S5 Ep. 302 Rethinking Africa’s True Size

SPEAKER_00: Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Good everything. Welcome to the World Cafe Live Show. How are you doing? Ah, I will always ask that question, not rhetorically now, but because I I mean we mean it here. Like we always say, largely part of the reason why we are here on the side of the microphone is because you are there listening. And it gives us great, great, great joy. How are you doing? I am doing fine. I'm good, beautiful. Ah, yes, it's good to be back. Amazing. Amazing, amazing. I must say it's good to be back. So, what are we going to be doing today? Recently in the last episode, yeah, we talked about telling stories from, you know, heights. We went up one, climbed the hill here in the city of Abuja and had that record in which, I mean, it was amazing. Seeing the view and all of that. And we had that great time which we brought to you. I hope you liked it. So as a sequel, more or less, like to follow up that thought, I felt to do this because it felt like after we had that episode, the recording and all of that, this story just came on the scene. The story of the African map. You know, yeah, you've been following, I know that the story of the African map, the true size and all of that. It was everywhere, you know. Mainstream, social media, just name it, it was everywhere. And the true size, basically, it was more or less like uh a vote in the UN, the true size of the world map and what have you. There was a vote to it, basically looking at Africa, the African map, you know, and a lot of people voted, people, I mean countries and all of that, but the US did not vote for, rather voted against, as it were. And it became a burst. A lot of people were talking about it every, like I said, a lot of people, you know, were like, okay, this is a welcome development, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yada, yadda, and all of that. And I sat down because I know we've been talking about this on the show, storytelling. I sat down to think about it. He said about 164. Let me just read up something, you know, uh 164 votes to one. That's one. The one member is the United States on Friday endorsed a resolution, you know, promoting map projections that uh more accurately reflect the true size of continents. The you know, culmination of an African-led campaign against the 16th century Makato projection, still the most widely used map in the world. See, look at that. 16th century. This is about the 21st century. So 164 countries voted for, while one entity, the United States, voted against. And somehow you'll be so surprised that one vote has brought about, more or less like stalling, stopping. It goes to underscore what we've been talking about, you know, the African, or what I say, telling stories from heights, true picture, depicting who you truly are. This is a question of seeking, in my opinion, external validation. Because now Africa is so rich. Africa is so huge. When you sit down and look at Africa from the north to the south, to the east, to the west, we're huge in terms of human capacity or human, call it numbers. When you look at mineral resources, human resources, the youngest population in the world is in Africa, precisely Nigeria. When you look at the mineral resources, very rich. The future of EV is largely tied to what happens in Africa. So the future of textiles, the future of fashion, the future of just name it, is tied to what happens in Africa. But look at look at the downside. Africa herself does not know who she really is. So we are seeking external validation. You know, external validation to like tell us who we really are and all of that. And you come to see that we're struggling with it. Now, the map of the world that we all know. In course of my reading and research, I'd come to know even before this, that the true picture of the map of the world is not what we are seeing. So those who want to create that impression have mean presented the map in such a way that maybe you look at the size of it, you think that's how you are. But let us look at that again. As a man thinketh, so he is. I remember, yes, how do you project your thoughts or how do you grow your thoughts? It comes from the image you see. So, what is the image? How do we see ourselves? Now, let us look at it from the story of uh David and Goliath, if you want to put it that way. Look at the size of Goliath. You know, from the way scripture describes Goliath, I mean, he was huge. Among us, he was big and David. But in the eyes of Goliath, David was, David was like a dog. And Goliath was so upset. But in the eyes of David, Goliath was so you see that imagery. What David saw was not the size of a bean, he saw the covenant. He had this knowledge, like I said, the cosmic reality. How do we see it? David saw himself through the lens of the covenant of Israel. That's how David saw himself, and he projected it. And his conversation with Goliath was clear. He pointed Goliath to the covenant. And by the reason of that knowledge, by the reason of that, what I call it revelation, he fought, he stood his grounds. So there's this reality David had, a cosmic reality. He was coming from a height and he could project it. So Africans, we