Jeff Madzingo’s Post

Today marks South Africa's Day of Reconciliation 🇿🇦, a powerful reminder of our journey from division to unity. Before 1994, December 16 held two deeply contrasting meanings. For Afrikaners, it was the Day of the Vow, commemorating the 1838 Battle of Blood River. For the Black majority, it was the day the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation"), was formed in 1961 to resist apartheid. In a stroke of brilliance, Nelson Mandela's government transformed this historically divisive date into the Day of Reconciliation in 1995. The holiday now symbolizes South Africa's commitment to healing historical wounds and building a unified nation that embraces all cultures and backgrounds. Today reminds us that reconciliation isn't just about forgetting the past – it's about acknowledging our history while choosing to move forward together. As Madiba said, "Reconciliation means working together to correct the legacy of past injustice." #SouthAfrica #DayOfReconciliation #Reconciliation #Unity #History #SouthAfricanHistory

Honouring the Day of Reconciliation Today, South Africa observes the Day of Reconciliation, a day deeply rooted in our nation’s history and a cornerstone of our democratic journey. This public holiday was introduced in 1995 to foster unity and healing in a country once divided by apartheid. The date, 16 December, holds historical significance for multiple communities: ▪️ For Afrikaners, it marks the anniversary of the Battle of Blood River in 1838, where the Voortrekkers pledged a vow to God and secured victory. ▪️ For liberation movements, it honours Umkhonto we Sizwe’s founding in 1961, the armed wing of the ANC, which symbolised the fight against oppression. The Day of Reconciliation serves as a reminder of our progress toward a more inclusive and united South Africa. It encourages us to reflect on our shared past and embrace a future where reconciliation and respect guide us forward. As we celebrate this day, let us continue to nurture the values of understanding, compassion, and unity that bring us closer as a nation. 🌟 #DayOfReconciliation #SouthAfrica

Reflecting on the 16th of December – A Day of History and Unity Today, South Africans observe the Day of Reconciliation – a day that carries deep and diverse meaning for our nation. Historically, this day marks two significant events: • For many Afrikaners, it commemorates the Battle of Blood River (1838), where a vow was made to God in gratitude for victory. Known as the Day of the Covenant, it symbolizes faith and remembrance. • For others, it marks the founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe (1961), the armed wing of the African National Congress, which began the struggle against apartheid. In 1994, as South Africa emerged from apartheid into democracy, this date was chosen to become the Day of Reconciliation – a day to honor our collective history, acknowledge past struggles, and move forward as one nation. Let us use today to remember the sacrifices of those who came before us, respect the cultural significance of this day for all South Africans, and embrace the spirit of unity and reconciliation. May we 🇿🇦 continue to work toward a future where faith, unity, and shared purpose lead us to true healing as a nation. 🙌💛 ⚖️ History teaches us lessons, but reconciliation shapes our future. P.S. This is why I love South Africa — our past does not define us; together, we shape a brighter, united future. 🙏❤️🇿🇦 #ProudlySouthAfrican #DayOfReconciliation #Unity #SouthAfrica #HistoryAndHealing #MovingForwardTogether #FaithAndRemembrance #OneNation

Over time, many african countries, including Zambia, participation in the independence celebration has dwindled, often in response to growing economic hardships. We must remember that temporary challenges should not dampen our spirit. The visions and sacrifices that accompanied our freedom fighters should continue to inspire us. Each citizen holds the power to contribute to this vision, transforming challenges into opportunities and growth as a nation. Let us embrace our patriotism and seek out avenues to support our nation's advancement. Together, we can pull through these turbulent times and ensure a brighter future. Let’s celebrate the political independence as we strive create a better Africa.

