I am deeply dejected, if not heartbroken to celebrate Africa day .It is not an act of insolence or arrogance mother, hence my decision to explain myself. Trails of destruction at the hands of those entrusted to look after us guide my actions! What your monumental sons- and fathers to us- envisioned when forming the Organisation of African Union remains realised in the realm of dreams.

My lovely mother, it pains me to see the Sudanese brothers at each other's throat. Not forgetting the nefarious activities of the notorious Joseph Kony in the heart land of your sphere. Why pain at the end of the barrel? Worse still, the sight of skeletal remains- but surprisingly alive- of my brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa arrests my happiness.

The future of most of your offspring now hinges on the crunching rate of the greedy jaws of political 'orphans' more than equipped to usurp power at any cost. Most are self anointed liberators, yet prowling angels of darkness searching for victims to devour! They say they are peace agents, but I have never seen a piece of peace in their schemes. In fact, they are destroying lives and fauna. Looting wealth and spilling blood in their strangled hold on power.

Also it should come to your knowledge; some of our dear leaders create confusion and unrest through hastily assembled shady laws to milk us of our share of inheritance. In Zimbabwe, indigenisation laws which scare away investors have been enacted. This is despite the law being unexplained to the people and used as an enriching tool by the dominant elite.

Mother Africa, most of your kith and kin is submerged in clumsy poverty, despite sitting on inexhaustible resources. Some have diamonds as their national resource, but mothers die in numbers as they try to replenish the earth as per the command of the holy book, due to poor antenatal care.

I think you will be happy to note none of your territory is still under colonial jurisdiction. Nevertheless, you will be dismayed to realise some colonial masters were much better than those who now preside over us. Colonial brutality has been replaced by tyrannical African enslavement. Our not-so-benevolent rulers, the majority of them, have ruled for ages as if we are still in the monarchical era where aristocrats ruled with divine rule!

Due to prolonged office stay by most of our first citizens, some of your courageous sons and daughters, have resorted to the barrel of the gun for them to realise self determination .But you won't be pleased to note, though some succeeded, they paid for it with a heavy coin! Pools of blood are what left in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt as I write!

You will not be happy to realise how the path of humility and fraternity trodden by architects of our civilisation, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere and Patrice Lumumba among others has been long forsaken. Created inter governmental organisations such as SADC has failed to play their true roles. Nothing is being done to help brothers and sisters dying of hunger in Eritrea and Somalia. Giving them humanitarian assistance is now a role entrusted to foreigners. Is this the true spirit of brotherhood found in our venerated fathers?

As we invoke memories of Addis Ababa 1963, I humbly ask for leaders and not rulers! Men and women of honour who will selflessly carry the flag of humility and called to serve, not to be served! For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid by the founding pillars of Africa Union!

Your grieved son
Wiseman Nyika, Harare-Zimbabwe