肖菊华 湖北省政府副省长
Xiao Juhua, Vice Governor of Hubei Provincial People’s Government
卢 军 湖北省政府副秘书长
Lu Jun, Deputy Secretary-General of Hubei Provincial People’s Government
陈汉华 湖北省人民政府外事办公室副主任
Chen Hanhua, Deputy Director-General of Hubei Provincial Foreign Affairs Office
刘家元 湖北省卫生健康委二级巡视员
Liu Jiayuan, Deputy Director-General of Health Commission of Hubei Province
方 洁 武汉市市政府副秘书长
Fang Jie, Deputy Secretary-General of Wuhan Municipal People’s Government
Over the past weeks various individuals converged in China from different walks of life with very little other than the need to learn lessons that will stand them in better stead in pursuit to making meaningful impact to materially changing the situations of their countries, through their respective capacities and responsibilities. These individuals, who now stand here before you, come with different insights, perspectives, beliefs, experiences and inherent judgements modeled around their various lived and professional experiences. The commonality though is their yearning to learn more, make relations, be better agents for change in their various countries and as we have come to appreciate; develop an uncompromising resolve to seek out truth from facts. Our delegation consists of Presidential Advisors, Journalists, Academics, Policy Heads, Kings, Chiefs of Staffs, Data Analysts, Career Diplomats, Military men, Patriots and lowley idealists like myself. After staying for some time with these esteemed individuals, I have come to the conclusion that the only mistake they have made was asking the only idealist in the delegation to make this speech today. This happened through a democratic process, seemingly affirming how unideal conservative democracy can be at the best of times.
The onset of the current predominant pandemic, COVID 19, has forced us all to appreciate our interconnectdeness as a people, this also comes with the acceptance of our collective role and place in the global community in order to build common humanity towards shared prosperity. We can never be complacent when it comes to the well-being of those around us, because their well being; as COVID19 forced us to acknowledge, is intrinsicly linked to our collective wellbeing. This too, after critical analysis, comes with an acceptance that the responsibility of the oppressed people is liberate not just themselves but the oppressor as well, who is unaware that he is oppressed.
The unending need to deliberately create critical consciousness, a consciousness that questions conventional thinking and helps to build sustainable linkages that will ensure that tomorrow is better than today, and that the evil seemingly endemic in today has no place in the tomorrow we are building. This tomorrow we are building must be one that, like in China, puts the people before the Republic.
I earlier referred to COVID 19 as the predominant global crisis, this is because I and many others have come to realise that we face other pandemics globally- the pandemic of populism, the pandemic of poverty, the pandemic of ignorance and, if some will care to appreciate as it specifically relates to Africa, an identity pandemic. A continent scattering not only to rid itself of the systemic and residual effects of colonialism but to find its place in the world. The current delegation is filled with young spirited leaders and to them I implore that we should all appreciate the burden of youth, the eventuality of inheriting this world; whether we are prepared or not.
Over the past few weeks we have had lectures from various Professors, who have all emphasised and quoted various philosophers, leaders and economists such as, Confucius, Karl Marx, Frederick Hayek, Tao, Adam Smith, Joseph Stiglitz and many others. I would also like to quote another “philospher” today, one that is much less well known or appreciated in modern academia. She was, as such an esteemed and educated audience might appreciate, is a bastion of the arts and posited in her 1996 album which was interestingly titled “Secretes”, a song with the title and central message “Why should I care for you?” The avid music lovers in this room will know that the “philosopher” I refer to is Toni Braxton- admittedly no great philosopher but I find that though this song is in reference to a love interest in her case. The question “Why Should we care?” Underpins many philosophical thinkings. This question determines what drives us, what captures our attention, what envokes our emotions and ultimately defines what is to become the bedrock of our convictions. It forces us to look deeply to what may be the gray area where we locate our truth, in a world that constantly contends the contradictions endemic in Religion vs Tradition. Ethnicity vs Identity. Capital vs People. Liberty vs Freedom. Progress vs Populism and many others.
In my country, and many other countries, a fundermental pillar that drives our politics is the principle of Ubuntu, the universal acceptance of our common humanity- in my indegenous language we say, “Umntu ngumntu ngabantu”, “motho ke motho ka motho omungwe”, and our French speaking brothers would say, “la solidarité doit s’éclairer à l’ombre de l’espoir”.
With caution and fear of sparking a theological contrivacy; in order to make my point clearer I will quote from religious scripture, we find an injunction, “Withhold not good from them, that it is due. When it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Say not to thy neighbour, go, come again and tomorrow I will give. When thou hast it by thee. Device not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strike not a man without cause, if he hath done thee no harm. Envy not the oppressor and choose none of his ways.”
In the above priciples, whether biblical or traditional, we learn that we must do what we can, when we can. We must be unwavering in defense of humanity and make no excuse in pursuit of common prosperity in health, wealth, opportunity and education. We saw this practically when, while others withdrew funding from the WHO and other fora that sought to resolve the issues that enveloped the world earlier this year, others sent doctors and aid. This was an embrace of our common humanity, Ubuntu.
The story of China has been characterised by a wealth of innovation motivated by necessity. The necessity to change, grow, strengthen, build, innovate and ultimately to survive. The recent experience of the international pandemic was no exception- it showed the urgent need to be nimble, to innovate, mobilize and show leadership in order to not just survive but to build, grow and stay the course of a people centred society. The Chinese experience has proved, once again, to be an experience we can learn from and be better for it. May the various relations our countries each uniquely share with China, develop not only relations of mutual benefitiation but mutual collaboration as well. Mutual collaboration being a key issue pointed out by President Xi in his recent address to the UN a few weeks ago.
To this end we profess that, as my French speaking friends would say, “les sommets de la gloire ne sont jamais loins des abimes de la decheance”, the heights of glory are never far from depths of decay. The need for partnership and collaboration has never been more urgent or necessary.
In William Butler Yeates’ poem,” The Second Coming”. Yeates professes a world, just after the first world War, were law, Order and prosperity are not central; leading to chaos and disorder. I will now quote from part of the poem;
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.”
As the gye widens and the beast approaches Bethlehem, may the center hold, the falcon hear the falconer and nothing fall apart.
As global contradictions sharpen and our cities and provinces become fodder for nefarious powers that have agendas other than collective human progression. May we all remain resolute, conscious of the ultimate goal- a future which belongs to all of us, the former pygmy of the world.
“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas : 1914-1953.