An ideal Africa.

If it were up to me, which it obviously isn't, this is how I would remake Africa: 

1) Rename the continent: Simply call Africa KWATU, a Pan-African name derived from the majority indigenous languages in Africa & mutually intelligible words in many African languages. This would ensure that Africa is in charge of it's land. All uses of the word Africa,  would be changed to Kwatu e. g. the African Union ~ Kwatu Union, the African Cup of Nations ~ Kwatu Cup of Nations, African ~ Kwatuan & so on... 

2) Repartition Africa: Simply repartition Africa back to it's ethnic borders. Tiny ethnicities can form a federal alliance among ethnicities with mutually intelligible languages. For example, a Nguni Federation among my own people because Nguni languages are mostly mutually intelligible (they understand each other's language for the most part).

Ethiopia would get access to the Red Sea for it's massive population. It is obscene that a country that important in Africa & that populous has no sea access. Unite the divided Somalias including the Somalian enclave in Ethiopia. Give Biafra / Igboland, Hausaland, Yorubaland the Sokoto Caliphate, Benin Kingdom, Ashanti Kingdom & Songhay state(s) independence. Return lands stolen from the traditional leaders in Africa. Eswatini would get it's Delagoa Bay coast & lands in South Africa back. Lesotho would get its land in the Free State province back. M'thwakazi would become a sovereign state. Everyone would get their ethnic lands back. Decrease ethnic wars & tribalism by a massive margin.

After we have sorted this thorny issue of ethnicity & have possibly decreased tribalism & ethnic conflict by a whole lot, we could get to the ideological part of our land i. e.
3) Kwatuism: Food security (agriculture & livestock), shelter (subsidised state housing for all), national unity & a single state bank for each land to gain economic sovereignty. Kwatuism is a centre-right political ideology created with Africans in mind.

4) Rename the Indian Ocean to the Swahili Ocean across all African educational structures. This ocean does not belong to India or Indians. The Indians & others can call it the Indian Ocean, Africans can refer to it as the Swahili Ocean.

5) Language: Each nation in Africa after the ancestral lands are repartitioned would have it's own national language. Instead of using a single Pan-African language, there could be well-trained bilingual translators. Most commonly; excessively fluent people in Swahili & Arabic, Swahili & Hausa, Yoruba & Arabic would be used as these are the most spoken languages in Africa, each African country would have it's own set of translators for diplomatic & international duties depending on which nations they'd need to communicate with. I imagine people bilingual in Hausa & French, Lingala/Kikongo & Portuguese, Swahili & Mandarin/Japanese could be of use to their states. 

The problem with a Pan-African language is that it makes it easy to control a false narrative & propaganda across Africa by outside forces. Different languages would make it less easier for a corrupt, foreign idea to spread across Africa.

6) Religion: Africans must embrace their own indigenous faiths which would be written down as the national faith & law of the land. Either that or one of the Abrahamic faiths closest to Africa (Judaism or Christianity).

7) Rail, mail & transport:
• An interconnected rail system across Africa,
• an airline run by the African (Kwatu) Union which would replace all African airlines,
• a unified set of road rules & driving licence procedure,
• a unified mail system for all of Africa.

WHAT CAN AFRICA STANDARDISE ACROSS THE CONTINENT?

8) Military: I believe Africa would be better having regional or strategic military alliances with select African countries than a massive united African military which may require too much finances. But a standby force to deploy across trouble spots in Africa may come in useful & the newly created ethnostates could give something as small as 0,05% of their GDP towards the revamped standby force, for example. N. B. : The African Union already has a standby force. 

7) Currency & trade: Currency today requires a lot of technology & instead of using VISA & MasterCard for our bank card payment systems, we could use the African-made M-Pesa system which we would revamp & add some extra encryption measures to it. This system would then be easier recognised by global traders if it is implemented across Africa as the primary method of trade. Our continental currencies could simply be two currencies, the proposed Ng'ombe & Lami. 

By this, Africa could completely decolonise & achieve economic stability. And perhaps even create, maintain & fund lofty ambitions such as a Martian, Lunar & subaquatic colony for the future survival of Africa (Kwatuans). 

And for those who believe Africa is too small to have ninety or so countries because of the Mercator Map projection, Africa can comfortably have two hundred average-sized countries within it. Africa only looks small on map projections, it is a very big continent. 

It may sound like a dream but I wrote it step-by-step in point form like this because I know that once you complete one fundamental step in a larger undertaking, the momentum builds & it becomes easier to achieve other objectives. 

National Unity 

Why aren't more countries designed like this?

Xenophobia & the King's Speech.

