THE GREAT ONES
Kenyatta, Nkurumah, Kaunda….
The initiative and leadership to liberate men was born on the African soil. This time it was born at home in the hearts of men set to reclaim their birthright to the future. That was the call and vision with which leadership was charged. This effort began as the carving up of Africa was going on. It was to be accelerated by world events in the early part of the 1900s. The Great ones grew up in changing and dramatic times. Industry, travel, continental conscience movements and two world wars that rearranged global alliances and restructured the global agenda. These events opened unprecedented opportunities for expression on the world stage to question and challenge local conditions.
The Great Ones task was by no means easy. The Great Ones fought battles on two fronts for freedom. They fought for sovereignty for their communities and they fought to liberate minds (of their people) chained by centuries of oppression. They knew that a nation could not be founded unless these two battles were won.
Leadership in Africa had to address the cultural values of communities who lived in sustainable isolation challenging them to form new viewpoints. They wrestled with their own communities to form ethnic blocks because even that could not be assumed (under colonialism the strategy was divide and rule). They had to convince the people that, not only was cooperation necessary, but that corporation with other communities was mandatory if they were ever going to be free from the colonizer to form a Nation. This kind of thinking may sound simplistic but it was revolutionary at the time. There were no precedents on the cultural plane.
The Great Ones had to lead their communities outside their comfortable cultural framework and convince them that there was nothing wrong with other communities. The Great Ones understood the importance of the cultural heritage but in order for a nation to be formed ethnic perspectives of (other) communities had to be revised in order to literally construct a nation out of those same communities. Leadership in Africa came to understand that nations are not made out of geographical carvings but rather the association and integration of peoples within a location. The battle of leadership in Africa at the time was essentially to liberate men from the framework that allowed them to be colonized.
Leadership in Africa had to develop depth and strength in the ranks by overcoming cultural paradigms within communities that would allow the people first to associate then enable them to start talking about cooperation. They had to explain that what they sought to achieve as a corporate effort was bigger than community loyalty. Indeed community leadership would have to submit to the corporate goals of freedom and subscribe to the mission above and beyond the call of the community.
They were saying in effect that as far as freedom was concerned tribal groupings did not exist. This could easily been interpreted as a slight on a communities rights to self-determination. Many of the leaders at the time, as we said, were the people who had come through the formal foreign education systems. The locals could easily have dismissed this new logic as propaganda of the new African elite and young hot heads – organizing a betrayal of community to foreigners.
The leaders persisted in their arguments. Amazingly though the Great Ones may not have been fully convincing, the people followed them gingerly. Perhaps because the people had few options or perhaps they needed a future or maybe they just needed to hold on to hope. Political leadership gathered into a swelling tide over 50 years.
In the face of the colonialists the great ones waged a different battle. Freedom they said was an inalienable right of the people of Africa. The cost of freedom was not the point. The right to self- determination was enshrined on the world stage. Why not Africa? After delivering this message to European capitals and administrative centers on the continent they returned home to resume the battle on the home front.
The paradox was that they might get what they wanted for their people. Would the people be ready? It was a race against time. The nature of community is as deep and as long as the history of Africa. Satisfying community interests would be complex and infinitely compounded. Leadership in Africa had to find a solution to this and present a face to the world that theirs was the struggle of a united nation under oppression.
OPPRESSION
In an unequal match such as that of the oppressed and the oppressor, the oppressor draws battle lines. If the oppressor chooses force then the oppressed must address the same. This led leadership in Africa to design a strategy that would provide a show of force against the oppressor. They resorted to harnessing the support of people power (available in ethnic blocks) into the freedom struggle. They took power from the colonialist who had so far succeeded in keeping them divided. This strategy much as it was successful in deposing the colonialist has cost Africa dearly in nationhood - the ghost of ethnicity refused to go away.
HINDSIGHT
With hindsight the achievements of the freedom movements sound almost as unbelievable as they are inspiring. Picture any of the fighters of the freedom movement and picture the irrational fear of the colonial empire of that lone ill equipped person. The colonial powers ruthlessly killed, arrested and tortured the symbols of leadership. Many of who probably did not know how to handle a gun. They jailed, isolated and humiliated them in the name of treason. This would appear excessive and sadistic especially given that their chances of success against an empire were improbable.
One can only appreciate the colonial fear of the Great Ones in the context of the achievement of leadership in Africa in those times. To agitate for freedom was no mean feat. To agitate was to mobilize people, resources and organize the informal movement that would eventually return governance to the people. The agitators had to create networks across cultures, maintain communication of developments on the ground in far flung areas, mobilize non-existent resources for travel and education, arrange for underground movements and create invisible structures that kept them informed well in advance of the enemies movements. Yet the leaders were men you could walk up to and arrest with no pretensions at all. Leadership at its best is perhaps non-tangible it exists in the courage, commitment and conscience of the people.
These men and women without comparable firepower walked into the capitals of Europe proclaimed TRESPASS! And came out with whole countries. Without so much as firing a bullet! They walked into the lion’s den and came out with the prey, then sent the lion back to the woods empty. With mere words they inspired in men what no colonial army could suppress with bullets, armor and discipline. Is this the power of leadership?
Using a mixture of guerilla tactics, non-violent means, fledging political movements, sheer determination and personal sacrifice the people were able to overcome superpowers with an outstanding performance. They transformed natives into citizens in the full glare of the world stage. Leadership did Africa proud without technology, atomic bombs or industrialization! Leadership in Africa maneuvered the fortified dominions; mastered colonial structures and power bases, called up resources no one even knew existed and outflanked the oppressor to win freedom. Is this the power of leadership? Does leadership require resources and reserves or just relevance and reason?
Leadership in Africa succeeded in building an invisible corporate entity with a vision of freedom and mission of independence on a shoe sting budget that was to depose the dreaded colonialists. Leadership grew in depth from a few committed members to whole populations. The cause was not a one-man show. The removal of a leader would immediately be taken up by another from the ranks. From the colonialists point of view it became apparent that it was better to deal with one man and try to contain the cause, than face the combined power of the people. Even that failed in the face of the freedom corporations sweeping across the continent where each individual added strength to the struggle. Does the power of leadership in Africa lie in the strength, character and resolve of the people?
NOTES
The lessons for leadership today from the Great Ones are numerous. The successes of leadership in that day are even more inspiring today. Could their success have been achieved without leadership? What did they do to win this war that was so unevenly matched? What did they build leadership on? What did the colonizers fear most? Did we miss something in this epic tale of independence that is in danger of being lost forever? Did freedom arrive on time, too soon or too late? …Did freedom arrive with leaders or was it leadership?