Page 48 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 34
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Community
me share a short story to elaborate on what I laughing. I remember her saying to herself
am driving at. “Oh my! Where did I get this notion about
traveling to Nigeria from?”
I was having a dining table conversation with
my wife’s cousin about how things are going Her question right there is what every
in Africa. I think we began the conversation African needs to ask right now. What do I
with the question of why is it so expensive mean?
for Africans to travel within Africa than
it is for them to travel to other countries The power to grow lies within the ability to
outside Africa. We also talked about why question every single narrative and ideology
is there a need for a flight from an African that we have believed even without any
country to go out of the continent first before indication of how the belief started. We must
entering the destination on the other side question how we come to believe that Africa
of the continent. It was just some random is poor while at the same time the Chinese,
conversation about the weirdness going on the Americans, the Russians, and a host of
within Africa. others are raking money out of Africa in
droves, while our African youths are killing
At some point, I asked her if she had traveled themselves trying to run to those countries.
to any African countries. She mentioned
a few African countries she has visited. Burundi
Then I asked if she had visited Nigeria and But how does all that I have said relate to
her response became a new topic for our Burundi?
conversation.
Do you know Burundi in the world media is
She said traveling to Nigeria is so difficult ranked as one of the poorest nations of the
and besides getting a visa is hard. I looked at world? And I am very sure there are Africans
her and asked how did she know if she had who believed this nonsense without ever
never been there. She said she just thought it asking the question of whether Burundi is
was hard. I went further to ask her if she had really poor.
ever called the Nigerian High Commission in
Nairobi to ask about traveling to Nigeria or Let me share a few facts about Burundi with
even make an inquiry about Nigerian visas you.
for Kenyans. She said no. My last question to
her was, how did you know going to Nigeria Facts about Burundi
is difficult and visa hard to get?
Burundi, a small landlocked country in East
It was then it dawned on her that she had no Africa, is located next to Lake Tanganyika
single reason for her belief. You could see the and shares borders with Rwanda, Tanzania
huge surprise on her face and we both started and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is
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