I was totally appalled and utterly disappointed when I read the caption "Angelina Jolie to adopt Sierra Leone" in a Sierra-Leonean newspaper called Awoko. Are we now so poor that a whole nation will be adopted for $15,000? Where on earth have you heard this before? Sierra-Leone should be adopting Angelina Jolie and not the other way.
This is a dangerous trend being set. Where will it end? Eventually, all the celebrities will be clamouring over the fact that they have adopted so many nations in Africa. It is a shame that instead of us putting our heads together to help Africa stand proud, we will rather take the easy option and be beggars; so much so that a whole nation of Sierra-Leone will be adopted like a poor fatherless child - This is totally demeaning! How can we gain any respect in the world?
I feel we all need to do is to wake up! Africa is the richest continent by way of the natural resources endowed upon it. Africa may be poor in terms of gross national product, but it is rich in terms of resources. It has greater reserves of nine of the world top ten mineral resources than any other continent.
Africa holds some 99% of the world's chrome resources, 85% of its platinum, 70% of its tantalite, 68% of its cobalt and 54% of its gold. Africa has vast resources of timber and bauxite. Diamonds, too, with 48% of the world's production. copper, zinc and coltan (used in computer chips and electronics), as well as crude oil, natural gas, timber, coal and many other minerals and precious stones.
It has land and it has a climate in which crops grow. It has people, eager for work and for advancement. In other words, it has all the ingredients for a successful economy - ingredients that so many other continents would like to have.
We Africans should promote lasting economic empowerment and development of Africa.
There are unlimited opportunities to participate in the continued development of this rich and beautiful continent. YOU AND I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP THE DEVELOPMENTAL EFFORTS IN AFRICA!Something new is happening in Africa. You have the power to make a change.Now is the time for Africa; and not for our nations to be adopted by celebrities the likes of Angelina Jolie !!!
Deniji Kosoko-King is the creator of the group AFRICA – THE HIDDEN TRUTHS which can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=21570766043&ref=nfNB: You can read the full article at the newspaper's web site:
http://awoko.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=4285&cntnt01returnid=15
