Speech at the launch of OAYouth in Gambia yesterday 4 April 2011.
Mordekai Chikambure Shumba
Changing Attitudes, inspiring action and being the future
Speech by OAYouth President, Mordekai Shumba, read at the official launch of the organisation in Gambia 4 April 2011.
Good Day to you all.
Let me first express my gratitude for your presence at this important gathering. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the OAYouth Executive team. Today we are launching our dream for the future in The Gambia in the form of Organisation of African Youth (OAYouth).
We do so mindful of the fact that Africa is a youthful continent. About 60% of the population is youth. OAYouth unifies all of these young people. Now is the time for youth to take initiatives and prepare a future with quality leadership that honestly serve the people. That initiative begins with you.
I say this remembering the words of Franz Kafka. He says that, “Not everyone can see the truth, but he can be it.” You are Africa’s truth. The truth that this century is for Africa. The truth that this year is the year for youth. It is the truth that there is a leader in each and every one of us. You only need to look inside. You are the truth.
Now, if so many people all over the world now believe in you the youth, why can’t you start believing in yourself? Let today be the beginning for all youth in Gambia. In coming together you are setting the example and the stage to unify all young people throughout the continent.
Today’s young people are regarded as a disintegrated generation. But we can all change that by inspiring others to act. We all can do that regardless of our lack of skills, poverty or terrible life histories.
I am inspired by my own life, which I would like to share and inspire you all who believe in Progress. It was the worst that society can condemn a child with. Yet I know that my life is not so unique. What it tells us is that we all can survive and be good citizens and leaders no matter the difficulties.
I was orphaned at a very young age. My father passed on when I was 4. As in some African traditions the uncles are required to remarry the wife of the deceased and inherit the property. My mom did not accept that, so she had to be forced to leave everything except her children. We still see this today as women fail to make headway in finding their own footing in the African society.
As I grew up, like a soccer ball I was tossed from one relative to another facing physical abuse of lynching. I still bear the scars. At 8 I still remember everyday being waken up at night to go work in the fields, and then go to school in the morning. In the life of a young person this abuse can mould a cowed and submissive personality that has no assertiveness.
When the beatings became too much I ran away and became a Street Kid. I lived in the streets for about three years. I cannot tell you how painful it is to sleep in the open, suffering the cold and not knowing what to eat the next day. I survived sometimes sleeping in bridges, eating rotten food from bins, separating the part that did not have maggots. I know some kids that killed each other for food, losing their innocence for something so basic. Some have become criminals and are in jails, because they have never known a life other than being animals.
One day a certain couple helped me to look up some distant relatives. That’s how I started going to school again. The rough life did not abate, but I remember as young boy believing that education was the only way I would get out. From 11 years I lived a life of extreme poverty, never knowing what new clothes felt like. I used to trap mice in the fields and selling to see myself to school. I learnt to be good with a catapult shooting and trapping birds, domesticating doves and selling them.
During holidays, I would herd cattle for some families in the village. I used to work in the fields of neighbours for money or clothes. We would wake up at night to go to the fields, and then go to school in the morning. At times I would join a group of people that were illegally panning gold in the River Ngezi, in Zvishavane area. I never gave up, and that’s the spirit we shall imbue in our comrades facing same life head-scrathing and half-stepping.
At 15 my mother passed on. She was the first person I have ever known to die of HIV/AIDS. It is through her that I understand bravery of bearing the scars of the stigma and the pain of standing tall even when knowing that death was knocking. At that time there were no anti-retrovirals like today, where we know that AIDS is no longer a death sentence. Today all of us shall help each other to know and fight HIV/AIDS. The duty is for youth to change behavior and attitudes.
I grew up and moved away from my distant relatives, living my life on my own. I learnt to scrounge around for money doing odd jobs in the city, writing in the local newspapers and getting paid bits so I could go to college. I never lost hope.
As an adolescent, alone in the world without a home I also tried to make a family of my own. Without much advice from anyone elderly, I decided to get married. That marriage did not last. And until today I am a single father living with my son alone. This again is what makes our young people very unproductive, as we continue to see so many divorces and single young parents because of lack of support to understand the complexities in personal relationships.
