Mimo Dia Leydimen, a pan-Africanist activist, humanist, human rights defender and essayist, talks about her love, passion, ambition, thoughts, philosophy and vision of the African continent.

[FOR YOU, THAT’S WHAT AFRICA] is a show by Ze-Africanews.com. It is a series of interviews of African men and women from the continent and the diaspora: journalists, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, opinion leaders, political actors, activists… To tell us their ambition, their African vision of the continent. 

The full interview here: 

I am Mimo Dia Leydimen 
I’m a pan-African activist 
Humanist, defender of human rights 
I’m an essayist writer 

What do you think Africa is? 

I’m going to surprise you 
For me Africa is not a continent 
That’s not true, Africa is not a continent
Africa is a country 
We pose most often 
This question and the answer is always constant 
Africa is not a continent
Africa is a country 
Because we’re all black Africans 
We have the same cultures
The same traditions, the same values 
We are the same people 
We have been balcanized
To say that 
We are a continent
We are not a continent
We are a country
With values, with principles

For me Africa is a continent 
Very, very young, very dynamic 
Very very rich, but very impoverished
Very much kept in poverty 
Extreme, abyssal by the powers 
Colonial, imperialist 
French! European! Chinese! 

For me, Africa is misery 
It’s misery in its depth 
But it is a misery imposed 

For me Africa is joy
It’s prosperity and it’s a little bit
The Intended Ignorance 

For me Africa, this ignorance is wanted 
Because Africa has been reshaped 
Reshaping to please other peoples 
So that we could hold on 
In poverty and I believe that 
You’re a journalist, you’re a witness
African people read less  
Because unfortunately, it’s a truth 
Less educated, we tend to copy
What the Arabs do
What white people do 
What other peoples do 
While other peoples envy us 
But in secret  

For me Africa, today
It’s the rebirth of his ashes  
For me Africa is a continent 
Who has been enslaved 
Muslim Arab Trafficking 14 Centuries 
The slave trade 400 years 
Colonization 200 to 300
And today this new form of domination 
What we call colonialism

For me Africa is that Africa 
Suffering and nothing but suffering 
But, you know, we as Africans
This suffering can be fought 
Because in suffering 
May the truth be born again 
it is in suffering that one rebels 
And try to change things 

For me Africa is hope 
It is hope 
And I think that message is very clear 
For centuries we have been kept 
In the abysmal poverty
But that was before 
‘Cause today’s day
Sankara had said: 
“Kill Sankara and millions of Sankara will be born”
He is right, that is what is being born today
We are revolted people 
because we want to be right 
To our humble servant Thomas Sankara 
And that moment will come 
Because Africa is teeming with intellectuals today
We’re not afraid of anyone 
We will attack those who get Africa in front
Knowledge versus Knowledge 
Not in violence, not in war 
Because violence is the weapon of the weak
Africa has suffered this violence 
That’s why she’s weak 
But we will use knowledge 
Sole pledge only guarantee 
To set the record straight 
To help our people

We are in the process of 
A work of awakening consciences
It’s true that right now 
We’ll already be dead because 
A man’s life is short 
But what we have produced 
As a writer as an activist
Will remain in place 
And our grandchildren will come 
See the light we have indicated
And we dare hope at least 
That these great-grandsons will get those books back 
will read it and understand them 
And will walk in the same direction as us 
In the same way as 
We honored the wishes of Thomas Sankara

Africa is a river of leonine contract
That is to say corruption, bad governance
Facade democracies, wars 
that are built back-to-back and connected to 
Prefabricated solutions under the nose and beard 
Of the damned international community
And when I say international community 
I mean France, the United States, 
Germany and Great Britain 
All these imperialist and colonial powers
And I think that moment will come 
And that moment is on the way and he’s gonna hit 
And when he hits, he hits everywhere in Africa 
Whether you are Peul, Diola, mankagne, bambara
Whether you are Muslim, atheist or Christian 
Whether you are black, light or dark skin 
The essentials, if you’re black 
We’ll show you the way 
Development and success