we need to see ourselves from that perspective. Who are you? Is it the map that defines you? Is it the map that would I say limits you? Okay, let us assume that the map of Africa or the map of the continent as we look at it, from what is being done now, properly projected, and you know, people come together and agree on it and all that. What change will it make? There's something I've come to understand. You don't legislate over the truth. You don't. You cannot legislate over the truth. The truth is the truth. There is no science to the truth. There is no other knowledge to the truth. Yesterday, today, and forever, the truth is the truth. It is the definition of all. So there's nothing you can add to it, there's nothing you can take from it. So if people come together to agree upon something, it does not change the truth. It is still the truth. Yeah. So even if people come together to vote and say, okay, yes, this is the true picture of the map of Africa, the map of the world, does it change the truth? Does it change the truth? So we Africans within the continent of Africa and with within or without, as the case may be, wherever we find ourselves, how do we view ourselves? How? You come to see that the average Nigerian, from my experience and interaction, when we leave the shores of Nigeria and Africa and go elsewhere, maybe Europe, uh, North America, as the case may be, we excel. But when we come back home, it feels like we are cramped. So what has the size? You know, there's this saying, have you heard that saying? What has the age of Methusilah got to do with the wisdom of Solomon? Let me take it again. What has the age of Metusillah got to do with the wisdom of Solomon? What has the age, I take that again, has the age of Methuselah got to do with the knowledge or wisdom of Solomon. So you see, you operating from revelation speaks a lot. You speaking from revelation speaks a lot. Just give me a minute, I'll be with you shortly. So you see, what has that got to do with the uh wisdom of Solomon? I just want to get it right. Give me a minute. Give me a minute of Solomon. So you it's not a question of I've been here for this while. Mm-hmm. You've been here for this while. What contribution have you made? So that is what we need to ask ourselves. And that is what I always come on the show to like provoke your thoughts about. There's a quarter yelling, excited, oh, the true uh size of Africa, blah, blah, blah, and all that. Okay, not a problem. Now that you know your true size, what is your true worth? Does it reflect into your worth, into your why? Does it go to show how you've been able to master your, what I call it, corner of the earth. Bring your knowledge to bear, your contributions. I understand a good number of us are still under the yoke of the past. Names, tags, what have you. But it doesn't change the future. For as a man think it. You think you're small, then your works will be small, your disposition, your character will also be small. You think you are big, you will grow to feel that space. And that is what I've come to let you know. You know, there's this book. It is, you know, is the there's a book in the business space called uh it is not the it is not the slow that eats. No, it is not the big that eats the small. It is the fast that eats the slow. Let me see, let me get it right. Just give me a minute. It is not, yep. That's it is not the big which eats the small, yeah. It's a book. It is not the big that eats the small. There's a fast. You get me? It is the fast that eats. SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh. SPEAKER_00: Let me get it right to that. I will also it is not the big but it's the small. It's a book. Let me get it tight, the name of the author. Oh, yes, Jason Jemins. So it is not the fast, it is not the sl uh big that eats the small. Rather, it is the fast that eats the slow. Did you get that? So we need to look at it carefully. You can go get that book, you can find it on Amazon. You you see it there, uh, good book, maybe for business strategy and all that, but I'm trying to make uh use that to illustrate or to buttress my point on the whole map issue. So, guys, as Nigerians, as Africans, we need to tell our stories from our reality. The story from that height, the story from the place of our identity we share with divinity. Yes. It is not the big that eats the small, it is the fast that eats the slow. What image do you have? What image do you see every day? What image do you create every day? All right, guys. This is what I came to do on the show. You know how we say it on the show. This is the space where we come in to lean on one another's experience to forge a positive path. Yes, we are available on all the social media platforms. Yeah. LinkedIn, we're there. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, we're there. We also have a YouTube channel. Have you subscribed? Go ahead, subscribe, hit that notification button so that when episodes like this drop, you'll be the first to catch them. Well, I have to run now. Not running recklessly, but running with so much care because I know something good is ahead. Till I come your way again. You know how we say it on the show. My name is Amakri. Amakri is away. Bye for now.