We are still under 'colonialism' - Musician Rex Omar

Celebrated musician and African Icon, Rex Omar says, so far as he is concerned, Africa has lost the mark in good decision-making processes, to transform the lives of its citizens.

The musician stated that the celebration of the African Union (AU) Day has lost its relevance since we lack the understanding of what can work for us as a continent in providing for our people.

The main purpose of the AU he said was to unite Africans but from what we see today, the celebration is meaningless since we have failed to unite ourselves.

"The main purpose of AU was to bring African together. But have we being able to do that?''

Rex Omar wondered why Africans would have to apply for visas before entering their member states, whereas Europeans freely move into our continent without applying for visas.

The continent he added, is economically free as we depend on foreign aids before its able to undertake its projects. This he posited defeats the purpose of the formation of the AU.

"What is the meaning of the African Union? Up till today, Ghanaians will have to apply for visas before entering other African countries whereas Europeans walk in her without visa.

Up till today, we don't have a single common bank that connects Africa; we don't have a single currency. We don't have anything. So to me, this AU thing doesn't make sense.

The politician doesn't really mean it. They only go and organise talk shops, but they don't mean what they say".

Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio on the occasion of the celebration of the AU day, he said, Africa has nothing together to call its own with over 90 percent depending on the colonial system of education which teaches "you theory and denies practical solutions to your own problems".

He explained students from our various tertiary institutions graduate with degrees and teachings of foreign principles which have nothing to do with our in-depth development.

Citing Japan and Germany as examples, he noted,these countries have been able to transform their countries through education which they build within themselves and their problems which they have addressed.

The democracy practiced in Africa he stressed is not well understood since we choose leaders without vision, direction but self-centered, selfish and corrupt with their aim to amass wealth for themselves and cronies.

He quizzed why Africa have created boundaries for itself by failing to recognise the need to have a common language to communicate among ourselves saying that it is a failure on the continent for citizens to have difficulties to communicate because of language.

"We pretend to have governments but the governments are not serving. We pretend but the big boys are sitting somewhere, deciding what happens to African.

"If you put Africa together, you have already created a market of over a billion people. So when you produce or manufacture a product in Ghana, you don't need another market to decide the price for you because you don't have any boundaries; when you produce a film or music, you can sell it anywhere in Africa especially when we have developed a common language...

The question you have to ask yourself is, Ghana is surrounded by two French-speaking countries but have made it compulsory for Ghanaians to learn French".

Rex Omar was of the view that nothing stops the continent from adopting a common language for the purposes of development in the country.