Hi there! Here’s an official welcome to the year 2021 from us! As we bring you on an exciting journey over the course of this year, we also wanted to do a quick recap of 2020 (fair enough, right?)
2020 was indeed a challenging year which took its toll on the entire world, including our dearly beloved Africa. From planes catching fire, to helicopter crashes, to military coups, COVID-19, et cetera, 2020 was indeed a year to remember (or not).
In spite of the seemingly terrible events of 2020, it would however be ungrateful of us to completely ignore the few things that did turn out right for us Africans, home and abroad. It is in light of this that we’ll highlight some of the positive outcomes of last year below:
1.) MORE CHARITY OUTREACHES WERE ACHIEVED IN 2020
The year 2020 more than anything, opened our eyes more, to the reality of less privileged or less opportune members of our society and in light of the COVID-19 restrictions which stifled the already limited means od livelihood of some individuals and their families, we were able to conduct more charity outreaches and charitable events to help cater to the members of our society who needed the acts of generosity more than we could imagine. It was a way of reminding ourselves that while we don’t all have it together, there is beauty, and love, in sharing.
2.) THERE WAS A LOT MORE FAMILY TIME IN 2020
This particular aspect of the previous year was not talked about enough! MANY of us weren’t ready to actualy spend ALL our time with the same people EVERYDAY for most if not all of the year, and even though it was a struggle for some, and not much of a hassle for others, one thing that everyone definitely agrees on is that it was a great time for bonding and keeping up with the family because in all honesty, we don’t always get that much time to spend at home with our family, so the restrictions from COVID-19 actually served as some sort of blessing in disguise.
3.) WE HAD FREER SCHEDULES IN 2020
The previous point may not have applied to all of us, especially if we live, work (or do both) away from family,..but at least we did have freer schedules. It’s not lost on us that there were some bosses who didn’t quite get the whole “remote work” memo (LOL), but the fact remains that for most of the year last year, at least the period during which there was a lock-down, there was a lot more time to catch up on books, TV series, sports, fitness and other pleasures we craved.
4.) AFRICA BECAME FREE OF WILD POLIO
According to a Nature article released in August 2020, Africa became fully free and clear of wild polio, as no new cases have been recorded in over four years. An excerpt from the article states:
The Africa Regional Certification Commission, an independent body responsible for overseeing the eradication of polio, has certified that all 47 countries in the WHO’s Africa Region have eradicated the virus after a long programme of vaccination and surveillance. There is no cure for the disease, which can cause irreversible paralysis and can be fatal if breathing muscles are affected, but vaccination can protect people for life.
If nothing else on this list seems like such a big deal, this (and the next item on this list), should at least be a source of encouragement!
5.) AFRICA MANAGED TO KEEP COVID UNDER CONTROL…RELATIVELY
This is the last (and by no measure the least) on our list of positives from last year. It’s something that came as a shock to many- even including our own people. We honestly didn’t expect that we had the capacity to be able to effectively manage something as big a deal as COVID-19, and in truth, maybe we didn’t, but by some stroke of providence, Africa has managed to keep th COVID-19 pandemic from spreading to dangerous proportions.
Having all these major wins going into 2021, it is important that as Africans, (and humans generally) we maintain the same energy that kept us through the ups and downs of 2020, and enter this year knowing that while nothing is promised, and no one knows anything for certain, we can rest knowing that whatever the year brings, we are up to it,…and we will break through!
