In 30 years from now, around 2050, it is predicted that 50% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population will be under the age of 25. According to Dr Mothomang Diaho, if we do not address individual well-being through an intergenerational lens, we would only continue to see further health declines.
To take on the leadership roles of the future, Dr Diaho proposed that the cadre of future leaders would need to have “minds that are resilient, bodies that are strong enough to support them, and they would need practices that also support their health and wellness journeys”. As the summit continued, each speaker was given the opportunity to respond to attendees’ questions that varied from dealing with disease to ways individuals can act towards supporting collective community healing.
Following his session on what it means to live in an inhumane society while desperately in need of collective healing, Dr Dumisani Magadlela concluded that there was one lesson humanity has always struggled to learn: “we are all connected, and this connection has implications on the health of all”. His sentiments were shared and supported by Dr Matthew Katjene who said many people find themselves in “survival mode” only; a state that keeps people disconnected and stuck in unhealthy and dysfunctional patterns.
The ‘stuckness’ Dr Katjene spoke of found home the conversation of ‘Embodying Your Leadership’, where speaker Metsi Makhetha said that there would be no change or movement in our desire towards greater health if we remained in one place. “Unless we move, we cannot express what needs to manifest in our lives”, she said and added that there would be no room for growth or healing. Alongside embodied movement, the next speaker of the summit, Dr Christina North, spoke to attendees about our genes and the impact they have on our lives.
The summit ended with the keynote speaker Ms Scholastica Kimaryo who encouraged all participants to be “Afro-optimistic”, we are fortunate to have an energised and health-conscious youth, who can still be guided to become masters of their destinies and leaders of a healthier, collectively healed future.
With this year’s summit ending on such a powerful note, the question remains: “Now that you are aware, what will do you?”. This is the ask of every generation in pursuit of holistic health and well-being.
