In recent times there has been a real life hero that pulled stunts out of the magic Marvel comics that we have all come to love and that hero comes from the most unlikely place; Africa.
Yes. Mamoudou Gassama is the hero's name from Mali and he has been aptly described as Spiderman. In the viral video which made its rounds across major media newsrooms and can be found at YouTube, the man who was also an immigrant climbs walls while on his way to save a little child who was dangerously dangling on the balcony.
At last, an excellent piece of news headline concerning Africa as found its way to major news platform and the continent is being spoken of in glowing and fond terms. We should make no mistake: Africa has always been a continent which possesses a beautiful illustrious history and even though such beautiful aspects of the continental arts, values and systems have been painted in Artworks and portrayed by award winning authors like Chimamanda Adichie, Nnedi Okorafor, and others. This beautiful side of the continent has also been shown in the recent blockbuster film Black Panther released by Marvel. However the narratives that showcase Africa as a continent filled with hate crimes, poverty, pain and as a hub for intense humanitarian crisis still continues to make waves within western media and that is why the real life Spiderman story made real waves across the world.
Humanity ought to keep uniting in the face of the dangers that keep besetting everyone. Despite the difference in our races and differing experiences that we have passed through the course of our lives, it remains vital that we recognize our uniqueness and work towards removing every dark spot of pain from the earth through acts of kindness. Mamoudou Gassama risked his own life to protect the life of a child which was not his and from there united everyone in praise of his actions. Imagine how much we would all unite when we all engage in acts of kindness that are extended to everyone around our environment. Little drops of kindness will really transition into an ocean of peace if we remain dedicated.
In the legendary words of Bob Marley, "One love keep us together"
