Message of reflection – Africa YMCA Youth Summit 2009

By Reginald Ffoulkes Crabbe, Africa Alliance Youth Committee Member

Fellow Citizens!

Let me take this opportunity on behalf of the Africa Alliance Youth Committee to congratulate you all for buying into this agenda dubbed “From Subject to Citizen”.

While we need to understand the past in order to diligently engage with the present and envision the future, we must not allow the diversionary tactic of reactionary people to condemn us to mere rhetoric and static or indeed retrogressive life. The commitment of ourselves to the agenda of finding a voice for a new generation of youth across ethnicity and religious creed of our continent and pursuing the amplification of that voice for the purpose of the Africa’s rebirth is already well established. It is evident by our interest, commitment and enthusiasm as indicated by our representation and participation during the summit in Ethiopia.

Brothers and sisters, I dare say, we are one further step in the march towards the glory ahead.  

We live and learn. We have a duty to educate ourselves to recognise and critically appreciate the roles we have and are playing. Our people especially, the young people must be made aware that they in fact carry their destinies in their own hands under the present ecological dispensation.

This transition ladies and gentlemen is only the beginning of a long and tedious journey and we must recognise it as such and prepare adequately for the battle to defend our hard-won status of citizenship. There are obstacles that will remind us constantly to dedicate and rededicate our energies time and time again until the total rebirth of our continent and countries is achieved.

Fellow citizens, I urge you all to take this agenda very seriously. The mission of seeing a new Africa with citizens is in our vision of empowering those we co-exist with for the African renaissance.

This is an immersion programme aimed at giving us the platform to understand the realities of real self and wishful self. Be reminded that, we will periodically assess the extent to which we have come in this struggle.

Change doesn't come cheaply. It comes with a price. What price are we paying to see the change we want to have?

As actors of change, we always need to be very conscious of our efforts to the course ahead. We need to be philosophical in our thinking and everything. We need to share in the same philosophy. Remember "I believe" in our CREED. When was the last time you reflected on it?

This is what we want to do for our communities, this is what we want to do for our countries, this is what we want to do for mother Africa.

Compatriots, let us join hands in our commitment to rebuild Africa. Let us determine to move past the issues that have bedeviled our commitment and practices as members, leaders and potential leaders of this our noble organisation. Let us move past the policies that crippled the progress of our association.

Let us boldly commit ourselves to the radical socio-economic and political transformation of the continent where there is justice, equity and the protection of the fundamental rights and minority rights of the citizenry.

We can do it.

We have the vision.

We have the will and commitment.

Once again, on behalf of the Africa YMCA Youth Committee and the YMCA fraternity in Africa I wish us all well and God’s blessings. May our Association grow from strength to strength even as it repositions itself for the African Renaissance.