I'm very much a Pan-Africanist, I believe in Africa making strategic alliances to increase economy, infrastructure & security. But I also do not believe in unity for the sake of unity because that just causes contempt. 

Now, South Africa is known to be xenophobic. This is because some people are defensive of the economy. The old "foreigners occupying space meant for locals" story. Which is mostly true in South Africa, easier jobs are easier to obtain for foreigners & foreigners cost less & are less likely to complain or be part of a worker's union so they cost employers less. But as much as foreign labour is good for employers, they're not always good for locals. Recently, there were news that foreigners are selling expired & toxic goods at their spaza (tuck) shops. I've lived in townships & have seen the local spaza shop economy replaced by foreigners & this is because our people were simply not competitive enough at times. Somalian foreigners obtain bulk savings by bringing their money together to get discounts & deals direct from producers of products. Foreigners even manufacture some of their own products to sell at their shops. And, sadly, we've even heard of cases of foreigners bullying local shop owners out of business. Some foreigners in South Africa are, genuinely, breaking the law with their businesses but it's laws that are not reported by South Africans themselves because many South Africans dislike authority. So both South Africans & foreigners end up being quietly lawbreakers because nobody wants to report illegal activity. 

Now, I've already blogged about the unchecked migration of people into South Africa. But who is in charge of this? Who is in charge of Home Affairs, migration & border security? Why is everyone but the people responsible talking? And the people talking are not reporting to authorities or to the people responsible for the mass illegal immigration & human trafficking in South Africa. You'd think the people in charge of Home Affairs, migration & border security don't care or want illegal immigrants in South Africa. 

The King's Speech: 

I watched a film called The King's Speech once, starring Colin Firth & he played King George IV of England. A king who had a problem of stuttering & through going to a speech therapist, this King of England eventually learnt how to speak without stuttering. We do not have such a problem in South Africa but we do have a Zulu king who speaks "off-the-cuff" & is taken too literally at times by South African media. 

South African media needs you to be very specific on what you mean while being politically correct & that is a very difficult thing to do on-the-spot. As a public figure or traditional leader, you simply need a speech written for public events because some paid journalists & people with agendas will turn light words into a serious matter. 

I'm not really that xenophobic but do believe immigrants should enter a country legally & contribute positively to the land they're allowed into. Hopefully, the people in charge of the systems controlling immigration into South Africa explain what's happening or people in South Africa may get rowdy (as they're known to do) & attack foreigners indiscriminate of whether they are legal or illegal. 

Education.

The current twelve-grades education system was created during the Charlemagne Renaissance of Europe. In the modern-day, most people have already reached a high level of reading & mathematics in their seventh grade of education. With internet connectivity today, you can learn anything from anywhere in the world as long as someone is willing to teach you. In South Africa, you can often go do a vocational course after Grade 10, implying that the last two years of the school education system are excessive or unnecessary. 

An individual needs to know several things in their life: Reading, writing, counting, the national language, agriculture (& livestock), the entire law of the land, road rules, driving & motor vehicle mechanics, a range of computer systems, the correct format of writing a CV, how to take care of their body mentally, emotionally & physically i. e. biology & medical health. As well as the geography & history of their land. 

So, ideally, we could structure the school system as follows: 

• Grade 1: ~ Parents/guardians would be prepared to home school & given teaching materials. 

~ Parents/guardians would teach children basic reading, writing, basic maths & national law (applying to children) in their own time. 

~ The children would then be assessed by the state for competency. 

~ After this grade, the children or parents would choose whether to continue homeschooling or go to public schooling. 

• Grade 2: The subjects would be; the national language, National Law, Maths & Agriculture. 

• Grade 3: National language, National Law, Maths, Agriculture.

SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR BOYS & GIRLS FROM GRADE 4 ONWARDS. MALE TEACHERS FOR BOYS SCHOOLS, FEMALE TEACHERS FOR GIRL'S SCHOOLS. 

• Grade 4: National language, National Law, Maths, Agriculture, Engineering basics, Physics, Computer Literacy, Geography, History, Road rules & signs. 

• Grade 5: National language, National Law, Maths, Agriculture, Engineering basics, Physics, Computer Literacy, Geography (incl. Astronomy), History, Second language, Road rules & signs, Physical Education.

• Grade 6: National language, National Law, Maths, Agriculture, Engineering (incl. Motor mechanics), Physics, Computer Literacy, Geography (incl. Astronomy), History, Chemistry, Biology, Business Economics, Economics, Accounting (incl. tax-sheets), Second language, Road rules & signs, Physical Education.

