The Africa Effect

Africa is a unique and dichotomous continent. The oldest inhabited continent in the world, Africa has vast natural resources yet is home to ten of the poorest countries. Africa is overflowing with natural wealth, yet a great deal of her wealth remains unused. Known mineral deposits are abundant, yet some treasures have yet to be discovered. British, Spanish, and Portuguese colonizers have attempted to control the people of Africa, yet 53 of the 54 independent African nations are ruled by African leaders. Africa is encompassed by bodies of water but is not classified as an island. Africa is the second largest continent in the world, with a population of 1.4 billion people- 14.7 % of the world's population- yet no African country is among the world's five most populous.

Yes, Africa is a paradox. How can a land so rich in natural resources be home to the poorest nations in the world? How can a land with 9 of the world's most underdeveloped countries be the center of awakening and affirmation for such great leaders as W.E.B. Dubois, Martin L. King, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, President Barack, and First Lady Michelle Obama, Dave Chappell, Samuel L. Jackson, Tiffany Haddish, Harry and Megan and the list goes on. While paradoxical, those who have gone to Africa understand what I am coining, "The Africa Effect."

The Africa Effect cannot be explained; it has to be experienced. There is a sound of Africa that is unique and melodic. There is a movement in Africa that is rhythmic and purposeful. There is a tempo in Africa that is deliberate and steady. There is a persona in Africa that is genuine and affirming. While the traffic is hectic and hurried, there is an implicit "right of way" among pedestrians, motorists, and motorbikes. There is a lurking sense of danger but conscientious dedication to peace. You may go to Africa with western concerns and anxieties; however, you will leave with a sense of human awareness that transcends secular concerns.

The Africa Effect is transcontinental, and it permeates American culture. Enslaved, our ancestors began to acquire their freedom and amass such wealth that the American Colonization Society, under the leadership of President James Monroe, organized to send free businessmen back to Africa. The Africa Effect. From the Revolutionary War to modern-day conflicts, when America needed a victory, the department of defense enlisted enslaved and descendants of the enslaved to ensure success. The Africa Effect. Although stripped of language, culture, scholarship, and humanity, McCoy, Latimer, and Carver revolutionized transportation, illumination, and production. The Africa Effect. The Africa Effect is present in the arts and humanities, math and sciences, religion and philosophy, fashion and entertainment, and human rights and social change. We live and exist in the Africa Effect.

I recently made a trip to Montserrado County, Liberia, Africa, and returned a different person. Africa was everything I expected and everything I did not. My accomplishments intersected with meaning; my education overlapped with purpose; my ministry was touched by conviction; a hunger and thirst for learning inspired my scholarship; my spiritual perspective was centered on the human condition.

To visit Africa is to affirm one's humanity. The true wealth in Africa, the treasure that fuels the Africa Effect, is the people. The prize is in the laughter of the children who live in the slums and the villages; the sense of shared tradition within the community; the reverence and respect for the elders; the respect for the village chiefs, even among the most educated—the internal hope and faith against all odds. To connect with the people of Africa in comparison to Western avarice is to understand the Africa Effect.