“The new African intellectual leader, that we are calling to arise, must be a servant leader; […] one who understands the complexity of global politics, and is able to walk the fine line between an advocacy for African liberation and development, and a non-aligned vision of friendship with all nations.”
This is according to Dr Chidi Achebe, who was the keynote speaker at Stellenbosch University’s (SU) fourth annual Africa Day lecture. The event took place in the SU Museum on 31 May.
Dr Chidi Achebe, the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Stellenbosch University Africa Day lecture, spoke to the audience in the Stellenbosch Museum via a digital meeting platform. The speech was also available to an online audience through a YouTube livestream, according to Eunison Mugamu, events co-ordinator at the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest. PHOTO: William Brederode
The purpose of the annual event is to bring practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines to SU in order to “lead public conversations that can expand our understanding of the role of the university”, said Prof Wim de Villiers, rector and vice-chancellor of SU, in his speech at the event.
Achebe is the chief executive officer of African Integrated Development Enterprise, an organisation dedicated to the development of the African continent. He was invited to speak at the event by Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, the South African National Research chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma. She is also the chair of SU’s Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ).
Toward a meritocracy
The central theme of Achebe’s lecture was ‘intellectuals as nation builders’. He stressed that African societies ought to be guided by the values of merit, pragmatism and honesty.
“As wise and ancient peoples, we should teach the world tolerance, serve as humble disseminators of the truth of history, and a gospel that we own, we feature in and we play a part in,” said Dr Chidi Achebe in his speech at the fourth annual Stellenbosch University Africa Day lecture. PHOTO: Jamie Venter
Easy access to commodities such as copper, gold, diamonds and uranium has contributed to high levels of corruption, which has turned several countries in Africa into a “kleptomaniac’s paradise”, according to Achebe.
Using historical precedent, Achebe explained that the best way for a society to progress is to strive to have the best and brightest people occupy positions of authority. He also highlighted the importance of young Africans taking an active role in politics and ensuring women have proper access to education.
“Most Africans will accept that meritocracy within democracy will be best for the continent. A true meritocracy transcends ethnicity, class, creed and gender,” said Achebe, adding that this will benefit most of the population.
In an interview with MatieMedia after his speech, Achebe spoke about the important role that the media has to play in providing structure on democratised information platforms such as social media, by amplifying the voices of intellectuals with grand ideas.
Reflections from the audience
Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, the South African National Research chair in Violent Histories and Transgenerational Trauma and the chair of the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ) thanked Dr Chidi Achebe for his speech, at the fourth annual Africa Day lecture. She also thanked those in attendance for coming. Prof Wim de Villiers, rector and vice-chancellor of SU, told MatieMedia that he enjoyed the lecture and that it served as a call to action against anti-intellectualism. PHOTO: Jamie Venter
After the speech, De Villiers told MatieMedia that he enjoyed the lecture and that it served as a call to action to be on-guard against anti-intellectualism.
“[Achebe] motivated people to take up the gauntlet and try to chart a new future for Africa,” said Dr Stephen David, research fellow at AVReQ.