As a young man I started to see the injustices around me. I became a student leader as well as a human rights defender. The political situation in Zimbabwe worsened to the extent that we saw people being beaten every day.
This was the time I was kidnapped by the ZANU-PF thugs and beaten and tortured throughout a night that, gives me nightmares even today. At some point we all wish to die. That is what pain induced by another human being can cause. I remember blacking out 3 times while they poured cold water on me and start all over again. I remember a young lady who had also been taken, who they were taking turns to rape.
Around dawn some of the youths took me to a police station where I was thrown in holding cells, waiting to be “interrogated”. I still feel the crawling of maggots on my skin as I lay in a windowless and dark cell on the floor full of vomit, urine and stool.
Just around 6am when the officers’ shift was changing, the new officer in charge came banging on cell bars asking what we had been arrested for. I was one of the political prisoners who had not been logged. I just told him I had been arrested for public fighting. The idiot asked me to pay him the money for his personal use so he could release me. I phoned a friend who paid him and I left and fled to South Africa where I live today, in exile.
As youth we need to work together and ensure that these conflicts are minimized. We can not allow politicians to divide us with ethnic hatreds, racism and religious fanatism. We must rise above that and learn to communicate with each other across these divides.
Many of our youth in Africa have gone through at least one of these difficulties I faced. That should not stop them from contributing to Africa’s growth. Some became criminals because they could not take it. We shall help them. Some choose to end their lives. We should speak to each other supporting each other wherever possible. Personally I got involved in founding Organisation of African Youth, because I don’t ever want anyone to live the life I have lived. Today together through OAYouth we will give each other courage inspiring each other with hope.
All difficulties add a lot to how tough we become. Let that pain inspire you to act. Let my story inspire all of you to move from the ground floor of progress. Africa requires young people who are prepared to face challenges.
We will conquer with love. We will confront the stigma of AIDS by assisting those that have been afflicted. We will give each other support through discussions and acting what we say. We shall donate effort to communities by volunteering to those who cannot work for themselves and at orphanages. We shall confront injustices and speak out against abuse of women and irresponsible politics. Yes we shall make our leaders accountable. We shall solve problems through dialogue and avoid conflict because fighting takes away energy from developing Africa.
We are the empowered youth that will set up projects for entrepreneurship training so that now we don’t have to look for jobs, but create them. That is how poverty can be wiped out.
As youth we need to intervene and feed the world by getting into Agriculture. Africa has so much natural resource provision. It’s the youth that can harness them by being energetic, imaginative and inspiring all people around us to see opportunity under every rock.
Africans, we have come this far but we cannot expect new results when we continue doing the same thing over and over. It’s time for us to work. “TO reach the port of heaven,” writes American author and Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, “we must sail; sometimes with the wind, sometimes against it – but we must sail not drift nor lie at anchor.” It’s time to change our attitudes, to inspire action and be the future.
That’s the African youth I know, who never give up. And for Gambia it starts today.
God Bless You
Mordekai Chikambure Shumba
OAYouth President
Andre Mostert
I hope you well. Today is the last day to comment on the National Treasury's,
I attach a comment paper which some on this list might find of interest.
Some of you will know about the Aware Yet campaign started by the Village
Scribe Association (see the Facebook page) or follow on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/#!/aware_Yet
Lets raise the awareness of the global crisis that is youth unemployment.
When it affects dictatorships (Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, etc) it is interesting
but how long can democracies go with high levels of unemployment. Are you
Aware Yet?
You can also become a friend of the Petchey Centre on Facebook........
Thank you.
Andre
If you are a business start up can I request that where possible you contact
me by phone to discuss your needs.
Andre Mostert
Development Manager
Petchey Centre for Entrepreneurship
Knowledge Dock Business Centre
University of East London
University Way
London E16 2RD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8223 7364
Mob: + 44 (0) 7903099565
against it - but we must sail not drift nor lie at anchor." It's time to
change our attitudes, to inspire action and be the future.
That's the African youth I know, who never give up. And for Gambia it starts
today.
God Bless You
Mordekai Chikambure Shumba
OAYouth President
This message has been scanned for malware by Websense. www.websense.com