• Grade 7: National language, National Law, Maths, Agriculture, Engineering (incl. Motor mechanics), Physics, Computer Literacy, Geography (incl. Astronomy), History, Chemistry, Biology, Business Economics, Economics, Accounting (incl. tax-sheets), Second language, Road rules & signs, Physical Education. 

• Grade 8: National language, Maths, Second language & any other three subjects. 

• Grade 9: National language, Maths, Second language & any other three subjects. 

• Grade 10: National language, Maths, Second language & any other three subjects. 

AFTER SCHOLARS HAVE COMPLETED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OR VOCATION SCHOOL EDUCATION, THEY WOULD DO COMPULSORY STATE FARM SERVICE (FOR FEMALES) OR COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE TRAINING (FOR MALES). ANYONE WHO DOES NOT COMPLETE THIS SERVICE WOULD NOT OBTAIN ANY HIGHER/VARSITY EDUCATION OR FORMAL EMPLOYMENT IN THE LAND.

- No hairstyles would be allowed at school. 

- There would be state school bus system to get every scholar to school. 

- The school uniform would need to be the same across the country. 

- Every school would be registered state property & developed by the state to certain standards. The state could build new schools, colleges & sports academies where they are needed. 

- Girls get free sanitary pads from Grade 8 until the end of their school career. 

- After Grade 7 child can go to; a) vocational college to study (construction, agriculture, plumbing, electrical engineering, vehicle repair studies etc.), b) choose subjects that would help them in their chosen career for Grade 8 to the end of the school system (incl. adding a third or fourth language as a subject) or c) leave the school system.

- LANGUAGES OFFERED: Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Afrikaans, English, Hindi, Swahili, Swazi. 

- All subjects would be offered at all schools by rotating teachers between schools. 

- The scholar with the highest marks in their district would get a free electric motorcycle from the state on their 18th birthday. 

- Every school child would need to be registered on a database to ensure that they have a school in the following year. 

- Medical professionals & teacher's degree bursaries for the top 10 best performing scholars in each district. 

- Schools are separated by gender from Grade 4 onwards. 

- School would be free for the first two children of the family until Grade 5. Third child pays. Child repeating grade pays. 

- There would be regional sports academies that would select 16-year-olds & develop their talents 

- Scholars over the age of 16 that are over 1,8 metres in height & are not already selected for a sport academy would be selected for their regional sport academies for basketball. 

- National ID cards & passports could be done at schools. 

- All people 17 years & older have a free email address from the state & would have to create a profile on the state social media to apply for a government job (Social media interactions would not determine whether a person gets a job). 

- The most talented children at certain sports in each district would be given the opportunity to further develop their talent at a regional sports academy. NATIONAL SCHOOL SPORTS CODES: Athletics (60 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, triple jump, long jump, high jump, javelin), tennis, badminton, gymnastics, cricket, basketball, baseball, football/soccer, beach soccer, volleyball, hockey, wrestling, seven's rugby, netball. 

- PHYSICAL EDUCATION: All kids required to 1) run a kilometre under 7 minutes, 2) 10 crossbar lifts, 3) do a 50 count football keepy-uppy, 4) dribble a basketball the length of a basketball field & back, 5) score five free-throws & five three pointers on a basketball court in 15 shots each, 6) hit a baseball with a baseball bat 3 times in 9 pitches, 7) a front flip & 8) a back flip. Eight events to be practiced for two hours each every week. Physical Education is not counted in school marks but students capable of doing all activities every three months would get a small certificate from the Department of Sport & a pair of takkies. 

As you can imagine, this system would make incredibly disciplined & physically fit individuals to take the land forward. 

• All citizens over 16 years would have the option to have a state sponsored circumcisions. 

• Smoking & drinking legal at 21. Lottery/gambling legal at 16. 

AN IDEAL NATIONAL SPORTS STRUCTURE 

How I would create a public transport system from scratch.

Public transport in South Africa is a warzone & if my plans here were to be implemented, we'd have to quell the violence & offer exclusive deals with certain drivers & transport organisations. 

But if there was nothing in place & I would have to start from scratch, this is how I would do it. 

• Bring back rail: Rail is the cheapest form of transport worldwide & reduces road traffic allowing road infrastructure to need less maintenance. It is also often the faster option. We wouldn't need high-speed trains, just typical 150 km/h modern trains for the people. 

A simple rail service like all sensible countries.

• The future is electric: We have to start with electric vehicles today & for a bonus, they could be locally-made. 

• Big buses are destroying the land: We never noticed this but big buses weigh heavily on road infrastructure & are devastating when they are involved in road accidents. So both big buses & minibuses would be replaced with midi-buses. 

A midibus would be the symbol of my national transport service after minibuses & buses are phased out.

