I do not have a particular role model but instead have a template I hold up as my goal. The template I look up to is the stereotypical European 30-something or 40-something year old male who lives in an unknown but insanely developed city who wears suits & blazers so casually, it's almost second-nature to him. This man speaks several European languages, is suspiciously good at soccer & basketball & owns or aspires to own a modest sports car but is more than comfortable in riding around in his motorbike or bicycle in his suit, blazer flapping in the wind. This man is the epitome of sophistication to me. He lives in a country with a rich history & very aesthetically appealing flag. My mistake was that this individual is white in a European country & I am black in an underdeveloped country so there's always going to be that contradiction in lifestyles. This individual has a local team he occasionally goes to the stadium to watch, he has a job & a hobby which also gets him money.
Why do I hold this individual to such high regard? It's because of his country, his country allows him to be as sophisticated as he is when the standard in my country is a guy in a t-shirt & jeans wearing All-Stars, who's always looking for any scraps of money to make a living. This European guy's country is a typical nation-state (one language, one ethnicity) & is a global example of trustworthy governance unlike the itchy hands we have in Africa. The simplicity in his life is appealing to me because I live a life of constant frustration from people's ignorance to just biased & bigoted discrimination across all races in South Africa. So I hope to, one day, live in a land with a single language & leaders who actually do all in their power for the benefit of the nation (note that I said nation & not country).
The reason for this stereotype's simplicity is because of, primarily, his land's use of a single language, state religion, his land's education system & plan for governing itself. His country wants to be better, not oppress it's citizens a la South Africa. I envy this individual because Africa itself would be like this were it not for colonisation, we'd have a Benin Kingdom, Songhay state, Herero Republic etc. These would be nation-states that govern themselves in a distinct Herero, Songhay or Benin style & speak their respective national languages; this, I believe, would bring a certain legitimacy & trustworthyness to a land. Sure, there'll be problems but this method brings simplicity & less tribalism & discrimination & indeed legitimacy of being a land of a nation or a distinct people rather than a bunch of people forced together who speak different languages.
Sure, we may not be as developed as Europe but that's not what it's about; it's about a nation which forms a country with a set of values & particular style of legitimate governance unlike this here today, there tomorrow biased governance we have in South Africa. Yes, it sounds fascist or socialist but this is what I genuinely believe would liberate the African continent... decolonised, sovereign nation-states that would govern themselves in indigenous systems & not foreign languages & styles of government. It may sound very wishful but it is my solution for Africa's progress & development. We may never see a first-world African country but let's, at least, obtain working & decolonised African countries not these messes of governance we see being told by foreign companies how to run their land. You call yourself a great country but are being told what to do by Coca-Cola, Shell & Nestlé? Come on. We can do better, we need to do better on the continent. The moment you're taking orders from a global business on what to do in your land, you're no longer a sovereign state but a puppet state even if it is for massive sums of money.
This European individual I mentioned earlier probably lives in a land with a state-owned bank, working transport system etc. He lives a simple life because his country keeps things simple. There's no overcomplicated red lines, there's just a country with solutions for it's unique problems. In South Africa, we have a land with solutions for the previously advantaged groups. The land's (South Africa's) systems are cold & unwelcoming to everyone including majorities. It's no wonder we always complain & strike. If we solve one problem in the country, it would open the way to solve other problems which would make it easier to solve more problems. The problem is we want to stick with problematic & harsh systems that usually benefit the previously advantaged but also frequently leave them out in the cold because they are so unworkable & not thought through.
Celebritydom
The main reason we have youth with no direction that constantly want to bitch to us to be their role models & guides is because our media makes funny celebrities. They're seen doing "xavatha" dances at parties, getting into fights, drinking expensive liquor & making babies out of wedlock. With their kind of money, they should all be married. These are no people children should look up to. Sure they're fun & do all these "cool" things, like twerking, but why can't a decent celebrity pop up? A guy who finished school, has a job & trade, is famous for their job or trade & not some reality show or celebrity gossip show. If they're musicians, they studied music or can play a musical instrument & not just downloaded Fruity Loops. We need to do better. We really do. There is no way a society that takes itself seriously, would give pornographic actors & people with tattoos on their faces any media coverage. I get interview shows but why are they interviewing LGBTQI socialites & not people with substance & real character? Why are no policemen, doctors, exceptional teachers & military officials not interviewed on shows but shameless, meaningless fame-mongers? Why are the interviewers almost always the most suspect individuals & not standard Larry King types? I'm not trying to dismantle South Africa's celebrity industry but I'm simply stating that they're part of the problem & not the solution in making a better land. In my perfect country there'd just be maskandi & classical music for public consumption but my concept of serious may be a little different from other people.
Role models are important, we need to pick upright individuals (as Thoma Sankara wished) to lead our lands & learn from upright societies. Because what can we really learn from noisy, hateful drunks except how to be noisy, hateful drunks? We must choose wisely who we emulate or we will end up like them.