&un#t 26, 1994
Mayibuye iAfrica The President's Welcome
MID MORNING IN AFRICA
Shingai Jaravaza
Staff Writer
Brutal scenes of slain human
beings, bodies sprawled across
potholed streets, a myriad of ema
ciated, afraid people hurrying
along worn, war-torn, dirt roads as
fast as their enervated bodies will
allow them to flee the brute sav
agery they leave in their wake. A
pitiful sight of Rwanda.
Scrawny individuals with bone
definition distinct enough for easy
study in any anatomy class, chil
dren with distended bellies and
chapped lips, bulging eyes with an
empty stare, empty as their unfed
stomachs swollen up by malnutri
tion. Galling scenes from the
Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia.
The constant crack of machine
guns, swithering of machetes, cold
uncalculated spilling of blood...the
anguish and loss caused by the rav
ages of war, tribal warfare laying
African nations barren.
Fertile lands unattended, some
rapidly transformed to deserts by
over-cultivation. A distinct vivid
picture of a continent dangling on
shoe strings, clenching to hope,
emerges. These are all scenes from
the place I call home, one which
will ever remain close to my heart,
one which is my heart. Indeed you
cannot turn on the television and
not find those pictures of lost, tired
and hungry children, but almost
surely you will not find the pictures
of all the things that are right with
the place I call home, MY HOME
AFRICA.
Over the next year, Martin
Khamala (Kenya), Thebe
Mphenyeke (South Africa) and I
(Zimbabwe) will take you on a
Word Safari. Together we'll ex
plore the deep dark mystery of the
African continent. A place that
many would subject to poor or
unelaborate judgement, some
brush off as lost, and most never
think of other than as a habitat for
wild animals. While not denying
the existence of problems, we do
not wallow in them. Rather we
seek through creative thoughts and
efforts to examine all that is right
about our motherland and build on
that to create a stronger home for
us and our children. Welcome to
this expedition through what has
sometimes been given the misno
mer "The Dark Continent".
Africa sits under the dubious
cover of a thick grey black nimbo
cumulus. Cracks of machine gun
fire and bomb explosions in some
of the most volatile parts are like
ominous thunder and lightning. Yet
surely there are winds blowing
over the continent, breezes of
change. Areas of light and sun
shine are becoming ever more
common as they peep through
those clouds of despair. Those
patches of sunlight...hope and
achievement...are becoming more
commonplace. Egypt, Ghana,
Mauritius, Uganda, Zimbabwe,
Botswana, and most recently
South Africa, all nations ushering
in a new era of African success.
Many of Africa's successes go
by unnoticed. In the recent past we
have seen subsiding and ending
civil wars. Eritrea, Angola,
Mozambique have emerged from
carnage similar to Rwanda. Suc
cessful fair and free transitions to
democracy have occurred in Zam
bia, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa,
and most recently Malawi; very
few are cognizant of this factor.
The Africans here at Guilford are
seen proudly displaying their heri
tage, unflinchingly proud ambas
sadors of their nations. We herald
a new generation of Africans com
mitted to the amelioration of our
individual nations, and that, mani
fest in the stability and peace of
the whole continent.
Africa has been the of
colonial exploitation and extortion.
Following the imperial tragedy
many countries have suffered at
the hands of unscrupulous dicta
tors and slanderous leaders who,
in cohorts with Western neo
colonialists, maliciously drove a
giant sword through the heart of
their nations. Yet the enduring
spirit of the people lives on, un
daunted by the cruelty. Despite the
greyness and forecasts of doom,
African people are buoyed into
freedom by their joy-filled hearts
and hopeful spirits. As sunny and
beautiful as the climate are the
hearts of the people, all this seen
in abundance in the warmth of the
African's smile.
Equally abundant is a plethora
of resources that have fallen into
the hands and management of in
ept, greedy men and women. Af
rica cannot, however, take a back
seat and cling to a mentality that
will incarcerate us in the spell and
web of the "victim syndrome".
Instead, as we are beginning to see,
we Africans will increasingly act
to take our own destiny into our
hands. This will be a process of re
instilling pride in the heritage that
is ancient, and civilization that was
developed well before Westerniza
tion. The integration of indigenous
principals into the character fiber
of the continent and more particu
larly the nation states of Africa,
Please see AFRICA page 4
iPertptttiiK*
Bill Rogers
Special to The Guilfordian
[
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of had
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BAGS
By Samsonite.
©1994 Samsonite Corp.
A warm welcome to all students
and faculty!
Getting away each summer for
a few weeks in Maine, as Bev and
I do, helps bring perspective to
Guilford. Sailing quietly on
Penobscot Bay, we reflect on the
friendships and great sense of
community that pervades the col
lege -- the sense of academic pur
pose, and the strong convictions
that we share for an open, just, and
humane society. Returning to the
intensity of our lives here, we
bring (as we hope you do) a sense
I —MM — KL
Joe Wallace
Z\yt (guiltorfcan
of gratitude for the people and the
support that Guilford provides in
our cooperative life together
around these purposes.
May this year prove to be one
of creativity and significant per
sonal growth for each of you. And
may you find the balance of
thoughtful work and fun, of physi
cal and spiritual development, of
meaningful solitude and enjoyable
social outreach that is genuinely
fulfilling! Carpediem! -or as the
Quakers say, Be there fully in each
moment!
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