Working with African Union ECOSOCC on the Free Movement Protocol (FMP) for a few years now, the colonial names and most importantly the borders we hold onto, is actually preventing Africa from moving forward. Neo colonialism is our every day reality allowing our former colonizers to still control Africa through aid, and keep us in conflict for control over our resources. While we live in a bordered continent, our former colonizers live in a borderless one, in a union based on what they call the FOUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS: Freedom of movement of Goods, Services, Capital & People - which created their (still held) economic wealth and power in just 9 years (1960-1969), in an era they call the "Swinging 60's". This is so much more than just a renaming exercise, it's a shedding of our colonial past, symbolic of true independence, through a changing of policy and ownership of national pride - towards prosperity. I will ALWAYS, always have an issue with my home country being a 'location' (on a map) #SouthAfrica 🇿🇦 and us not renaming it with something more meaningful to us as a nation!

Liberia's longest-serving (1944–1971) president, William V.S. Tubman, was born on November 29, 1895. Though, like most Liberian leaders, he did less than what was expected, he took the nation through some of the most important periods in African and world histories: World War II, the founding of the United Nations and the Organisation for African Unity (precursor to the African Union). He also played a major role in the advancement of the African agenda, especially in advocating for the independence of many African nations that became independent from their European colonial masters between 1950 and 1970. He died in 1971 in a hospital in London, England. He was a member of Liberia’s oldest political party, the True Whig Party; a right-wing political party, which was founded in 1869, and ruled Liberia for most of the First Liberian Republic (1847—1980). The First Liberian Republic was a period in Liberian history marred by unbridled nepotism and a strange democracy, when freed slaves and their descendants from America (“Americo-Liberians”) treated native Liberians nearly as terribly as they were treated as slaves in America. Located in West Africa, Liberia and Ethiopia are the only two African countries that weren’t colonised by another country. Liberia declared its independence on July 26, 1847, from the American Colonisation Society (ACS) — an American organisation that helped with the repatriation of freed slaves to Africa, as well as the setting up of the framework for Liberia’s founding. Liberia is Africa’s oldest independent republic, and the world’s second oldest black independent nation (next to Haiti, which declared its independence from France on January 1, 1804). #History #GlobalEvents #AfricanHistory #WestAfrica #Liberia #WilliamVSTubman #USHistory

When we talk about systems thinking in the development sector, we mostly shy away from the systems of colonialism, neocolonialism and racism. How different would our systems maps and interventions look if we didn’t? How would the ‘implementation area’ move closer to where the actual power sits?

Algeria’s story resonates with countless communities around the world who continue to confront oppression, injustice, settler colonialism and occupation. Just as Algeria refused to give in to colonial pressures, so do countless other peoples across the globe today. From indigenous communities striving to protect their ancestral lands, to marginalised groups and minorities fighting for equality, Algeria’s fight continues to inspire and represent the collective desire for liberation, nothing less. https://lnkd.in/g4bTfgtP

It was true in 1960 when Patrice Lumumba said it and it remains true even today. It is precisely for that reason that the scramble for Africa accelerated in the last quarter of 19th century. It is reported that at the time, the colonisers were driven by economic, religious, and "strategic" interests. At the time of the Berlin conference in 1884, a lot of the minerals now found on the African continent had not been discovered. This was true even at the start of the independence of some of the African states in the late 1950s. Where some of minerals may have been known, they may not have been strategic or of huge economic significance. Lumumba's vast country, the DRC has a lot of minerals, including coltan which is used in electronic goods, in the northeast. Is it a coincidence then that the conflict in the DRC is centered around that area? Major economies need those important minerals for modern digital gadgets. It is therefore in the interests of those powers to ensure the central government in the capital Kinshasa is weak. It is weak because it has no control over large parts of the country mainly in the east and northeast. Those regions are only accessible by flight and of course that suits those who are looting the resources there as they fly them out without going via Kinshasa. No revenues flow to the central government. As Lumumba said, those powers will do anything to maintain their hold on the resources of the continent. Initially, the partitioning of Africa was a "divide and rule" scheme. Now the major powers will divide states to enable ruling over their resources. As was the case during enslavement of Africans, there are collaborators and enablers on the continent facilitating this looting. These enablers masquerade as leaders who benefit from the looting. You know where they bank their loot? You guessed right. The proceeds for these leaders are banked in the capitals of the erstwhile colonisers, the same people who are looting the resources today. Slavery was made easier by the African collaborators. The looting today is facilitated by enablers too. Very sad.