H.E Ambassador Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, MD FAAFP, has urged African youth not to lose hope in the continent as they have the opportunity to recreate and rebuild Africa to where it once was when it ruled the world.
To that end, she rallied young Africans against imperialism, colonialism and neo-colonialism, what she describes as the three axis of evil for Africa.
For her, the older generation of Africans had failed woefully to defend Africa to break out from its shackles of poverty and underdevelopment, and asked young Africans to unconditionally pardon her generation.
"We have failed you as your elders. We are leaving you an Africa that is not where it should be and for that, we apologize for failing to defend Africa as we should. But all is not lost. You have our commitment; you have our support. We have no choice but to fight till we die and this time, we are going to fight with knowledge”, she said.
The Ambassador was speaking at the 14th Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lecture on the theme: " Imperialism, Colonialism, and Neo-Colonialism - The Three Axis of Evil for Africa."
Dr. Chihombori-Quao addressing participants in the 14th Kwame Nkrumah lectures
Dr. Chihombori-Quao, whose address was received with applause, also pointed out that the battle for true liberation must go on. For that to happen, she said Africans, especially the youth must be empowered with knowledge, facts and the truth.
She reiterated that no one should ever tell African youth that they were not good enough.
"No one should let you feel inferior because you are the mothers and fathers of humanity. It is a fact that without the black man and woman, there would be no life and humanity", she added.
She stated that the whites also realised that the gene for blackness was the only dominant gene, a finding that scared them the most.
“So, their fear of a black man and woman is real which proves that we are indestructible. Once we know all these facts, we shall never feel inferior. We should be standing tall and proclaiming to the world who we are; the proud, beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated, highly adaptable and above all, totally indestructible”, the ambassador stated.
H.E Ambassador Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao (middle) in a group photo with the Chancellor, Dr. Sam Jonah (2nd from left); VC Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong (2nd from right) and the Pro VC, Prof. Rosemond Boohene (1st right) before the lecture
Ambassador Chihombori-Quao expressed the need for Africans to understand the root cause of Africa’s ailment, which would put the continent in a better position to strategize and push back against the Western and now the Eastern worlds which had systematically strategized to keep Africa in a position that leaves it prone to further exploitation.
"The question is, what happened to this beautiful, once vibrant African tree of life? We have to get back to the time when we were invaded by the West. They came and found an amazing continent and took away whatever they could. They wondered about how on earth they could conquer such a people. So, they decided to put in place certain fundamental root causes of African destruction”, she said.
According to Dr. Chihombori-Quao, “They were the same people who set up the stage on how to destroy us systematically."
To address the root of Africa's problems, she took a swipe at the activities of multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, IMF, and the World Trade Organisation for making little impact in bringing about the radical development that the continent needs.
Touching on the mindset, the Ambassador disclosed that the colonialists defeated Africans with their minds, adding that Africans should remember that the battle for them to gain economic liberation starts with the mind.
She, therefore, advocated for the reunification of Africa to stamp out the root problems of Africa.
A section of students at the lecture
The lecture series was chaired by the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Dr. (Sir) Sam Esson Jonah and was also graced by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong; Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rosemond Boohene and the acting Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Aggrey. Others included members of the University’s Management, Nananom, and students of some invited senior high schools, among several others.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC
