Wings of change blowing in Africa

By Sibusiso Banda
@Sbudalicious

 For the first time yesterday, the world saw the white teeth and heard the 42-year old hidden voice people of Libyans as the new of Muammar Gaddafi’s death made headlines worldwide.

Fire works took centre stage in Serti.

The recent violent streets of Libya where filled with the usual sounds of guns shoots and screams, but only this time it was not fearful as it was accompanied by the joyful voices and scream of woman and children with laughter and smiles plainly written on their faces as they came out in celebration of the end of the four decade rule of Gaddafi.

I must say the news about his death not only came as shock but it was unanticipated. No signs of victory showed, it was just unexpected. That’s why when I first got the news at first I also didn’t believe it. I thought this was probably a joke by one of my friends. Yes believe it or not, I have friends whom such type of a joke can be easily associated with without any effort of thought.

Besides that, just as everybody else thought (including the Libyans): a guy with reputation like Gaddafi with the 42-year old tyrant rule would not go just like that with no fight as even in movies the bad guy always put up a fight. Maybe that type of thinking is probably the reason behind the of decades silence as they were afraid to voice out their opinion. Call me crazy all you want but I’m sure that any of two thoughts passed in your mind, you just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Sign of vitory: Libyan rebels celebrate

In countries as Egypt, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, just to mention a few, where there’s evidence of the rule of an iron fist; where the needs of the ordinary are not being met by leaders; where corruption and self-enrichment is the order of the day, Macmillan’s wings of change are hugely expected to sweep through the African landscape as each and every uprising in different counties is encouraging and instilling the motive that “divided we can’t..but together we can put an end dictatorial suffering".

Gaddafi’s death not only signalizes a significant milestone in Africans struggle for democracy but it also serves as what Macmillan described as ‘the wings of change are blowing” where Africans will rise to the occasion and fight to be freed from the chains slavery is happening right now. The only difference is that this time is not directed at apartheid or foreign rule but its directed at African leaders type of rule.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not supporting the manner in which these changes are taking place: people are on a large scale of bloody revenge as in the case of Gaddafi. How different are we to the dictators if we also kill.

Blood shedding can be avoided if African leaders actually do what they are supposed to do, because the more you people are being starved the fruits of freedom, it’s the more you ironical inspire the spirit and self esteem of fighting (at all cost) for change, evidence of this, look at what happen to Gaddafi’s rule.

Let regime change take place without any blood lost, just like it happend 1994 in South African.