Macron, Russia 2018 and renovated Africa

Unless you live in denial or in the land of dreams, you must be fully aware now that Africa, as a continent, has been sent to Russia 2018, a very sad reality. The fact that no African country survived the first round of the World Cup is a serious cause for concern and should, under normal or paranormal circumstances, be a major reason for the World Cup. African Union to convene an emergency meeting. Perhaps, the only Africans still participating in the World Cup are those of the French national side, Les Blues, a great enigma indeed juxtaposed with the comments attributed to the young president, Emmanuel Macron, during his recent visit to Nigeria, not the New. Afrika Shrine

Responding to a question about how France is planning to fight terrorism in Africa, Macron said and I quote: "The main plan is an African plan, and France is not the only one. to solve or settle African situations We are always present in the African Sahel to fight against terrorism, especially in Mali and in the region and we will stay as long as our friends ask for it. This is how African governments in different African countries are organizing to fight terrorism and get rid of these people, especially jihadists. "

President Macron then calls on African leaders to solve the problem. economic problems in their countries, adding that this is one of the reasons why people join terrorist groups. "That's why it's very important to build not only a security approach, but a stabilization approach at the same time to offer new opportunities to these people," he added. In a way, Macron said that the principle of French colonial badimilation is no longer viable in modern times. Africa must now fend for itself. And these Africans from the French team are at work, for the love of God. They make a living!

Macron's brutal and frank response came months after Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo literally unmasked him during his state visit to Ghana. A somewhat similar question about how the French plan to help develop the Ghanaian economy and an obviously embarrbaded Akufo-Addo said without chewing his words: "We need to move away from this state of mind of addiction. This state of mind on "what can France do for us?" France will do everything it wants to do for itself, and when these will coincide with the ours, "as much" [so much better] as the French say … we must do in this 21st century to move Africa away from the cap and ask for help, charity, donations. The African continent, when you look at its resources, should give money to other places … We have to have a state of mind that says we can do it … and a Once we have this state of mind, we will see a liberating factor. 19659003] Shortly after watching Macron's visit on television and pondering over his words and those of Akufo-Addo, I met an Egyptian in a shop, who started a conversation with me on the World Cup and bitterly regretted the treatment teams. In short, he put the African exit of the tournament to a meeting by the Europeans. I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I was trying to make him see how badly the African teams were prepared and the fact that we did not have many top stars in our teams, he refused to listen. He even showed me his coaching identity card to prove to me that he knew what he was talking about. And that is our problem as a people. We refuse to face the facts even the facts face us!

Africa would be the cradle of civilization, and rightly so, but where did it come from or did it leave us? To be the first and the most we are now the last and the least! How did it go? What other explanations can we give other than poor leadership, lack of planning, lack of vision, greed and corruption? And what can we do to reverse the trend before Africa disappears like our football?

There is no doubt about the abundance of human and natural resources across the African continent. Likewise, there is no doubt about the mbadive lack of visionary leadership on the continent. And there is no doubt that the issue of terrorism, war and poverty will continue to plague the continent, if nothing urgent is done. Look at Nigeria with a huge youthful population band and huge natural resources but missing almost everything! The sad thing is that other African countries are looking to Nigeria to show the way but we are instead showing them the treacherous path that leads to nowhere good.

So, I want to recommend that perhaps Kwame Nkrumah's Pan-Africanism is the key to renewed Africa. This must be contradicted by the unique kind of Africa that late President Muammar Gaddafi was exploring – where a strong man (he, for example) will rule Africa. I speak of a united Africa that shares common ideals and goals that will help it grow and compete with other continents. The reality is that everything that affects one country invariably affects other particularly contiguous neighbors.

The African Union is expected to convene a conference that will feature the continent's political and economic leaders and some of the best Africans in the diaspora to chart a new course for the continent. If the African Football Confederation (CAF) feels shame, emergency meetings should now attempt to decode what went really wrong and how to avoid embarrbadment in 2022. Strategic interventions in football's base, national leagues and football academies are perhaps the fastest ways to change the ugly narrative of Africa to Russia in 2018. As for the biggest challenges of political instability and the economic stagnation, the time to sit down and ask yourself tough and urgent questions is now. We have the men. We have women. We have natural resources.

France will NOT solve our problem. Britain will not do it. The United States will certainly not do it – not with Donald Trump in the saddle. We must get by and be very fast or Africa will become a theater of the absurd and, God forbid, a theater of war and misery

Emeka Oparah writes of Lagos