Where will Africa be in 2037?

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The World Cup is coming to Africa for the first time since its conception. It is coming to South Africa, and everyone on the continent has deemed it “our world cup”…”time for Africa to shine.” Well, for starters, let it be known that I am an avid football fan, and my favourite team is Manchester United.

Most of the guys I know laugh when I tell them I am a football fan, because at the back of their minds, they know that I am a woman and I know lots about fashion and shopping and nothing about the sport. But my love for the game is so because of the influence my dad had on me when I was little. We used to sit before those old Sanyo black and white television sets and watch Tottenham Hotspurs, but when David Beckham made his début for Man United in 1992, we were forced to shift alliances, and we have never been disappointed by the move.

I supported Italy in 1998, but this year, I am still confused and just the thought of all these teams being in the World Cup, and in Africa, I feel as though my choice has got to be worth the Golden Trophy! South Africa has spent 800 million pounds in preparations for the event, but most people around the world wonder whether the money would not have been better spent enhancing security in that country given RSA’s increased crime rate. But is it not the way of African culture to host a guest better than ourselves? That is the question that one of my friends asked me and I battled with the answer for more days than I care to mention. If it were a European country--or should I say a first world country--the question of expenditure would not be asked. Africa is still a third world continent faced with many issues, including natural calamities, low mortality rates and poverty. So, my question is--Where will Africa be in 2037?

If you have tuned to SuperSport, or any channel available on DSTV, chances are you will have seen the post World Cup commercial where this man shares his experience of the 2010 World Cup. It features the words “Africa in 2037″ at the bottom right. I have a huge problem with that commercial because it shows two things that an African Philosopher, John S. Mbiti, said about our continent. That is, we have a two dimensional sense of time, where we dwell more in the past than in the present or the future. He goes on to say that this is the reason why development and modernization in Africa is slow. Will Africa still have people living in semi-permanent housing and selling things all over the streets? And what is wrong with that you might ask? I say, everything!

To modernize, we must have the mentality to achieve the so desired state. Shall Africa have achieved the Millennium Development Goals or shall we still be asking for donations to feed the hungry in our own continent? Where will Africa be in 2037? What will African leaders have achieved? Will they have made their countries corruption-free or left legacies of poor leadership and plundered economies? Shall we still be asking for grants to set-up our governments, and will we still be losing children to curable diseases like Malaria and dysentery? How many will have been orphaned because of HIV/AIDS?

I am glad that legends like Steve Biko, Marcus Garvey, Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X identified the problem of African thinking. They sought to liberate the African mind first before seeking independence from white oppression, and yet, we still have not been completely liberated. If you have watched the commercial/advert of which I speak (not this one below), take a look at it again, and I am sure you will not only understand the implications of the words spoken by the actors but the background and images too.

This June, I will be supporting; Ivory Coast (because I am a liberated African and they have good players); Egypt--because they have proven worthy by winning the Africa Cup of Nations twice--and Italy, because…I still love the national team with or without Paulo Maldini. I, however, hope that Brazil will get to play against England (my team) so that my team may improve on their defence and tactics.

By 2037, Africa should have achieved its set-up goals and should have become more independent with no corruption. Only time will tell.