Africa and its Walk on the Path of Peace and Harmony

It’s been decades now and Africa still hasn’t left the position of being the second-most-populous continent. My connection has always been so enticing with the country. Delineating the beauty of the nation may take hours and days to get finished, so it will be better if I talk about only one area today. The center of attraction for me was the peace and well-being maintained over there.

People celebrate harmony and tranquillity every day. There is no denying the fact that Africa has always been rich in resources. But, citizens residing over there have been exploited a lot, as a result, a broad section of the society still stays below the poverty line. Nevertheless, I don’t feel this factor has affected their desire to acquire education and especially mental peace.

People over there don’t believe in violence and the breaking down of society. In order to build up a strong foundation of the nations, the higher authorities are establishing multiple education and training programmes that are day-to-day snowballing.

The base of these programmes is the cultural values and traditions followed by them. They are and have been working to empower individuals of every gender. According to my observation, the authorities and citizens are putting more emphasis on the promotion of social solidarity.

In an interview given by Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the 1st woman to head the WHO’s Regional office for that of Africa said that countries need to put the focus on the health sector. Moreover, the government needs to be more focused on uplifting revenues from domestic or in-house sources.

I noticed very easily how concerned they were regarding the health policies. I could see the hunger for building up a nation free of sick people. It was amusing to see that they still have the hunger of refining the areas of education and health which others have left behind.

Among them, the priority is to bestow towards universal health as well as achieving the SDGs. They believe in achieving a country free of mental health patients. Isn’t it beautiful? To me, it was the same because I visualize the same place. For me, it will be no less than paradise. People being staying fit not just physically but mentally as well.

Such a world will make life easier and more fascinating. And, as I always say, mental health needs to be given preference, not just inside the four walls but also needs to get out of the room and get discussed in front of the whole world. The moment we eliminate it as a taboo of society and see it as a normal issue, it will be easier for the individuals to talk about it and ask for help.

Africa has taken the initiative and moved on the right path, now it’s our turn to not just open our mouth but also opening our hearts and minds. The higher authorities need to come up with stronger and powerful initiatives. Ascertain that they just don’t remain in the books but also get implemented practically.

Written by Prof. Nabhit Kapur.