What is the vision for the African continent?

It's Africa Day today - a day marked on our calendars to remind us that the African continent is vast and vibrant with diverse cultures and people.

Yes, the continent certainly has a rich heritage - nobody would deny that and it's obviously worth once again reminding ourselves of that, but it also has a sad history of exploitation and strife, which we continue to be constrained by.

As we reflect on this conundrum of realities in the present, what is glaringly absent this Africa Day - as has been the case for every single Africa Day up until this point in time - is a vivid and compelling vision of what the continent could one day be.

Sadly the African Union - populated by an impressive list of dignitaries, academics, business people, politicians and researchers - are seemingly incapable of stepping away from their research methodologies and official sounding rhetoric to also offer the people of Africa a vision of the future, which we can all get behind and work towards.

Listed on the African Union website is a fairly benign academic list of policy related tick-box items entitled 'Our Aspirations for the Africa We Want', but where is the vision?

Where is the dream of what calling yourself an African might feel like one day?

What might our countries and cities look like if we get things right; if we get the opportunities that we deserve and leaders who really care?

Where is the moving story of what we collectively are trying to achieve?

What is the story of Africa that I'm going to tell my daughter tonight that will inspire her to be a vital part of its building?

Africa Day 2021 is once again a lovely platform for the learned few to make heartfelt sounding statements on social media platforms and to talking heads on CNN, but for 99.9% of the continent's people, it's a day just like any other.

A day that looks and feels just like yesterday, which will end with the same worries being carried over into tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that.