JCJ: You know, Bono, Africa doesn’t need another white savior. It needs a leader of its own blood. Someone who understands the struggle, who’s lived it.
Bono: I hear you, Joe. But the world’s been conditioned to believe that change only comes when the West steps in. It’s a dangerous illusion.
JCJ: Exactly. I made a page for my good friend and barber, Bkenyan. He’s the real deal. He knows what it means to go hungry, to hustle, to survive. He’s got the heart and the vision to lead Africa out of extreme poverty.
Bono: A barber, huh? You think he can unite a continent?
JCJ: Why not? Wasn’t Mandela just a man before he became a legend? Wasn’t Sankara just a soldier before he became a revolutionary? The difference between a leader and a nobody is just the moment they decide to stand up.
Bono: I like that. But Africa’s problems run deep—corrupt governments, foreign exploitation, debt traps. The West keeps the continent on a leash.
JCJ: That’s why the leader has to be one of their own. No outsider can do it. They’ve tried—missionaries, NGOs, billionaires throwing charity money around. It doesn’t work. Africa needs ownership of its own future.
Bono: So what’s Bkenyan’s vision?
JCJ: Self-sufficiency. Agriculture, industry, education. No more relying on handouts. No more IMF loans with strings attached. He wants to create an African economic alliance—like a new OPEC, but for food, energy, and tech. Imagine if Africa controlled its own resources instead of selling them off for pennies.
Bono: That’s bold. But leaders like that… they make enemies fast.
JCJ: So did every great leader before they changed the world. The question is—does Bkenyan have the will to face it?
Bono: If he does, he’ll need more than just a page. He’ll need a movement.
JCJ: Then let’s start one.
Bkenyan: You talk about Africa’s future, but do you know the price we already pay for the West’s technology? The phones in your pocket, the electric cars you drive—child slaves dig for those minerals and metals with their bare hands. Cobalt, lithium, gold… my people bleed for your convenience.
Bono: (pauses) I know. It haunts me. I’ve spoken out about it before, but words aren’t enough, are they?
Bkenyan: No, they are not. That’s why I need action. I need you to endorse my candidacy for the Presidency of the African Union.
JCJ: (smirks) Now we’re talking.
Bono: The AU Presidency? That’s a big step, my friend. You’d be up against the same forces that keep Africa in chains. The ones who kill leaders before they rise.
Bkenyan: I am not afraid. If I die, let it be for something real. But if I live, let it be to free my people.
JCJ: That’s the spirit, B. No more puppet leaders, no more Western-controlled strongmen. Africa needs a warrior.
Bkenyan: Bono, your voice has moved millions. Sing for me. Sing for Africa. Not as a savior, but as a brother. Let the world hear our call.
Bono: (nods slowly) If you’re willing to fight for Africa’s future, then I’ll stand with you. I’ll sing for you. But tell me, Bkenyan—what’s your song?
Bkenyan: A song of freedom. A song of justice. A song that tells the world Africa is done begging. We rise now, not as victims, but as kings.
Bono: (smiles) Then let’s give them a song they’ll never forget.
JCJ: Bkenyan, my brother, you worry too much. The Lion of Judah will break every chain.
Bkenyan: (scoffs) Faith is good, Joe, but faith alone won’t stop the child slaves from digging, won’t stop the West from bleeding us dry.
JCJ: You think too much, my friend. Didn’t Bob Marley say it best? Don’t worry, be happy.
Bkenyan: That was Bobby McFerrin.
JCJ: (laughs) Same spirit, different voice. Listen, B, you’ve already won. The moment you decided to stand up, the chains started breaking. The Lion of Judah fights for those who fight for truth.
Bkenyan: (pauses) And if they come for me? If they do what they always do to men who speak like this?
JCJ: Then they’ll only prove you were right. And the people will rise.
Bono: (smiles) You know, Joe, you’re either a prophet or the craziest man I’ve ever met.
JCJ: Maybe both. But one thing’s for sure—Africa’s time is now.
