was the one who authored the book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, powerful book. And I recommend that book for those who want to study. And one of the things he said in that book that I kind of agree with is the fact that Africa is where she is because of Africans. And if there's going to be any true change to Africa, it will be caused not by those in diaspora, but by Africans. And he said the primary reason why Africa is still in shackles is because Africa is distracted. And I think it's true. Karl Marx might have said it in a way that religion truly is the opium of the masses, but I think there's something also as complex as religion is, and that's media. It has become a powerful tool, and it can also be destructive in its tendencies depending on how we choose to navigate it. Recent times, it is appalling. To see people denounce creativity, and you need to see young people doing funny stuff on social media platforms in the name of streaming. And it's not even the streaming that is a concern, it's the thousands of people who have relinquished their duty and their pursuit to be viewers all their lives. You see, we cannot participate in such idleness and come back to blame our countries and the leaders of our nations as to why we are where we are.
