I have a dream...

I am no perfect man. Far from it. I was born a Congolese man, in Congo, in relative privilege, and I did not always take full advantage of the opportunities that were offered to me, and that others in my country did not have. And when I did take advantage of them, I did not always capitalize on them as much as should have. Now, I see my country crying of hunger, disease, and poverty, while sitting on a gold mine, and I feel a responsibility to help change that. Because I have a dream.

I was raised by parents – and particularly a mother – who understood the soundness, and the benefits of raising a human being with complementary identities, a citizen of the world. I am first and foremost Congolese, and African. But I am also strongly, and proudly a world citizen.

I have had the privilege to visit, live in, study, work and travel throughout Africa, Europe and North America, and to meet, associate, interact and form long-lasting ties and friendships with people of all races, all colors, all genders, of various beliefs, from all the corners of the world. What I learned is that we are more similar than we sometimes want to believe. We are all humans, with similar needs and wants, and we are more resourceful and innovative than we sometimes appear to be. And so, I had a dream.

Having a dream is now quite cliché, I recognize that. But my personal heroes, including Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Yeshua Ben Yusef, Patrice Lumumba, Dikembe Mutombo, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Carter, and my own Mother, are people who overcame unbelievable odds to rise above others, and still struggled to bring forth meaningful and long lasting change in people’s lives, because they believed in the principle of fairness, equality and justice for all. So yes, I have a dream.

I dream of the day when Congolese people will shed the complexes born out of years of humiliation under colonialism. I dream of the day when we will be as proud of our nkokos’ mud-huts, as we are of the skyscrapers we want to build. I dream of the day when Congolese people will be as proud of their colorful attires, their raffia outfits, and their loincloths, as they are of their western business suits. I dream of the day when Congolese men learn to respect Congolese women. I dream of the day when we can abandon our clannic and tribal rivalries, and start thinking in terms of cultural promotion, and community development. I dream of the day when Africans will have access to the fullness of what is known of their proud, long, and rich history. I dream of the day when Congolese and other African people will be aware of, appreciate and internalize their rightful place as equals among the nations of this planet.

I dream of that day, in Congo and in Africa, when the value of a smile and an attentive ear, will be valued higher than a frown and the back of a hand, in educating our children, and in daily life. I dream of the day when Congolese people celebrate and appreciate knowledge, science and freedom, as much as they venerate customs, religion and traditions. I dream of the day when we will marvel at the technological achievements of the West with admiration, but not with shameful envy. I dream of the day when all young Congolese people will embrace modernity out of a rational sense of practicality, instead of a deep seeded, and long-taught sense of inferiority and inadequacy. I dream of the day when we will stop to simply mimic the West, and instead encourage those in the West that are willing and respectful enough, to work with us to nurture, promote, celebrate and reward ingenuity and innovation from our own sons and daughters.

I dream of the day when all black Africans will inwardly AND outwardly see white people, not as an indomitable superior force, source of “Civilization”, but instead, as equal partners, as equal members within this race we call “humans”, that spawned many “Civilizations” of which theirs just happened to be the most... "actively" (understatement of the year) proselytizing. I dream of the day when people of European descent will see me and my fellow Africans as "brothers and sisters" to work and compete with, instead of black sheep to eliminate, or pawns to manipulate. I dream of the day when the Western languages we inherited from colonialism will cease to be barriers for African Unity at the grassroots level. I dream of the day when speaking English, French, Portuguese, or now Chinese, will be seen not as a symbol of inherent social superiority, but as wonderful tools for development, and international communication.

I dream of the day when all Africans, the Congolese included, will be given the tools and the ever so needed information to be true, involved and active members of this global village we are creating. I dream of the day when the average Congolese person will have the luxury, the resources, and the time to be involved with, and care about such important, yet ultimately secondary, issues as global warming, embryonic stem-cell research, nuclear physics, sexual rights and animal cruelty.

I dream of the day when Congolese and other African leaders will seek our respect, our trust, our pleasure and our votes, and not our fear, our submission, our misery and our death. I dream of the day when African leaders, the Congolese ones included, will seek the long-term glory of history, statesmanship, respect and admiration, instead of the short-term thrill of material wealth, unlimited power, unavoidable paranoia, and muted vilification.

I dream, yes, I dream of that day when young Congolese people will travel to the West in search of alternative opportunities, and not out of desperation. I dream of that day when I can go from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi, Kananga, Kisangani, Matadi, Goma or Gemena, Nairobi or Lusaka, Harare or Johannesburg, in a sedan, on a paved road. I dream of that day when Kinshasa the bin, will once again be Kinshasa the beautiful. I dream of that day when Congolese people will be returned at their rightful place as full members, and maybe even leaders of the African community.

I dream of that day when Congolese and other African people will truly feel like they have a legitimate stake in what happens in their country, their continent, and on our planet. I dream of that day, when every child born in Congo will be given a pen instead of an AK. I dream of the day when every child - every child - born in Congo will have three square meals a day, a decent education, a conscious loving family, hygienic health facilities, drinkable water and electricity, a sense of purpose, and at the very least a fighting chance to become a proud, valued and productive member of the global village.

It is a wonderful dream, and it is one that I believe we can at least partly achieve. We are admittedly far from that dream, but I will sure do my part to realize it... or die trying! Who is with me?