Uhuru at last for the Shona Tribe of Kenya

When one looks at the European Union and how citizens from member states can transact in one currency and move between countries with ease one wonders if a United States of Africa as dreamt of by Gaddafi can be realized.Trade opportunities and the chance to collaborate in various strategic areas where certain nations might not be excelling with an exchange of skills & knowledge in areas those nations overkill sounds like the epitome of 'Ubuntu' the only other thing Africans seem to share other than their melanin.With the recent granting of citizenship to the Shona Tribe in Kenya,a tribe stateless since the 1960s with both Kenya & Zimbabwe not recognizing them once again brings to the fore questions on brotherhood and boundaries set by our erstwhile colonizers.

In the early 1960s a group of shamans from the Apostolic Church Of God arrived in Kenya as missionaries to spread their particular brand of the gospel.Kenya would soon gain indipendence from Britain making the British passports and documents that tied Zimbabwe and Kenya together reduntant.A 2 year gap to get Kenyan citizenship was open but in the absence of the internet and mass media the message did not reach the Shona tribe.

As such the tribe which had originally come from Zimbabwe,settled and had children becoming a 2000 plus population found itself stateless.Basic services like education,healthcare and government aid became hard to access and from the 60s to 2020 getting into school was nearly impossible for most.

Luckily many including the United Nations took up the cause of this group of devout Apostolics who are maestros in the art of crafting curios with their hands.The lobbying and coverage by the media and activists paid off when President Uhuru Kenyatta officially granted the Shona Kenyan citizen this December.Having arrived in Kenya when Uhuru's dad was about to become President that Uhuru was the one to make the Shona Kenya's 44th tribe is a perfect example of the world coming full circle.

However as Xenophobia as well as black on black hate within and among African countries continues unabated a few questions remain.Will Africa ever unite as a whole and take a commanding sit at the global table or the proverbial divide and conquer maxim will prevail.