Let’s Stay Helpless: The Art of Begging, Fighting, and Blaming Others for Our Problems. By Ndiawar Diop
Masters of Resources, Slaves to Excuses !
Do We Really Need to Believe in Ourselves?
Oh, come on, Senegal! Let’s keep the charade alive. Why bother believing in ourselves when the world is so generously offering us crumbs?
Why take responsibility for feeding and protecting our own people when someone out there is always ready to toss us a lifeline, complete with strings attached?
It’s so much easier to stay dependent, right?
Let’s keep importing food we could easily grow ourselves and relying on others to defend our borders. After all, who needs dignity when dependency is so convenient?
And let’s not forget our favorite distractions: war, corruption, and tribalism. Aren’t they just wonderful tools for keeping us busy while the world laughs at us?
Why bother uniting as a people when we can fight over tribal differences that benefit absolutely no one? Why demand honest leadership when we can accept corruption as “the way things are”?
War and division are clearly much better for progress than peace and cooperation, right?
As for dialogue, tolerance, and human fraternity—why even bother?
Who needs respect when we can cling to our petty grievances and let hatred guide us?
Why show the world that Africa can be a leader in peace and understanding when we can just keep the status quo and let others write our story for us?
After all, why strive for respect when pity is so much easier to come by?
So yes, let’s continue down this path of self-sabotage. Let’s reject the idea that we are capable of greatness. Let’s keep waiting for someone else to fix our problems. Or, and I know this might sound crazy, we could stop the madness. We could start believing in ourselves, rejecting the systems that keep us divided, and embracing the values that actually make us strong.
But hey, that might be too much effort, right? Best to just keep dreaming small and letting others hold the reins.
After all, who needs progress when mediocrity is so comfortable?
By Ndiawar Diop
www.ndiawardiop.com
