When image replaces results

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Opinion | Political satire

We, the humble young people of Africa, thank our brilliant leaders on our knees, because, after tightening our belts for so long, we no longer have the strength to remain standing.

It is deeply moving to watch the carefully choreographed spectacle of each arrival, the armoured car stops, the door opens slowly, and His Excellency steps out as though the entire continent had paused to admire him.

First comes the gleaming shoe, followed by the immaculate Armani suit, the dark glasses and the rehearsed expression of a leader who believes that spending three seconds on the street amounts to governing alongside the people.

Surrounded by photographers, drones, security guards and image consultants, every slow-motion step heralds yet another “grand vision” whose results no one can find. Rice may be scarce, but the pose never is; cooking oil may become more expensive, but the social-media caption is always richly seasoned.

Meanwhile, the basic food basket has taken flight: it has left our tables and found a permanent home in political speeches, while we persist in that apparently unpatriotic habit of wanting to eat every day.

Thank you for so much love, Your Excellencies, from a safe distance, naturally, because bulletproof windows are not lowered for just any empty stomach.

Note: This message is addressed to leaders who still confuse public communication with personal exhibition.

Social media and the internet should be used to demonstrate accountability, present tangible results and show how governance is improving citizens’ lives, not merely to display official cars, expensive suits, choreographed arrivals and carefully rehearsed poses.

The problem is not communication; it is the attempt to replace results with spectacle.