| | The world has evolved, yet in the Horn of Africa people continue to settle ancient scores amongst themselves. As at the time of the Crusades, they confront one another along the same battlelines and from the same ideological trenches. The intellectuals of the region have proved unable to emancipate themselves from the dominant discourses of their societies and cultures and their power structures. Intellectuals throughout the region have been seduced, suborned and instrumentalised by power. They have rallied to every flag of convenience raised by powerholders and powerseekers, In so doing, they have betrayed their calling and their people. What this region needs is intellectuals with integrity and the will to resist the temptation of power. It is time for the intellectuals of the Horn of Africa to launch a 'liberation movement' of and for themselves. A movement for the emancipation of critical thought and its use for the benefit of the common man and woman. |
