Year with much to learn

Years come and go with their pleasant and unpleasant surprises. But the natural and societal ills that plague some, if not most of them, make life so difficult that the 12 months can be considered an ordeal.
In Africa, like elsewhere on our beloved planet, the year 2023 left us with some smiles, but there was much that kept many on their knees praying for the Almighty God to usher in more of what makes life worth living.
Persistent insecurity triggered by disputes, terrorism, favouritism, marginalisation and hate language robbed populations of the love and cooperation needed for development.
Natural calamities, some of them caused by the effects of Global Warming resulted in the loss of life and property.  What a stressful scenario! 
Worse, geopolitical conflicts and bloody confrontations resulted in more loss of lives and property. While some people regretted that the UN has almost become a barking dog that hardly bites, the World Body did what it could as votes, for, against and abstentions continued to portray national and regional differences.
With these challenges, human beings did not relinquish the conviction or belief that a year is as good as people make it. In this light, while the Ukraine – Russian war rocked attained a disturbing peak and the Gaza – Israeli bloody conflict claimed thousands of lives, the international community kept pleading for cease fires to prevent the loss of more lives. Even though the Palestinian –Israeli war has already lasted more than 60 years, pacifists believe that through corporate action for peace, offsprings of Biblical Abraham, will one day give dialogue a chance and learn to live peacefully in the Promised Land.
While Africa cannot claim to have been spared from natural and man-made calamities that rocked the world in 2023, the year, almost resurfaced nightmares of the 1960s when violent ousting of political leaders was so common that it seemed to have been accepted as the only means to ensure leadership alternation at the helm.
The scenario seemed to have returned considering the changes in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Gabon. But the oustings were bloodless proving that the compatriots from Barracks were primarily after power and not brutal elimination of their former leaders.
However, the unconstitutional ousting of democratically elected leaders was not, and could not be acclaimed by those who later learnt of the unpatriotic stewardship of the deposed. African nations were politically mature not to interfere imprudently in the affairs of other nations, thus demonstrating their concern for peace and cooperation...