By Sifelani Tsiko
Harare, Zimbabwe (March 30 2007)

ON April 4 2007, It will be exactly 39 years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in the US.

His legacy here in Africa is still alive, with many people donning T-shirts with his portrait, quoting his sayings in their papers and keeping his portraits in their library homes and offices.

Dr King was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr King's admirers have books on his life and many say his famous 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech still inspires them to live their lives to the fullest and to strive to do whatever they can to defend the dignity of the black man.

In the midst of all the problems that most African people are facing on the continent, Dr King is a major point of reference when it comes to reflections on black pride, black dignity and hope for the black family.

"Dr King alongside people like Nelson Mandela remains probably the single most admired, most respected international figure to ever come out of America," said Mandla Dlamini (54), an avid reader of American history coming out of the American library in Harare.

"Dr Martin Luther King Jr. is God's gift to American, Africa and the entire world. His legacy will remain with us whenever and wherever people talk about non-violence, about yearnings for freedom, about justice and racial equality.

"I've never met him but the inspiration i get from reading about him is amazing. Its not everyday that a man with such wisdom and human understanding is born."  

Dr King walked the journey of hardship and struggle with Africans at home and the 39th anniversary of his death should inspire Africans at home and abroad to explore news ways of networking and strengthening their co-operation.

Today's generation of Africans can learn a lot from Dr King Jnr and the late ANC hero Albert Luthuli who on December 10 1962 issued a joint statement -"Appeal for Action Against Apartheid."

This was a shining example of how two visionary leaders one in the Diaspora and one at home, working together, arms-in-arms to root out the evil system of apartheid.

In celebrating the life of our most outstanding leader -Dr King Jnr, we should be inspired to see reason in building closer relations between Africans at home and abroad.

Luthuli and Dr King Jr., are powerful symbols of human goodness and a reason of hope for black people to raise their heads high in the midst of adversity and persecution.

They are a piece of ourselves and we should whenever and wherever possible strive to remember them and keep their legacy alive in our precious archives, in schools and universities.

It is worthwhile even mentioning that Dr and Mrs. Correta King visited Ghana in March 1957 to witness the independence celebrations and meet the then new prime minister Kwame Nkrumah.

And as we celebrate the 39th anniverssary of his death, it is always important to relive Dr King's message of peace, non-violence and racial equality.

We must carry it and take it to new heights in our human struggles.

Racism is still rampant and if Dr King was alive he could have easily said what Mandela said at the age of 83: "Racism is an ailment of the mind and the soul. It kills many more than any contagion. It dehumanises everyone it touches."

 

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