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In his piece titled, Global coloniality and the challenges of creating African futures, prolific scholar Professor Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni asks: “Can Africans create African futures within a modern world system structured by global colo-niality?”

The paper analyses the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in light of global coloniality as well as the Pan-African virtues of self-reliance, integration, unity and solidarity.  

Prof Ndlovu explains global coloniality as thus: “A modern global power structure that has been in place since the dawn of Euro-North American-centric modernity. This modernity is genealogically and figuratively traceable to 1492 when Christopher Columbus claimed to have discovered a ‘New World’. It commenced with enslavement of black people and culminated in global coloniality.”

According to the African Union, Agenda 2063 is Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming the continent into the global powerhouse of the future. The roadmap to Agenda 2063 insists on coordinated development, full co-operation and integration in order to achieve “the Africa we all want”, an Africa that is not dependent on former co-lonial masters.

We were reminded of Prof Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s works on Monday following Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa’s engagement with Ghanaian blogger Mr Kobina Ackon, popularly known as Wode Maya.

Minister Monica Mutsvangwa

Befittingly, Minister Mutsvangwa told the media after the meeting that Africans have a duty to tell their own story.

Wode Maya is one such African. He has dedicated himself to telling the true African story and fighting false narra-tives.

He has now visited 25 African countries including Rwanda and Namibia and documented stories that expose the single narrative about Africa.

Some of Wode Maya’s stories have reportedly attracted more visitors and investment in African countries that were being shunned because of a single narrative.

Further, Wode Maya has taken Africa’s true story to social media. He has created a name for himself on YouTube and his reach is global.

He has been in Zimbabwe since last month and has been telling the true Zimbabwean story.  

So, can Africans create African futures within a modern world system structured by global coloniality? The answer is: YES!

But first, Africans have to take charge of the narrative. Africans have to own their story. Africans have to debunk the false single narrative that is dominating media space.    

Zimbabwe’s own Prof Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni is doing this on intellectual space while the likes of Wode Maya are holding forth on social media.

The dream of an Africa we all want is only possible when Africans tell their own stories.

We must never forget that the single narrative of Africa was created to dehumanise the African and promote the dependency syndrome. To the imperialist master, Africans must always be at the periphery of their future, economy, politics and resources. It is the coloniser that must remain at the centre. 

Story by story, young people like Wode Maya are changing the world. Story by story, they are creating African futures within a modern world system.