Who Will Brand Africa?

I hold authors Mussamaali Nangoli, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Shaaban Robert, among others in high esteem.Why? What occurred recently off the coast of Libya has forced me to put this on the agora.

Western media recently reported that at least 200 African immigrants died when their boat capsized as they were trying to make it to Lampedusa- Italy in their attempt to seek green pastures.The media did not tell us that another boat that was towed to safety was full of Palestinians, Indians and other non-African nationals!

Although Africa has economic problems, she’s not alone as western media put it. To western media, miseries and desperation to escape from West-made-poverty-vicious circle are only in Africa! Do they have any gist of humanity? Do they ever feel guilt of using even dead people!

How should they, if when they introduced slavery and colonialism, they thought that it was the right thing? To them, Africa and her rulers are either tabula rasa or babies that should not torture their brain.

The world needs know that colonialism and slavery that sanctified exploitation and degradation of one continent by others, need to be corrected by treating Africa fairly in all international affairs especially trade and Human Rights. Doing so will solve the current problems.

When western media is making the world believe that Africa is the source of illegal activities, as they call them, it does not know that the same continent has none of its citizenry seeking green pasture in India. Instead, it’s vice versa.

Had what was reported was about Europe or America; they’d rush to clarify and warn not to mention tutoring about ethics and research for the media. But who cares if the victim is Africa? This is the why Africa’s always been abused and given all bad names without Human Rights campaigners to condemn, let alone blotting it.

Some years back I was at loggerhead with World Vision Canada. This happened when I saw many pictures showing poor Africans. They’re degrading and exploitative pictures though to World Vision they’re good source of printing money. Then is when I asked myself: if all these creatures were whites, what would have been the repercussions of their countries? They have the grit of abusing and exploiting poor Africans for the good of their own citizens.

It’s only now that the world knows that the richest country of the world-US is currently grappling with a homeless population after greed-geared credit crunch surfaced as it dressed down its holistic capitalistic greed and myopia.

The other day my daughter was given a book about Tanzania. Apart from being authored by a racist and supremacist white, it showed Tanzania as a village full of thatched hats. This grade four daughter asked: where are the mansions of our rulers and who’s who? Her teacher, ignorant of Africa and astonished, asked: are there any mansions in Africa?

Through pummeling lies and concoctions of their making, the West has succeeded in hoodwinking their people and ours. Ask a white kid about Africa. He or she knows diseases, wars, hungers, vampires. They don’t know that the coffee they drink and computers they use everyday are made from raw materials from Africa! Sad indeed.

We may blame them. It is our right to do so. But looking at the other side of the coin, we’re to blame. For example, if you look at our academic setting and all that we inculcate into our kids, you’ll find that sometimes we’re our own enemies.

I’ve never understood why, for example, a very simple, clear and eloquent book like “No More Lies About Africa” by Professor Mussamaali Nangoli is not taught in our schools and universities.Though some of our literati are internationally applauded, their contributions are a lot more appreciated in the West than in Africa! To add injuries to insults, most of them are in western universities teaching.

Our thuggish rulers do not want them home for fear of unveiling their plot to exploit our people.Our rulers do not want much-know people in their countries. They’re happy and at home with the crop of elites either they use in their regimes hell bent to ruin people or those are at universities teaching and keeping animals.

I felt pity when I found that most of the professors at the University of Dar es salaam are renowned for keeping pigs and chickens to subsidize their negligible incomes. When do such people get time to invent or mentor students whilst their petit projects need them the most? Sadly, they don’t give the government the heck to see to it that they’re well remunerated just like politicians who make millions for telling lies or doing nothing! Education is for human manumission.

It’s reached a point whereby a drug baron or a mere dealer is highly adored compared to an elite. In Tanzania, there was an operation of busting thugs. You know what. This exercise had to stop after finding that most of those thugs were donors and sponsors to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

It’s no secret. Most of professors in many African countries have abandoned and betrayed their professions to join politics where money is printed easily. What makes the situation worse is when they become politicians; they become even more corrupt than common con men and women in politics. This is why, despite having many PhD holders and professors in government, African governments are still begging and allowing themselves to be degraded and used for the peril of their own people.

I once asked the logic for the current regime in Tanzania to deny a hundred percent loans to students whilst those doing so went to free school under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s socialist regime! The situation is the same almost everywhere in Africa. What adds the twangs and pangs, western government support such nugatory regimes even when Africans try to pull them down.

We are currently suffering from terrorism not just because those serving it are morally inclined to it. Their desperation is the sole cause of being preyed on easily. They have nothing to lose. If people can risk their lives to cross turbulent seas, what will stop them from succumbing to petrodollars to execute whatever mission they are assigned Look at the money being wasted on killing people in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan, instead of serving humanity.

For how long will Africa sit on her treasures as she is abused and exploited? The solution is simple; starting reshaping the mindset of our young ones. China did as well as Japan and you can see the fruits.
Source: The African Executive Magazine April 8, 2009.