Finding the common ground of dreams

Eleanor Roosevelt, America's longest-serving First Lady once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Nearly a century later, it is safe to surmise that the future belongs to the Chinese people, guided as they are by their national dream.

Dreams, however, are nothing more than what they are if they are not cast in concrete. Africa, itself is the best example of this as we have seen several instances of national dreams being quashed by poor leadership, ethnic strife and corruption.

Africa needs to shake off the negative perceptions if it has to achieve its true growth potential. More importantly, it must take a leaf from the Chinese Dream and become the next frontier of economic development. In fact, it should be the guiding principle and dream of Africa, and not be seen as a prized destination for natural resources.

President Xi Jinping's vision of the Chinese Dream has, no doubt, had a far-reaching impact in China, judging by its widespread acceptance. It has also triggered heated debate and discussion in local and foreign media.

Among African countries, Kenya began its tryst with the Kenyan dream, when it decided to embrace a new constitution in 2010. There is no doubt that the Kenyan dream has flourished since then, and blossomed under President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice-President William Ruto.

Much that newfound optimism in Kenya, however, has come from its successful engagements with China. Through successful parleys, Kenya has managed to secure project funding from China for the more than $2.6 billion standard gauge railway project from Mombasa to Malaba, a Kenyan town bordering Uganda. The project, being executed by the China Road and Bridge Cooperation, is expected to decongest the Mombasa port and improve its efficiency.

Both the Chinese and Kenyan dreams will find convergence in a robust platform for fruitful bilateral interactions.

The author is a Kenya-based journalist.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/18/2014 page11)