Creators or Slaves: The Choice Before Africa

The problem is not that Africans engage with things that are not of African origin. The real danger lies in overindulgence, when we place foreign creations above our own while neglecting or even dismissing what belongs to us. History has shown that Africa has always been a land of innovators, creators, and custodians of profound wisdom, yet in today’s world, we often find ourselves replacing our indigenous systems, knowledge, and creations with external imports until we no longer recognize our own power.

Over time, it has become clear that we, as Africans, have not truly mastered the art of adapting and transforming what comes from others to suit our needs and elevate our culture. Other civilizations do this seamlessly. The Japanese absorbed technologies from the West but transformed them into uniquely Japanese systems that today dominate the global market. The Chinese studied global trade and finance, and then built parallel models that serve their national interests first. Africa, on the other hand, often consumes without transformation, imitates without innovation, and in the process brushes aside its own heritage.

The truth is that we do not yet know how to tap from others and make it serve our benefit. Instead of using foreign tools as raw material to advance our originality, we elevate them into gods while our own creations gather dust. Nobody will prioritize us but us, and if Africans continue to rely heavily on what they did not create—whether in technology, finance, education, or culture—they will remain perpetual slaves under the global ladder. Ownership is power. Creation is sovereignty. To be dependent is to be weak; to be creators is to be free.

Africa must wake up to its creative spirit and believe in its ability to invent, design, and innovate from its own worldview. We must learn from others without worshiping them, transforming external resources to serve our needs. We must invest in local creation, from digital technologies to cultural industries, so that future generations grow up using African-built tools, reading African-authored knowledge, and celebrating African-made innovations as the standard.

The future of Africa depends on creation, not imitation. As long as we merely consume what others produce, we remain trapped in dependency. But once we rise to create what we need, in our own way and for our own people, we step into true freedom. The world respects creators, not imitators. For Africa to rise, we must stop brushing aside our indigenous systems, use them as our foundation, tap from global advancements wisely, and build a civilization where Africans no longer beg at the world’s table but sit as equal partners. Until then, the chains of dependency remain.