“Material want is bad enough but coupled with spiritual poverty it kills. And this latter effect is probably the one that creates mountains of obstacles in the normal course of emancipation of the black people” – Bantu Stephen Biko.
Africities Summit endeavors to address better management of urbanization. To do this, we Africans hold the responsibility to shape how we run our own affairs. During this 9th Africities Summit being held in Kisumu, Kenya it is interesting to watch how the management of cities in Africa address city designs to better manage pandemics and other unforeseen disruptions.
The Africities Summit should line up cities to understand and design housing and parks in a way that enhance better air flow for environmental and health management. Also, better layouts for roads, rails, waterways, and trails that enhance traffic flow will increase quality of life as well as standards of living.
Spiritual poverty is the belief that you are not capable of having the finer things of life; that life is part good and part misery, and the decision to settle for whatever life throws your way. The starting point is clearly deciding what you want and making up your mind to work for it. The Africities summit should thus consider inspiring the citizens of its member cities into thinking big and believing that cities without slums is possible, life without hunger is possible, that streets free of mugging are a possibility and that emergency healthcare without question is practical.
If this Africities summit helps us overcome spiritual poverty and opens our minds to the vast possibilities, our resourcefulness will grow and reach for the best that Africa’s resources provide.
Some of the walkaways in my wish-list for this 9th Africities summit are:
- Clear goals as to what we want, when we want them and a definite approach on how we are going to get them done.
- Plans that create sound physical health and peace of mind for the citizens
- That the participants and their citizens develop a love for what they do and advance their skills for better service delivery
- That we attain true confidence in undertaking all that is required to achieve our dreams
- That we leave this conference with a new looking glass that looks at Africa’s cities as places of great promise and undying prosperity
- Finally, that we put all these together and use them as tools that help us enrich Africa and the world at large.
This is the magic of overcoming spiritual poverty. It gives you the master key to anything and everything you want. And this, I wish for Africa.
