I have seen a trending Tic-Tok video of the First Lady of Sierra Leone Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, and I must state that I am deeply impressed by the lady. I do not know much about her husband, Julius Maada Wonie Bio, the current President of that country. But from what I saw of his wife on social media, she surely contributes her own to that union of husband and wife.
In that video, Madam Bio laments about the fact that foreigners (it used to be the West but now it would seem that all of the world but Africans) control the mineral and mining resources of her country. These are mineral and mining resources found in her country, a black African country, which wealth should have gone to the people of Sierra Leone, but ends up elsewhere, in China, Europe, America, Australia.
And she makes a point that is significant; she says that any ruling president who tries to fight these cabals that control mining in her country, would find himself under attack. First, they would throw their support behind the most promising opposition leader, then create instability for you among the populace.
It is a play that these foreign interests have played since the days of Patrice Lumumba; which continues to succeed today.
Interestingly, this type of game, seems to be playable only on the continent of Africa. Recently, it was reported that Donald Trump tried to play the same game with the people of Ukraine, and was told in no uncertain terms where he could take his nonsense and stick his shrinking nuts.
You see, the Ukrainians, unlike we Africans, know that there are things about which they should and must coalesce, no matter the political division.
Madam Bio was right in all that she said about colonial and foreign interests owning the mining wealth of her country. She should have added, that unless Africans learn to see things beyond partisanship, that until Africans learn that some things are so national, so African, that we cannot compromise on these things, we shall see no progress.
Unfortunately, this is Africa, the continent where we allowed a few white bodies to come, build armies of thousands of black bodies, which were used to subdue the rest of the continent, made up mainly of millions of black bodies.
We even agreed to capture our own to sell into slavery.
And when you come from a continent like that, the likes of Madam Bio should be fresh air itself.
Madam Bio represents a new type of African that we are beginning to see, that should give us hope that there are better days ahead.
Another such progressive African leader is Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, the current President of Senegal. I have heard and read reports that he is discouraging people acquiring his portrait and hanging same in their offices, and this pleases me no end.
He is reported to have written on his social media platform;
“DIOMAYE FAYE, President of Senegal: “I don’t really want my photographs in your offices, because I’m not a God or an icon, but a servant of the nation. Hang pictures of your children instead and look at them every time you want to make a decision, and whenever the spirit of theft visits you, take a good look at your family’s picture and ask yourself if they deserve to be the family of a thief who has destroyed the nation.”
In all honesty, these are words that should be crafted in gold, and hung up in every doorway leading to a public place on the continent of Africa.
About twenty-three years ago, I visited a public office held by a friend (I forget who) and immediately felt my hackles going up when I saw the portrait of the President John Agyekum Kufuor on the wall.
Don’t get me wrong; Mr. Kufuor is somebody I admire and have no beef with. However, I believed then, and I believe now, that he is far away from what we should hold up as a national cultural standard, an icon, a standard of behavior.
Later, I felt the same umbrage when the pictures of Kufuor came down, and those of John Evans Atta Mills went up.
And that tradition (wrongfully) persists even to today.
A few hours after John Dramani Mahama was sworn in, a video emerged of some misguided person removing a portrait of Akufo-Addo from some public place. Once again, do not misunderstand me; it was misguided to put up Nana Addo’s portrait in the first place.
I have no doubt, that today, John Mahama’s portraits are occupying the places of honour. And no doubt that in a few years, these same portraits would be removed with the same disgust that Akufo-Addo’s portraits were removed.
By then, of course, more millions would have been spent printing the portraits. And even more billions stolen by members of the current administration with the portrait of Mr. Mahama hanging on the wall.
As Bassirou Diomaye Faye said, it is not about the portrait, but about inculcating personal values that do not lead to impoverishment for future generations.
It gladdens my heart, that we are seeing these new type of Africans, who can speak such sense!
(Periscope Depth of 10th March, 2025. Periscope Depth appears every Monday in the Daily Searchlight).
