That feeling when you're African and forgot about Africa Day...
How is it I've lived 20 long years on this earth and never celebrated Africa Day? Seriously, as an African I did not know that this was an actual holiday. I only found out on the morning of 25th May, 2022, when Google notified me. When I went on a morning walk with my father on that very day I asked him if he knew it was Africa Day. He didn't seem to know. To which I said, "nobody talks about it". And to that he replied something along the lines of, "because they don't care."
I get the sense he was referring to the political elite whose responsibility it should be to promote holidays like this to spread awareness and mobilize community engagement. And yet, not a single politician from Uganda publicly recognized Africa Day-- at least not in any way that counted. I scrolled through social media, looking for a mention of Africa Day and nothing came up. There were a few mentions of it here and there, mostly from small public forums, but nothing substantial.
I scrolled through Google for Africa Day celebrations. Nothing. I tried looking through different news sites. A little better, but again, no one was really celebrating anything. The most that I could see was official press releases from the African Union and the United Nations discussing this year's theme for Africa Day-- The Year of Nutrition. Yet, even that didn't seem like enough. How can you have a whole day dedicated to an entire continent and all you do is post a press release?
I couldn't believe my eyes. The only people who seemed to care that it was Africa Day were Google, who developed an interactive online article outlining 11 different ways to celebrate Africa Day. Honestly, I loved it! You know what's better than a press release about 'how we've come a long way'? A comprehensive list of activities you can actually do to celebrate the holiday. During Christmas we put up a tree. During Palm Sunday we buy palm leaves and decorate the house. During Africa Day, what do we do? Apparently we sit around solemnly and muse about how far we've come and that despite the current challenges facing us, we should remain vigilant and hopeful. LAME. Dear African Union, if you wanted to inspire us, you failed MISERABLY.
Why can't we organize parades and dance in the streets? Why can't we host webinars and seminars to spread awareness and mobilize public engagement? Why can't we make this an officially recognized public holiday where people don't have to work so they can take time to actually reflect on what it means to be African and relish in how far we've come despite all of the challenges we've faced? And why, for goodness sake, can't we print calendars that recognize this holiday!? Literally, every calendar in my house right now doesn't acknowledge that this holiday exists, but New Year's Eve and NRM Liberation Day are underlined.
I just want to say, happy Africa Day to all my lovely Africans out there. Know that you are loved and accepted for who you are. Know that although times may be tough, you'll end up on top. We always do. On whatever day you end up reading this, take special care of yourself. Read an African novel. Listen to your favorite African artist. Try speaking in your mother tongue, even if it's just one word. Challenge yourself to learn more about African wildlife and plant life. Play an African game with friends and family. Eat African foods. Have an African movie night. There are so many things you can do to celebrate your African-ness. And the best part is, you don't even have to wait for Africa Day to do so.
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