Martin Luther King dream pipe-dream for region

Editorial Comment
WHEN Martin Luther King (Jr) made his world famous I Have a Dream speech on August 28 1963, he inspired hope among millions of downtrodden and impoverished people in America and beyond.

WHEN Martin Luther King (Jr) made his world famous I Have a Dream speech on August 28 1963, he inspired hope among millions of downtrodden and impoverished people in America and beyond.

Column by Vusumuzi Sifile

In that speech in Washington DC, US, the civil rights legend lamented African- Americans living “on a lonely island of poverty in the middle of a vast ocean of material prosperity”. He condemned the “manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”. which he said had “badly crippled” the lives of black people.

And now five decades later, the poverty and a myriad other social justice issues that King raised continue to pervade underdeveloped and developing countries especially in Africa, whose maximum potential is either undermined by conflict, corruption, tribalism and nepotism, among other such ills.

It is indeed depressing to note that millions of people in Southern Africa are still languishing in grinding poverty in a continent abundantly endowed with natural resources whose worth is incalculable.

Instead of appropriating these resources towards poverty eradication and better social service delivery, the ruling elites are shamelessly lining up their pockets, something King and indeed our own fallen African heroes would have frowned upon.

The scourge of greed and graft is without a doubt exacerbating poverty and condemning the majority of Africa’s one billion-plus people, particularly rural dwellers, further down the abyss.

The challenges of HIV and Aids, climate change, weak governance institutions, unstable economies and restrictive media environments have further compounded the burdens already faced by marginalised populations who are barely ekeing out a living on the margins of society. Millions live on less than $1 a day.

A United Nations (UN) Poverty Index of 2006 found that of the 50 least developed countries, 34 were in Africa. And in 2009, the UN’s Human Development Index said 22 of the 24 countries with low human development were from Southern Africa.

These are depressing figures that require collective and concerted action. While the records indicate that the gross domestic product of a number of African countries is improving, the flip side sadly shows the grim reality of millions plunging deeper into poverty.

In America, the poverty that King so aggressively campaigned against stands at 16%, which accounts for more than 40 million people, many of them minorities, according to a 2012 US Census Bureau report.

Marking King’s Washington march and historic speech, US President Barack Obama regretted what he termed the enduring “shadow of poverty” in his country, and high unemployment among minority groups, especially Blacks and Latinos.

And as Africans, as we also reflect on one of the greatest speeches ever delivered, it is important to join hands and fight for the fulfilment of King’s dream, a dream of a poverty-free humanity that is shared by millions across our continent. It is an African dream, a universal dream!

It is incumbent upon the media to expose graft and bring together different stakeholders to not only debate but act on the various challenges affecting the continent. The media should give consistent reportage on poverty and give those affected the voice to be heard.

Journalists also have a responsibility to raise awareness on Southern Africa’s great potential. To achieve this, Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) has been working with community and mainstream media to highlight different development challenges and opportunities across Southern Africa.

The organisation is currently providing fellowships to journalists across Southern Africa to help them conduct research mostly in far-flung areas, mostly in the countryside. These fellowships have over the years produced some of the best investigative journalistic works, some of which have been considered for top international media awards.

PSAf also provides capacity-building in the form of training and technical support to enable journalists to bring out development issues in a manner that would enable the marginalised poor to drive the region’s development.

 Vusumuzi Sifile is the regional manager for communication and knowledge management at Panos Institute Southern Africa. He can be contacted via e-mail on [email protected].