• Sheltered bus stops: It rains, gets windy & unbearablely hot/sunny & sometimes even snows. So we need to make concrete bus stops with benches & are sheltered from the elements. This would help in; a) elders have a place to sit while waiting for transport, b) people sheltered from the elements, c) known & identifiable marked places to wait for transport. These are the only places that the national midi-bus transport service would be allowed to load & offload passengers. 

A simple sheltered, concrete bus stop like all sensible countries. 

• Low-cost meter taxis/rickshaws: Transport apps have gained popularity in recent times, there could be a national transport app where you could hail a car (affordable EV) or an electric rickshaw (the cheaper alternative). The passenger/user could chose which they want to ride in & where they want to be dropped off. 

The BYD Seagull: One of the most affordable electric vehicles in the world. A fleet of marked affordable electric vehicles would be one of the symbols of the national transport service. 

Electric rickshaws could be used for short distance travel. 

• All modes of national transport would have a card-system integrated into every vehicle where people could pay with the national transport card (for discounts), debit card or simple physical cash. Bus & train users would get a ticket as proof of payment to avoid boarding confusion. 

• The hailing transport service could run 7 days a week from 3 AM to 10 PM. The midibus & rail service could be 4 AM to 8 PM daily. 

• The state regulates the fares of transport across the land & gains revenue from it. 

• All transport vehicles would be state property. 

Simple national sports structure.

Ideally, for efficiency, national sports programmes could revolve around events people do in daily life so focus could be put on: 1) running, 2) powerlifting, 3) combat sports [i. e. wrestling & kickboxing], 4) swimming & 5) climbing.

As well as sports requiring hand-eye coordination & foot-eye coordination as well sports involving, striking a target with precision, dodging moving objects & striking an object with a stick with precision: 1) football, 2) volleyball/basketball, 3) javelin/dodgeball & 5) baseball/cricket/badminton/tennis. 

Then one or two indigenous games for national cultural preservation, solely. 

So should I be a sports administrator or minister - these would be the sports I would identify as essential for national health & wellbeing. 

This is an update of the previous blog An ideal national sports structure.

Why aren't more countries designed like this?

I understand the importance of culture in any society but why couldn't it be done when the fundamentals & basics for survival in a land are dealt with? Primarily; food, shelter & defence. Anything after these three factors is surplus if we're being bare bones basic. The main industries of the land would revolve around food ( i. e. agriculture, livestock, compulsory state farm service, state-owned supermarkets & state food banks etc.), shelter (i. e. subsidised housing, state-owned hotels & hotel franchises) & defence (i. e. compulsory military training, border guards & a local military industrial complex). 

You'd think some of the developed countries would be designed like this but they aren't for various capitalist reasons. Some socialist countries may have used these methods but perhaps not in the exact same fashion. They're all very laissez-faire & decentralised. In fact, I've only heard of a state hotel being spoken of in Burundi. 

A state bank would ensure that the finances of the land are kept in the land if all individuals are required by law to have an account in the state bank. 

Subsidised housing could be our matchbox houses (lounge, bathroom, kitchen & two bedrooms) in South Africa in a five-storey, high-rise building or a simple, single bedroom-bathroom, two-room arrangement for the poor/homeless which themselves would be a five-storey high-rise housing arrangements with a small planting patch for each house like in rural China. Five-storey so it is not too difficult to construct & not too catastrophic if disaster should happen. The larger housing would be a rent-to-own type contract & the smaller housing for the homeless would be a small fee for two months just to help individuals in need. The hotel franchise would be in select cities & towns across the land & perhaps expand continentally or even internationally. Subsidised high-rise buildings for housing are a Soviet creation. I imagine subsidised housing would be easier for the government to document on a census in order to provide services also.

Transport system in the land & National Unity would be as in the links below. Taxi drivers are part of the communities we live in & many would surely prefer government employment. National Unity would ensure tribalism & racism is kept to a minimum. 

The Education & Sports system in the land would work symbiotically. 

We could borrow the easy & fast business registration concept from Rwanda to grow our economy. 

An employment or job seeker database for every citizen in the land to help in the census & helping individuals find employment. 

A legal system that punishes the crime the individual committed & not punishes the individual regardless of which crime they committed aka Lex Talionis. 

A near perfect land that leaves no one, including minorities, disenfranchised. 

In brief: 

• Food, Shelter, Defence are the state's first priority. 

• State Bank. 

• Subsidised public housing & hotels. 

• State-owned transport system. 

• Symbiotic Education (comprehensive education for the needs of the land) & Sport system. 

• Easy business registration. 

• Employment/job-finding database. 

• Concept of National Unity.  

• Lex Talionis.  

Kwatuism