Introducing “The African Renaissance Column” on Face2Face Africa

By: Wilson Aiwuyor

The African Renaissance column will feature articles and analysis bordering on issues and events that affect Africa’s transformation and the well-being of people in the pan African world.

The simple objective of this column is to make the outside world and some Africans stop looking at Africa and people of African descent the old fashioned way. The world has changed and Africa is changing. But many still see the Motherland through the lens that over the centuries magnified Africa as a continent of nothing more than disaster, hunger, diseases, political crisis and failed states, cultural and intellectual inferiority and backwardness. Many historical realities caused or aggravated Africa’s woes. These include colonialism, blatant racism, the impacts of the Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, and poor leadership on the continent. While some of these realities have changed, the others are now being confronted. But many people around the world are not informed about the true state of things, and as a result still subscribe to the old distorted view of Africa.

The "African Renaissance" as a vision is used by Africans as a reference to an era where Africa would be more stable, peaceful, and prosperous. The dream of the African Renaissance is informed by the historic struggle of the African people and based on emerging realities in Africa and the world. Therefore, the African Renaissance column will be doing critical reflection and analyses on what this vision means for Africa and the world. The column will be examining the capacity that Africa possesses for the realization of the Renaissance. It will also be examining the impediments that stand in the way of the realization of the Renaissance. The African Renaissance column will also bring to public light the efforts being made by Africans who are determined to overcome these impediments.
The column will follow socio-economic and political trends in Africa and beam a light on Africa’s relations with other global actors to see how the web of global economic and political interactions either contribute to or impede the realization of the vision of the African Renaissance.

We shall also be looking at Africa’s strategic importance to the future of humanity. In May 2010, President Sarkozy of France mentioned that Africa is the future of the world, when he said, "Africa is our future. For a long time on the periphery, the African continent is asserting itself more and more as a major player in international life; France and Europe need Africa…." China is engaging Africa for resources as much as the West (Europe and America) is trying to reconsolidate its relationship with the continent. Brazil, India, and Russia are trying to hold their own in Africa. These developments have made some analysts to believe that there is a new scramble for Africa. Why is the world scrambling for the "African cake?" What does this mean for Africa? What do Africans need to do? The African Renaissance column will engage its readers with these questions and try to pass informed viewpoints and facts across.

We encourage our readers to engage with us and contribute articles that address the objectives of the column.