Epistemic Disobedience: My Rant for 2026
Why are we using a system that we didn't make, isn't for us, and exploits us?
The Twisted Mirrors
We celebrate mirror-reflecting high rises in the city whilst children sit in broken-down structures called "schools" with pit latrines.
We measure our success by how much we have achieved, not what we have contributed.
We celebrate and idolise millionaires and billionaires before community leaders.
Conspicuous consumerism is lauded, celebrated, and used like a badge of honour.
The Narratives They Sold Us
We allow mainstream media to dictate the narrative, and the world buys into it: "the poorest people in Africa" instead of "the most exploited people in the world!"
If an African speaks with a private school accent, we hang onto every word, even paying $$$ to listen to their Western narrative.
We measure our education success on a "school system" of arbitrary subjects, whilst we have a wealth of generational experience. We are made up of hunters, gatherers, warriors, pastoralists, craftsmen, linguists, scholars, artists, and most importantly, survivalists! We've got resources, fertile soil, people…
The Colonisers' Language
If you're white and work in another country, you're an expat; if you are brown or black, you're an immigrant.
We have visitors coming from their obscene mansions with high walls and remote-controlled lives, spending their dollars to come to the "simplicity" of Africa, the mass migration in the Serengeti, the gorilla jungles of the Congo, the deserts of Namibia, the white sands and turquoise waters of Zanzibar, the rich cultures and heritages of Africa's diverse people.
The Hypocrisy They Can’t Hide
In real-time, we are watching the morally bankrupt leader of the first world self-implode. In Africa, they scream "corrupt leader"; in the first world, they say "democratically elected" (convicted sex offender)
Politicians promise, don't deliver, and no one holds them accountable. It's just politics, not about the people, for the people, just empty promises.
Money buys justice. Money buys politicians. Money keeps the money lenders afloat.
Corporations control the rhetoric; oligarchs are the puppeteers in the B-grade movie: "Living in Dystopian 2026."
The Plastic Veneer
Whilst we celebrate the rich and make them famous, we aspire to their plastic world. We believe reality stars are idols. We've lost our critical thinking, our connection to what is true, and moved away from the natural to the superficial façade of reality.
Manipulated social media lives. Sipping lattes. Eating artisanal chocolates. Alexa-controlled flashy lifestyles. False smiles. Pouting Botox lips. Worshipping the shiny lifestyle whilst hiding the truth, the reality, the debt, the obscene, bloated ego.
This is what we are aspiring to be? Africa, we are better than all this.
When The Veneer Cracks
Because when push comes to shove…when the day comes, and the electricity won't switch on, the water has dried up, and the sun burns holes in the plastic veneer, I would rather walk hand in hand with a resilient African woman than an Ivy League graduate, because I want to survive.
The Alternative We Already Have
We follow a flawed system, trying to benchmark our success on a scale that is made to empower the individual, not benefit all.
Our lives should be based on ubuntu, the fundamental principle of which is the acknowledgement of each individual's inherent dignity and value. This understanding fosters a commitment to treating others with respect, compassion, and empathy.
The Small Part I’m Playing
I'm doing my part as a mother of an African child. I made sure to teach what is the first thing that matters.
"Ma, I want to make you proud."
"Son, what was the first thing I taught you?"
"Be kind."
"Son, you've made me proud!"
