I doubt whether we are 'accusing each other', and specifically, over different parts of an elephant. Though we are alas, talking about different parts of the elephant.

Life is characterized by forces, and to be, is to overcome. And if we will, then we can.

We must have will, and power in our words. It's in our power to do, and must accept that the forces to be overcome are formidable.

Our status as human beings renders us powerful by Divine right.

And my concern is that @kysse doesn't seem to recognize this. And this is what ails Africa. It's like God despises us. Something that is impossible.

Saw this: Stop Excuses And Start Building Africa...http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-133370/stop-excuses-and-start-building-africa

I would say that Africans' biggest problem is complacency. People are usually content with whatever stage in life they are in, or they have given up on climbing up the ladder that makes them give excuse after excuse about their situation, or live vicariously through someone else, usually wealthier. Thats why politicians have a stranglehold on Kenyans, coz people live vicariously through them and think that if my man gets elected, I will have somehow gotten the top seat!! And ofcourse complacency breeds mediocrity and victim mentality. No one ever competes with the top guys, they instead just cheer them on. When the iPhone first came out, I thought the other companies would go bankprupt, but instead they invested heavily on R&D and withing 2 years, they had equivalents of the iPhone which they priced competitively. Lets pretend iPhone was a product of Africa, who can honestly say that they would be facing stiff competition just years after revolutionizing phones? Lets be honest, the other companies would have said "tumewainamishia"
I think this complacency also makes most Africans who are at the middle of the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, look down at those below them and feel a sense of accomplishment, they forget that they are only halfway up,meaning they still have quite a ways to go. Americans on the other hand are always pushing boundaries and trying to improve. You will find someone who is at the top of Maslow's hierarchy, not content, and trying to expand his horizons. Thats why you will see them do things like hiking Everest, sky diving and just attempting things that are just ridiculous to us. I watched a movie on Sir Shackleton who was an adventurer and he went on an expedition to the Antarctic with 15 men, one year after they set sail, their ship was stuck in the icy waters,and it gets worse, the ship started cracking because the ice froze over the wooden structure of the ship. If this was Africans in that ship, be honest and imagine what kind of mindset they would have. Shackleton and his crew instead kept themselves busy with games and cleaning the ship while they figured out a solution. Imagine playing games on a frozen sea, while your ship is slowly wrecking away and there is no way of calling for help, this was 1914, there were no telephones. 2 years after embarking on the journey, they finally got to shore, 2 years of living in the bitter Antarctic cold. My point is Westerners have had to deal with extrememly harsh conditions that made them adapt to harsh conditions and always self improve. Africans on the other hand lived in relative calm and good weather, thats why you'll see most people fight change like in the letter to Diaspora thread, people are like this is how things were done 50 years ago, and its how they will be done 50 years from now. Complacency! Granted you dont want to throw out everything with the kitchen sink, but if you know something will benefit society at large, you should atleast try it. What ails Africa is that most Africans are not only afraid of change, but constant change. Couple that with religion and history written by foreigners, and it becomes really messy. My first lesson of African History was about Vasco Da Gama, thats wrong on so many levels!!

I'll be honest, I dont know who Muindi Bingu is, matter of fact if you didnt bring that up I would have continued assuming as I always have that thats just the name of a street, much like you'd have River road. Thats the tragedy of our education, we were forced to learn things about the British and how they were benevolent enough to colonize us, complete waste of my brain cells! Up until high school , I thought slavery was just something that happened in the series Roots, I didnt realize it was real life. So I consciously try to de-learn things that I consider useless that were forced down my throat.

Muindi Mbingu is the Kamba leader who led the revolution in Kao land when the british govt conducted the destocking exercise. It is believed he is the one who coined the maumau word from the kamba language where Umau means guka or grandfather if you like. So Muindi mbingu lead a group of farmers who came to courier corps (now kariokor) and carried out a rally there saying " “twenda kwikala ta maau mau maitu, twithye ngombe ta Mau mau maitu, nundu nthi ino ni ya maau mau maitu. (We want to live like our grandfathers, keep cattle like our grandfathers, for the land we live on is our grandfathers). The colonialist later accused him of being the founder of “Mau Mau uprising “- the Mau Mau is accredited to this brave nationalist.

Source

seconded on 1&2

evil,

Mentality/Culture tops my chart.- You can never bring change to a people with a rigid mindset.

Excuses ail Africa, We are blessed.
Difference is in the mind.

If a mzungu occupies a floor in a flat/apartment, gizzards automatically increase rent for all tenants.

I dread religious talks but here is what Alpha.
The law was given to Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus.It's called the Dispensation of Grace,a new chapter and beginning which supercedes the old dispensation.



@ Alpha always know that 'Good works'= The Law are as filthy rags before the Lord.
Isaiah 64.6
Grace is what.