By Abdul Tejan-Cole
What a week last week was for Africa. It started disappointingly. On Thursday, October 10th most of us woke up expecting that the renowned Kenyan author, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o would finally win the Nobel Prize. The prize was not awarded last year, so this year there were two prizes – 2018 and 2019. Our hopes were high that Ngugi would win at least one. He did not.
The Nobel Prize for Literature 2018 was awarded to Olga Tokarczuk "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." The 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to the Austrian author, Peter Handke “for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.” While Olga Tokarczuk’s award was welcomed, Handke’s choice was very controversial. PEN America president and Pulitzer Prize winner, Jennifer Egan expressed the views of many when she stated, “(W)e reject the decision that a writer who has persistently called into question thoroughly documented war crimes deserves to be celebrated for his ‘linguistic ingenuity.” Handke “is the world’s most prominent apologist for the Serbian dictator and alleged war criminal Slobodan Milošević, who was charged in 2001 with the Bosnian Genocide.”
To snub Ngugi for such a divisive person was hugely disappointing, but as Abigail Arunga noted in the Kenya Daily Nation, “the world knows who Ngugi Wa Thiong'o is, and understands the place he holds in the hearts of every Kenyan schoolchild who either fell asleep to his rhetoric or greatly decided to be him? …Unfortunately, we Africans are still addicted to validation outside of our own borders, which, funnily enough, does not sustain the lives and independences we are searching for. Because we have not decolonised our minds, as Ngugi has told us to do several times, we're still gutted when he is, once again, not mentioned as winner. We're gutted. Slighted. Angry. All valid feelings, but predominantly insignificant to the people who decide these sorts of things for us.”
She has a point. However, when on Friday morning the news broke that the Nobel Committee had awarded the 2019 Peace Prize to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, I was delighted with “outside validation.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea. The prize is also meant to recognise all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.”
The citation further noted that “(I)n Ethiopia, even if much work remains, Abiy Ahmed has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future. He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalising outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life. He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections. In the wake of the peace process with Eritrea, Prime Minister Abiy has engaged in other peace and reconciliation processes in East and Northeast Africa. In September 2018 he and his government contributed actively to the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti after many years of political hostility. Additionally, Abiy Ahmed has sought to mediate between Kenya and Somalia in their protracted conflict over rights to a disputed marine area. There is now hope for a resolution to this conflict. In Sudan, the military regime and the opposition have returned to the negotiating table. On the 17th of August, they released a joint draft of a new constitution intended to secure a peaceful transition to civil rule in the country. Prime Minister Abiy played a key role in the process that led to the agreement.”
It concluded that “The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes that the Nobel Peace Prize will strengthen Prime Minister Abiy in his important work for peace and reconciliation. Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country and has East Africa’s largest economy. A peaceful, stable and successful Ethiopia will have many positive side-effects, and will help to strengthen fraternity among nations and peoples in the region.”
Abiy’s responded on twitter saying, “I am humbled by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. My deepest gratitude to all committed and working for peace. This award is for Ethiopia and the African continent. We shall prosper in peace.” Abiy Ahmed fully deserves this award. In April in an article in Politico entitled “Africa’s Transformative Leader”, I hailed him as “a breath of fresh air. There are few of his kind in the continent. He represents the young, dynamic and progressive leadership that many on the continent yearn for. Many are rooting for and praying that 'Abiymania’ sweeps across the continent.” His passion, dedication and his ability to rise above self-interest are worth emulating and celebrating. He continues to face a daunting task to address ethnic divisions and bring peace and stability to his country.
Abiymania was hardly over when on Saturday, history was made in the streets of Vienna. Kenyan, Eluid Kipchoge became the first man to run the 42.195 kilometer marathon in less than 2 hours. With the aid of forty-one pacemakers, the Olympic champion completed the race in 1hr 59 minutes and 40 seconds during the "INEOS 1:59 Challenge". To perform this feat, the 34-year-old had to run 5 meters every second, covering 100 m every 17.08 seconds. A remarkable and absolutely outrageous feat. Prior to the race, Kipchoge had said breaking the two-hour mark would be like "man landing on the moon." It was undoubtedly historic and heroic. About 120,000 fans gathered in the route leading to the Prater Park, Vienna’s largest public park, and millions more who watched the jaw-dropping performance on TV. Using the hashtag, #NoHumanIsLimited, many took to twitter and other social media to salute the marathon world record and is reigning Olympic champion for achieving the unthinkable and pushing beyond limits. This feat should inspire all humanity.
Sadly, Kipchoge’s record will not be recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as the new world marathon record. A vehicle and forty-one pacemakers supported Kipchoge. He was the only competitor in the race – he ran against the clock. It will, however, enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest marathon distance (male).
On Sunday in Chicago, another Kenyan runner did one better the Kipchoge. 25-year-old Brigid Kosgei got her name into the Guinness Book of records and IAAF’s record books. In winning the Chicago Marathon in 2hr 14mins 4secs, she shattered the world record set 16 years ago by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe by an astonishing 81 seconds. In the same spirit as #NoHumanIsLimited, she was bold enough to say she could run faster….2 hours 10 mins she said is possible. Her victory overshadowed the win of another Kenyan, Lawrence Cherono
Who outsprinted Ethiopia's Dejene Debela to win the male race in 2hrs 5mins 45secs.
Ngugi, Abiy, Eluid, Brigid and Lawrence’s success are a source of pride for the continent. Africa’s wealth is not in its minerals but its people. The continent has many more hidden talents. With improved governance, better preparation, discipline, management and the scope to have the audacity to hope, we can dispel the notion that Africa is the “dark” or “hopeless” continent. Ours is a continent of hope, determination and growth. We have a lot to offer.
(c) 2019 Politico Online
