In his assessment, Steve Biko looked at Black Campuses as revolutionary, with the students being the tip of the spear in defense of an almost helpless population. He considered student organizations as critical to the changing of the general psyche of black students and, by extension, the psyche of the larger black South Africans in rising above Apartheid.
In his reflection he stated: “Slowly at first and quite fast of late, the black student community is casting aside the old approach towards solving its problems. A definite spirit of independence and an awareness of ourselves as a group with potential strength is beginning to manifest itself in many ways. In many an occasion I found the various campuses not only ready to support, but also eager to join in directing the thinking of SASO [South African Students’ organization.]”
As demonstrated by Biko’s thoughts about five decades ago, the desire for a better world endures.
Just like Biko, Africities manifests Africa’s desire for a more central role in solving its own problems. No one knows your pain and aspirations more than you do. And for Africa, Africities better serves Africa by seeking more home-grown solutions including increased wealth creation and more awareness towards coalition building as integral to Africa’s advancement.
As the lake city of Kisumu plays host to the 9th Africities conference key points to ponder are:
- What challenges are uniquely African?
- Where are our issues stinging the most?
- When can we best address these issues?
- On whom do we put our trust to tackle these challenges?
- How do we develop systems and institutions that best provide sustainable solutions?
- Why is addressing these challenges critical to the progress of Africa?
If well aligned, Africities will shape better thoughts, create increased understanding, develop better cooperation and prosperity that transcends generations and serves posterity.
