Rationale
Despite commendable strides having been taken in improving the infrastructure of African states in the post-colonial era through the initiatives of governments, the OAU-AU and countless other organizations, the overall state of development and consciousness of the African population remains relatively stagnant. Administrative bodies while focusing their efforts and funding resources on
political, economic and social priorities have found difficulty providing a sustainable environment for the average 70% of Africans who continue to live below the poverty line. Providing access to financial support for individuals who lack the knowledge capacity to create self-initiatives under decisive conditions will not at all solve the African crisis. The issue of consciousness is still poorly addressed if not entirely disregarded in the development policies of most African states revealing their educational systems do not promote creativity, a disposition of self-reliance and connection to the natural environment or cosmic laws of which the individual African finds his or herself faced with. The gap between a prosperous and poverty enveloped African is a difference in mentality which can only be bridged by access to information capable of initiating the human consciousness. The shift in consciousness towards New Age unfortunately has not been stimulated on the African continent to spark the necessary development towards increased spiritual capacity let alone social improvement. The African continent with its peoples, being the descendants of the Horn of Africa civilizations which contributed exceedingly to the development of the first major world civilizations of this era are endowed with grand creative resources and development potentials which remain untapped. A leading cause for this after countless continental and global initiatives to spark self-sustainable development initiatives can only be attributed to an individual lack of “knowledge of self” and personal alienation resultant from the effects of past social degradation which still must be addressed with proper conscientization. The continents cultural and spiritual institutions particularly have been relegated to inferiority to the point the general population is incapable of appreciating and taking advantage of the sub-conscious energies that radiate from them effectively. Studies in social science reveal that these institutions form the root of self-identification which instills an individual with self-worth allowing them to see the possibility and relevance of community development, which translates into economic initiative and governmental participation, two major areas of deficiency impeding development of African states. By forming a platform for the presentation of the Ministry of Spirituology which emerges as a global initiative from the African continent incorporating it’s universal spiritual worldview with the spiritual philosophy of the current advancing progressive thought, the Black Flag Cultural Consciousness Magazine project will establish relevance for a spiritual organization that will be able to pursue this objective of creating relevance for prioritizing the development of human consciousness while also catalyzing projects to continue the same and stimulate increased economic realization, social cohesion and participatory governance. The project is immediately warranted granted the 50th Anniversary of the original Organization for African Unity (OAU) was recently celebrated under the theme: “2013, Year of Pan-Africanism & African Renaissance,” ending on the 25th of May, 2014, coupled with the escalation of religious-ethnic violence both in Sub-Saharan Africa and globally due to religious intolerance with the continued incapacity of the people of the continent to increase their self-sustainability. The relevance of this project to address these issues towards lasting solutions mindful of the negative factors promoting these existential concerns requires steering towards resolution is clearly apparent.
