African voices, African visions

Does Africa have a future? What are the visions, hopes, ambitions and fears of young Africans for the future of the world, the continent, their nation, and their communities? How do they envisage this world and their roles within it? These issues have not previously been explored collectively by Africans because of the enormous challenges and the preoccupation with the present. But Africa must not allow the enormity of the problems to blind it to its past and future. Africa must chart its own vision of a desirable future and therefore young Africans, born just before or after independence, were challenged to reflect on the future of the continent. Many responded to the challenge, which has resulted in this volume containing a number of the contributions. In this book, the voices of a new generation of Africa are heard exploring the future from personal and diverse perspectives. The authors have enumerated the ills of Africa, analyzed the problems and explored the opportunities. Remarkably, despite the daunting nature of the challenges, they were all hopeful about the future. They provided their visions of the future, suggested numerous ideas on how to build a new Africa, and implored Africans to take responsibility for the transformation of the continent. Given the current emphasis on African renaissance and union, the ideas presented here could become the basis for a truly shared vision for the continent.CONTENTS -- Africa: Problems, Challenges and the Basis for Hope. Geoff E. Kiangi -- Three Accounts of Change. Comfort Lamptey -- The African Development Challenge: Living the Experience. Barbara Mbire-Barungi -- A Vision for the Future of Zambia and Africa. Lawrence Mukuka -- Tomorrow is the Product of Our Actions Today. Chika Nwobi -- The Future of Africa Lies in Home-grown Solutions. Levi M. Obijiofor -- Africa in the 21st Century: A Case for Innovative Use of Technology. Bolanle A. Olaniran -- The Future of Africa: A Crime and Justice Perspective. Paul Omojo Omaji -- Africa in the 21st Century: Prospects for Political Development. Hamdy Abdel Rahman -- Visions of the Future of Africa: A South African Perspective. André Wessels -- The Way Forward. Olugbenga Adesida and Arunma Ote