The emergence of a black man as the president of America has shown the world, especially the black race what is possible, (if they would work it). In 2008, I read one of Obama’s books, The Audacity of Hope and knew that the man was up to something big! And I wasn’t so surprised when Americans voted him in as their number one man. (This message of hope could also be preached to the black race).

Interestingly, one line became more like a buzz word in Obama’s campaign messages: yes! We can. That is the language and the spirit of true winners, which today has turned all his yesterday’s dreams to become a reality against all odds. When translated in a local parlance, ‘yes! We can’ could mean ‘yes! We fit’. This is an immense lesson that Obama has left for every black-skinned man and woman.

Let’s bring this message home. Our dear continent is almost in a state of hopelessness, and desperately in need of the introduction of this Obamaic spirit and attitude. It’s noteworthy that President Obama is our brother and has shown that it is in our blood (as Africans) to cause positive change whenever we decide to think it and act it. But the problem is that many of us have failed to realize this, and equally have not taken adequate steps to making it happen.

It is ten years into the twenty-first century and it’s the same old story about our Mother land, if not worse. We are still far away from the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), which is just few years away.

Sometimes I will wonder if we must remain like this forever. God forbid! But something decisive must be done to reverse this ugly state of Africa and make this continent a home indeed. And it’s our responsibility; you and I and every African all over the world to realize this objective.

Often times, when I look at this continent, I’d wonder what our problem really is; blessed in every way but we are still far from development and human advancement. I have been privilege to in a couple of African countries, and see that same Africanness in everywhere I go. Ironically, that Africanness (identity) is not what we should be proud of. It’s the same backwardness, the same struggle, the same hunger, the same political instability, the same poor health facility,…and the worse of all, the same mentality! I just feel like correcting this anomaly (that we have come to embrace) by the wave of hands but then again, it’s not so.

There is better life than what we have seen and known, and every African deserves it! Africans still watch how other people live outside this continent. We can live the same, if not better. However, we can only reach this new height when we change the way we think. Africa is more than what the world think we are, and even what we think of ourselves and our race. It’s a sheer self-inflicted wound for us to settle for something less when we can do more. And we can.

I may not be wrong to say that things were relatively better when I was younger (I mean in country Nigeria). The big question now is: where did we get it wrong. What has happened to our Africa? This has become more like a rhetoric question. There are different answers as there are different people’s perspectives to this subject. But it still boils down to not just our bad actions, but largely our inactions influenced by our mental posture; looks more like slave mentality! Africans must make progress within for it to show without. And truly we can; I mean we fit!

The problem of Africa is in our failure to rise up to the occasion, and face our challenges head-on. There’s nothing like African mentality. Somebody tell me, where on earth did that word came from in the first place? Why can’t the so-called Africa mentality be what to celebrate? Be it as it may, it’s not over with our beloved continent.

The truth is that we can write this story and we can; I mean we fit! We fit provide quality education for our children. We fit live in a crime-free society. We fit live in an environment where good health facilities will no longer be a luxury. We fit upgrade our high standard of living. Yes, we fit! Only you and I can make it be. African can have a pride of place in the comity of nations.

But we’ve got to think right and take right responsibility to making them be. It’s not over with our race. Fellow Africans, it’s not over with us. And that change can begin with you and me. Our fathers may have failed us but we should not fail our children. Let’s see that change, let’s embrace it, work it, and then we’d have it. The time to begin is now! It’s in our hands to re-write history. Indeed, Africa can and we will. Later, it would not only be said that we fit, and that we did! God bless our homeland Africa.

Tony Ajah