ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
One Africa – Not too fast
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Africa & the Gulf of Guinea
Date note: The note dates itself to 2013; the date shown comes from a later version of the piece by the author.
Tags: pan-africanism, ethiopia-calendar, self-rule
So much for the "One Africa" educators.
Africa is about 11 million square miles, and having "one Africa" dreams without a strategy for covering that much territory is a situation where people will start wondering what is in the pipe you are smoking.
Did you know that Ethiopians have their own calendar, which shows that this year, 2013, is in fact 2005? And that all their months are 30 days long? If they compare themselves to you and me, they occupy maybe the same "continental space", but a completely different knowledge, mind, intellectual or virtual space (call it what you like), I'd say.
So, conclusion: I won't be surprised if anyone from that space refuses to identify with someone from outside it. To them, it makes total sense. To you and me, maybe not. Who's right? S/he who's still standing.
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 8–10
Understand
- Why does the author doubt "one Africa" dreams?
- What does the Ethiopian calendar example show?
- What does "S/he who's still standing" mean at the end?
Grammar focus: comparatives. "The same continental space, but a completely different knowledge space": comparisons show how things are alike and unlike. Same… but different is a simple contrast frame.
Try it: Write two sentences comparing two places you know, using the same… but….
Discuss: Is African unity a realistic goal? Argue for a united Africa or for strong separate states.