As we celebrate Africa Day, the writer highlights the continent's immense potential to contribute to global advancement and the importance of unity among its diverse peoples.
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As we celebrate Africa Day on May 25th, it is opportune to reflect on the valuable contributions that Africa can make to the advancement of humanity.
Africa is a continent with immense potential. People in the African continent, according to the Bahá'í Writings, have "a great contribution to make to the advancement of world civilization".
One example is the African concept of the extended family, which remains as one of our society’s distinguishing practices, ensuring that care and support reach many who are in need. Care must be taken not to lose such values through urbanisation and materialism.
Our continent can contribute both materially and spiritually to global well-being and peace.
To make full use of its potential for the betterment of Africa and of the world, we need to reflect on questions such as racial and tribal unity and observance of human rights for all inhabitants of our continent.
The Bahá’í Writings state that “One of the important questions, which affects the unity and the solidarity of mankind is the fellowship and equality of the white and coloured races” and “that the various races of humankind lend a composite harmony and beauty of colour to the whole. Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them” and “Let them look not upon a man’s colour but upon his heart. If the heart be filled with light, that man is nigh unto the threshold of his Lord; but if not, that man is careless of his Lord, be he white or be he black”.
The Bahá'í Writings compare the indigenous people of Africa “to the black pupil of the eye”, through which “the light of the spirit shineth forth” and express the hope that “the power of the Kingdom will bind black and white races in friendship”. There is, Bahá'u'lláh says, but one human race; inherited notions that a particular racial or ethnic group is in some way superior to the rest of humanity are without foundation.
The current intolerances and discriminations due to differences of race or tribe will be eliminated only when the peoples of the world believe in the oneness of humankind, and proceed to reconstruct their lives and their societies on that basis. The principle of human oneness is not a vague hope or slogan. It reflects an eternal spiritual, moral, and physical reality.
Racial and tribal conflicts and intolerance – as experienced both in our continent and in many other parts of the world – are due to flawed ideas that we are somehow made of separate and distinct races or tribes and that these sub-groups have varying capacities, which justify different forms of treatment.
However, according to the statement of the Bahá'í International Community to World Conference on Racism, which was held in Durban, “The reality is that there is only the one human race. We are a single people, inhabiting the planet Earth, one human family bound together in a common destiny, a single entity created from one same substance”.
Africa has immense potential to help shape the advancement of civilization. By embracing unity among its diverse races and tribes, and upholding the human rights and dignity of all people, the continent can become a powerful force for building a more united and peaceful world.
* For feedback please contact: secretary.nsa@bahai.org.za or (011) 801 3100. Websites: www.bahai.org, www.bahai.org.za
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Pretoria News, IOL or Independent Media.