May You Celebrate – The Month of Africa
May is a significant month for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. As it not only recognises and celebrates this vast and beautiful land, it also commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
The establishing of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) in 1963 caused the African continent to become a pioneer in being the first continent to focus on continental consensus, and to encourage nation building through unity and freedom from oppression.
This in turn inspired several nations such as the European countries to form their own union. A feat that Africa is proud to have contributed in by being innovators of this movement.
And as much we as we celebrate the milestones of Africa since the conception of the OAU, we also need to highlight the tragedies that have taken place on this continent. Namely, ones that have continued to affect the quality of life for many Africans.
The Healthcare systems in Africa suffer from neglect and underfunding. Time and time again we have seen (preventable) diseases destroy villages, towns, cities and countries. A clear indication that we still have a long way to go to ensure proper health measures and outcomes for many of the people living there.
“Solving our region’s biggest public health challenges can only be achieved by innovative African-led solutions, which combine local and global frameworks.”
And it is with this in mind, I want to dedicate this month and the next (June) to highlighting the various ways Africa is impacted when it comes to the health of the population. I will not only attempt to share the inadequacies of the continent, but the strides that have been made to advance our health system as well.
My goal is not to shame the continent and lay bare the numerous health issue we face, but it is to rather shine a light on how we can further improve. My research into this has lead me to believe that this can be achieved by tackling three major challenges; the overhauling in leadership management, the increasing of budgetary allocation for health and availing adequate Human Resources to the public. All of these and more will be explored in the upcoming weeks.
And as the Department of Arts and Culture hosts a series of events to celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May and throughout May for Africa Month, may we also take time to reflect what more can we do for the health of the people living in Africa.
Zeke
