Leadership for the Africa we want

The image of Africa should not, in any sense, continue to be reduced to that of a begging continent. It is shameful to hear justified claims of leadership that condones sloth, corruption and embezzlement being levelled against African leaders amidst our public hospitals and health centres running without drugs. It puzzles and irritates to see our leaders tolerating others who manufacture drugs and vaccines in their regions and habitually flock to this wonderful continent for testing on innocent African lives. It really pains and baffles to see our ailing leaders traditionally being flown to India to seek medical treatment when our institutions of higher learning continue to graduate thousands of medical specialists who are highly esteemed in the diaspora only thanks to brain drain in their reasonable pursuit of greener pastures. This brief discussion aims to share a few points that can see African leaders turning this great continent into a greater one that is genuinely loved and celebrated by its peoples.

Water Conflicts: Environmental Justice Cases from California and New Orleans

This is a brief discussion of two examples of conflicts over water distribution, participation and recognition at the local level in California and New Orleans, United States of America.

1. California Case

This was about lack of clean water in Central Valley, California (CA). It’s a case type of water management, access rights and entitlements. Poor communities bore the cost of water pollution from fertilizers and agricultural pesticides and yet they paid the highest drinking water rates in the state. Their access to bottled water was weekly, and came at a cost, as they found such water 30 to 50 miles away. This posed various environmental, health and socio-economic impacts.

Environmental justice organisations and other supporters played a crucial role in mobilising community members against the situation. Sundry mobilisation forms were employed: development of a network, collective action, public campaigns and street protests. The outcome was that a relevant new legislation was enacted and participation of community members in decision making processes was strengthened. There was also development of alternatives where, for instance, State tax on fertilizers was put in place to fund clean drinking water programs in the area. With all such strides, some communities still lack access to clean, safe and affordable water despite the passing of a bill ensuring the human right to water in CA.

"The Quran Converted Me to Christianity"

With no edits, below is a conversion story as shared by Mario Joseph:

“While I was working in Muslim moscheet as an Imam, a parish priest, once I preached in my parish that Jesus Christ is not God. For me God was only Allah, and I believed Allah never got married, so no sons for Allah. So I preached there that Jesus is not God. Then somebody asked me, “Who is Jesus?” from the crowd. Maybe a Muslim, but he asked me, “Who is Jesus?” I was preaching he is not God, but the question was, “Who is he?” To know who is he, I read the entire Quran once again: 114 chapters, 6666 words in the Quran. When I read it, the name of Prophet Muhammad I found in Quran 4 places, but the name of Jesus I found in 25 places. There itself I was a little confused. Why does the Quran give more preference to Jesus? And the second thing: I could not see any women’s name in Quran: Prophet Muhammad’s mother’s name, or wife’s name or children’s name, no. In the Quran there is only one woman’s name that I found: Mariam, the mother of Jesus. No other woman’s name. And in the holy Quran chapter 3, the name of the chapter is ‘Family of Mariam.’ And the holy Quran chapter 19, the name of the chapter itself is ‘Mariam.’ One chapter is “Mariam.” So I as very curious to know ‘Why does the Quran say all these things?’ About Mariam, holy Quran chapter 3 verses 34 onwards says that Mary was born without original sin, she never committed any sin in her life, she was ever virgin. Quran chapter 50 verse 23 says that she went to Heaven with her physical body. Even the assumption is written in the holy Quran.

The Folly That Is Lived

There is so much vain living these days. That kind of living that sees the dying regretting. Unfortunately, such regrets find people on their deathbed.

Very few would dare to know why people do regret on their deathbed. Without proper planning here on earth while it is still “today,” it is likely that one will get to know the real reason at their deathbed too. This must be a very hurting experience as that act of regretting can seldom bring anticipated remedies on the table.

People choose to end up focusing on the temporal while neglecting the eternal; they love to care for the material while forgetting the spiritual.

The devil takes advantage of such avoidable spiritual blindness which people often get struck with. This is even evident in the book Top Five Regrets of the Dying by an Australian nurse, Bronnie Ware. In her book, Ware shares the following top five regrets of the dying that she witnessed: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me; I wish I hadn’t worked so hard; I wish I had the courage to express my feelings; I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends; and, I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I haven’t seen or heard of any right thinking individual who left his home for some distant place to come back after some days without making proper planning or arrangements for his accommodation, transport, food, and even clothing. We all ensure to put all that in order.

THE CHRISTIAN GIVING

The Scriptures leave us with a discovery of how brimming the Word is with instances of giving. But it doesn’t suddenly close on such alone; it furthers on, plainly detailing the returns of giving.

Some trusted unearthing of the Bible sees us carting back three basic forms of giving which a faithful servant is expected to earnestly embrace on his sojourning in this life.

 

Direct giving to God comes first. Here, the believer gives directly to God. It’s oftentimes met when one dedicates or devotes one’s particular time to praise, worship or exalt the living God. Such particular time is solely spared to God, and for God, alone. It’ an ought for a faithful servant to excel here.

THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS

The nature of man makes him selective in what to be thankful about. Yet as disciples, the Word challenges us to be thankful in all things: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”—1Thess. 5:18. There’s no getting around it. God wants us to pray with thanksgiving when the future is uncertain, when heartbreak hits, and when shortfalls come.

Surely, when faced with difficulties and life’s hurdles, it is hard to be grateful. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Wonderfully, there’s something great that should inspire us to be thankful in all things. This is our knowledge that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”—Romans 8:28.

Again, searching the Scriptures, we discover a number of sound examples of believers who stood out in their faith, praying and giving thanks to God in troublous moments of their time.

FAITH THAT THRILLS

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.—Acts: 10:42:

To an honest yet exceedingly wealthy man, it’s an offense just to doubt him honoring his own voluntary, solemn pledge of furnishing you with money for a bicycle. Firstly, he hasn’t been asked to pledge but he’s done it out of the abundance of his kind heart. Again, he’s not one to be associated with financial inadequacy; he has the bucks in plenty.

What more throbbing and insulting is it always to our loving and caring Almighty God when we doubt Him honoring His own promises for His children! Do we doubt that, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it”? (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

And for this, I like the Word of God. It’s never a question of how compelling we are to share it; lest we forget this: in itself it is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)