When I watched the video of President Ibrahim Traoré speaking to the youth, I honestly felt like he was saying out loud what many Africans—including us here in Namibia—have been thinking for years. His words were not just a speech; they were a mirror. A reality check. And a warning.
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Because what he pointed out is something we all see but rarely question:
Foreign embassies will happily fund our cultural events, but they go silent when it comes to financing African science, innovation, and research.
And let’s be honest—he’s right.
A Funded Culture, But an Unfunded Mind
Across the continent, it’s easy to find foreign embassies sponsoring cultural events—fashion shows, award ceremonies, cultural festivals, music showcases, and creative hubs. And to be clear: there’s nothing wrong with culture. Culture is important, and African culture is powerful.
But Traoré’s question hits different:
Why is culture easy to fund, but science is not?
Why will an embassy sponsor a dance festival with so much excitement, but ignore a chemistry lab, a robotics team, or a research centre?
When was the last time you saw a foreign embassy fund African agricultural innovation with the same energy they fund African fashion?
Or sponsor a local medical research team with the same passion they put into a cultural dialogue event?
You don’t remember—because it rarely ever happens.
And that’s the imbalance Traoré is exposing.
The Africa They Want vs. The Africa We Need
The world prefers an Africa that entertains.
An Africa that performs, sings, dances, paints, and looks colourful.
Why?
Because a colourful Africa is harmless. A performing Africa is predictable.
But an Africa that invents, questions, researches, and builds its own systems?
That Africa changes the global order.
And who wants that?
Think about it:
- Our celebrities get global brand deals.
- Our musicians get funded tours.
- Our dancers get invited to festivals worldwide.
- Our influencers get sponsorships left, right, and centre.
Meanwhile:
- Our researchers beg for grants.
- Our scientists work with outdated equipment.
- Our engineers relocate abroad because our own countries don’t support them.
- Our universities struggle to buy basic lab materials.
The money follows the message.
And the message is simple:
Africa, keep performing. Do not produce.
Distraction Is the New Colonization
Traoré then said something many people overlooked:
The new battlefield is the internet.
The algorithms decide what we see. And the sad part is—they push entertainment, not knowledge.
A Namibian or Kenyan student who built a robot will get a few likes.
A celebrity who causes drama will trend for two weeks.
We are being distracted into irrelevance.
They don’t need to burn books anymore—
they just need to make books boring and influencers addictive.
They don’t need to colonize our land—
they just need to colonize our timelines.
And they’re succeeding.
We wake up and check our phones, not research.
We follow gossip, not innovation.
We chase trends, not knowledge.
And when knowledge becomes boring to a generation, that generation loses power.
We Also Need to Look at Ourselves
Traoré wasn’t just calling out embassies. He was calling out all of us.
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Because even within Africa:
- Our governments don’t fund research.
- Our policies don’t prioritize innovation.
- Our budgets are filled with political spending, not scientific growth.
- Our leaders take pictures at international summits while local scientists lack equipment.
- Our ministers will sponsor concerts before they sponsor laboratories.
Corruption is eating the continent alive.
Imagine what African science could become if:
- The billions lost to corruption every year went into innovation.
- We funded our own universities properly.
- We believed in our own researchers.
- We trusted our own technology.
Africa has the talent.
Africa has the land.
Africa has the brains.
Africa has the youth.
What we lack is leadership—and priorities.
We Don’t Need Foreign Embassies To Build Africa
Traoré’s biggest message was self-reliance.
He wasn’t saying reject the world.
He was saying:
Stop depending on the world.
Namibia can fund Namibian science.
Kenya can fund Kenyan innovation.
Nigeria can fund Nigerian research.
South Africa can fund South African technology.
We have everything we need—except the will.
And until we step up, the world will continue deciding:
- What we value
- What we watch
- What we fund
- What we celebrate
Because once you control what a people value, you control their future.
Art Without Empowerment Becomes Entertainment.
Entertainment Without Knowledge Becomes Control.
Control Without Awareness Becomes Modern-Day Slavery.
That’s the cycle.
And that’s what Traoré was exposing.
The Revolution Starts With Us
We have to:
- Choose what we consume online.
- Demand that our leaders prioritize research over politics.
- Support African innovators.
- Create systems that empower African knowledge.
- Stop mistaking applause for progress.
- Stop confusing visibility with power.
Because if Africa doesn’t fund Africa, someone else will—and they will fund us on their terms.
The day Africa finally commits to financing its own innovation,
no one will ever be able to finance our silence again.
We Can Do It Ourselves
If Africa can:
- Feed the world
- Power global industries
- Supply the minerals used in every smartphone
- Inspire global art
Then we can absolutely fund our own:
- Laboratories
- Research centres
- Tech hubs
- Medical facilities
- Universities
- Innovation systems
We don’t lack intelligence.
We lack belief.
And political will.
A Final Thought
Traoré spoke to those youths like a big brother—not condemning them but guiding them.
And that’s the kind of leadership Africa needs.
His message should echo across the whole continent—including Namibia:
Use your phone. But use it to build yourself.
Use social media to learn—not to be distracted.
Use the internet as a tool, not as a trap.
Because the future of Africa will not be decided by weapons.
It will be decided by knowledge, innovation, and attention.
Attention is the new currency.
And right now, we’re spending it on entertainment while the world spends theirs on innovation.
It’s time to wake up.