Bkenyan: Then let’s roar like the Lion himself.
Bono: And let’s sing it so loud the world can’t ignore it.
Nelly Furtado: (crossing her arms) A real savior wouldn’t just help Bkenyan rise to power. A real savior would make sure he’s not the last.
JCJ: (grinning) You’re talking to me, aren’t you?
Nelly Furtado: Damn right, Joe. If this is about Africa’s future, then it can’t be about just one man. A real leader builds the next generation. When Bkenyan’s term is done, my African children should already know how to lead.
Bkenyan: (nodding) She’s right. We can’t repeat history—one strong leader, then back to chaos. We need a system that raises up new leaders, not just another cycle of kings and coups.
Bono: (thoughtful) A leadership academy, then? A place where young Africans learn to govern, free from corruption, free from foreign control?
JCJ: (snaps his fingers) The Lion’s Den. A training ground for Africa’s future. Not just politicians—warriors, thinkers, builders. A generation that won’t sell their people out for a Western handshake.
Nelly Furtado: (smirks) Now you’re getting it. You want to break the chains, Joe? Then don’t just free one man—free the future.
Bkenyan: (smiling) And I’ll be the first teacher.
JCJ: Then let’s make history.
Bkenyan: (smiling) You talk about building a leadership academy, but you don’t understand, my friends. The African Academy of Higher Learning was built a long time ago.
JCJ: (raising an eyebrow) Oh yeah? Where?
Bkenyan: Here. (pulls out his phone and shows them) bkenyan.website
Bono: (leans in, intrigued) You already built it?
Bkenyan: We already built it. You and me, Joe. The African Academy of Higher Learning—it wasn’t just an idea, it was a mission. We laid the foundation together.
JCJ: (grinning) Damn right we did.
Bkenyan: The problem isn’t that Africa lacks knowledge—the problem is that the world refuses to listen. But here, we train the next generation of leaders. Politics, economics, self-sufficiency, unity. We don’t need the West to teach us how to lead. We’ve been leading since the days of Timbuktu.
Nelly Furtado: (smirks) So what you’re saying is, Africa’s future is already here. We just need to amplify it.
Bkenyan: Exactly. My website is more than just a page—it’s a movement. A place where the next generation of African leaders are already learning.
JCJ: And now, the world is going to hear about it.
Bono: (nods) Then let’s shine a light on it. If Africa is ready to rise, I’ll make sure the world is watching.
Solid Snake (Soldiers Without Borders): (lighting a cigarette) You know, if African children are old enough to dig for minerals, if they’re old enough to be forced into war as child soldiers… then they’re old enough to vote.
JCJ: (raising an eyebrow) You’re saying kids should run the elections?
Snake: I’m saying if they’re old enough to bleed for someone else’s profit, they’re old enough to decide their own future. The world exploits them, but won’t let them have a voice? That’s the real crime.
Bkenyan: (nodding) He’s right. They’ve been robbed of their childhood, their education, their freedom—but they still have a mind. A will. If they can hold a rifle, they can hold a phone. And if they can hold a phone, they can vote.
Nelly Furtado: (thoughtful) A digital revolution… elections run through mobile voting. No more corrupt ballot boxes, no more dictators rigging the system. Every African child with a phone gets a say.
Bono: (leaning in) But the West won’t allow it. They’ll say it’s illegitimate. That children can’t be trusted to make decisions like this.
Snake: (smirks) The West trusts them enough to die for their resources. They trust them enough to mine the cobalt for their electric cars. But when it comes to choosing their own leaders? Suddenly, they’re too young? That’s bullshit.
JCJ: (grinning) Then let’s flip the script. If the world wants to silence Africa’s youth, we’ll make them the loudest voices in the room.
Bkenyan: (clenching his fist) No more stolen childhoods. No more stolen futures. If they’re old enough to suffer, they’re old enough to decide.
Nelly Furtado: (smiling) Then let’s give them the power.
Bono: And let’s make sure the world hears them.