“We tend to be speaking in multiple tongues: Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone, but never Afrophone.” Prof. Timothy Murithi
Prof. Tim Murithi served on the Tana Forum Technical Committee and participated in many Forum sessions. I interviewed him for his reflections on the 10 years of the Tana Forum on Security in Africa. Below are some of his key messages:
1. On prioritising Africa, he says that Africa is always looking outside for solutions, including languages: “And Africa doesn’t seem to be speaking to itself enough. We tend to be speaking in multiple tongues: Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone, but never Afrophone.”
2. On African Agency, Prof. Murithi says:
“I always say as Africans, we are not going anywhere. The African continent is not going anywhere. We are the ones who must change the system. Don’t wait for other people to come and solve your problems, or issues or challenges, look deep within yourself. I believe we have agency as Africans. I believe we have ability. We have insight. But we need to find ways to marry that with political action that will in fact shift the agenda on the African continent. This is my belief, and I will continue working along these lines with the hope that all the young people, all the women, all the men of this continent, will join us on this quest to build a much more peaceful and prosperous Africa going forward.”
You can read more on Prof. Tim Murithi’s reflections here: https://hesphina.com/2025/01/06/tana-at-ten-publications/
Institute for Peace and Security Studies