By Mutabazi Sam Stewart
The future of most black persons in the world continues to be bleak, highly dependent on other people that developed their capacities long ago. Black persons are the poorest among the poor in the world. Well-meaning efforts by statesmen and patrons to better the lives of black people especially those living in Africa have not yielded impressive results. Some writers have called us a cursed race while others have heaped the blame of the Blackman’s predicament on the Whiteman who ‘whitewashed” Africans to remain in perpetual poverty. One such writer is, Daniel K. Pryce who, writing in Ghana Times newspaper says, “That Africa's collective growth ― social, political and economic ― remains stunted many decades after all colonists had departed for their respective native countries is indicative of what I generally refer to as a congenital splotch on the mental terrain of the black man. If after so many decades of pervasive self-determination Africans are still unable to unflinchingly meander through the quiescent tides of basic economics and social organization, then I am sorry to state that there is little hope for both the present generation and posterity alike”.
Whereas many countries especially in Europe and Asia have taken comparably shorter periods to uplift their living standards, it is taking what seems like eternity for Africans to achieve development. In some situations, parts of Africa remain almost as backward as they were more than 200 years ago, if not worse off. Famine and diseases are in some cases as intense as what was obtaining during what is commonly referred to as “the dark ages”. Africa is at crossroads because it has not yet decided on which development model to adopt. Countries like Thailand chose the path of investing in their people who later transformed the economy from the bliss. Britain invested in industry. Germany was interested in funding technological research and innovation. USA emphasized liberty and freedom for her people to realize their full potential. Japan emphasized innovativeness together with replication of best practices and technological advancement. Africa has been using all the above approaches but the results seem to be dismally disappointing.
Some scholars such as Timothy Kalyegira, a leading local social critic, have made astounding proposals which have attracted outright rejection and rebuttal. Kalyegira has variously argued that Uganda was better off under colonial rule than it has been after attaining her independence. Of course Kalyegira is not alone. There is a sizeable number of people who believe that we should hire leaders from the west to manage our countries and lead us into prosperity like they have done in their own nations. All these are maneuvers to find an answer to the problem that seem not to have a workable solution.
President Yoweri Museveni has identified Africa’s problems and has gone ahead to suggest solutions as well. These too have remained proposals and assumptions. The fact is that we all know the problems of Africa but we don’t know what we are supposed to know when it comes to solving them, because if we knew, we would rightly apply appropriate measures to help our lot.
We have been advised by everybody including those who give us grants that aid has never developed a country and it will never do in the near future. But the givers and receivers continue to give and receive with deceitful belief that the unthinkable may happen, that Africa shall develop through aid and become economically self-supporting. One of the questions that has been asked about Africa’s underdevelopment has been that “Is the west responsible for developing Africa?” of course not. America for instance does not have a duty to develop Africa but Africa has a right to development. But I personally believe that if for instance America has been able to develop her potential to such levels, through conquering the earth, the sea and the space, it seems to me that America should be judged harshly for the small oversight it has made to shamefully remain indifferent to Africa’s problems for such a long time. Of all the problems developed nations have solved within and outside their boarders, Africa’s underdevelopment remains one of the sticking issue that is yet to be addressed. Would one be right to imagine that Africa’s problem is not important to attract the attention of the west? When will the turning point for Africa arrive? Isn’t it about time that Africa weaned herself from the west by rejecting aid and advice since this is the only thing we have not tried out? Africa is desperate and desperate situations call for desperate actions.
** The writer is a Human Rights Defender: mutasamste@yahoo.com
The future of most black persons in the world continues to be bleak, highly dependent on other people that developed their capacities long ago. Black persons are the poorest among the poor in the world. Well-meaning efforts by statesmen and patrons to better the lives of black people especially those living in Africa have not yielded impressive results. Some writers have called us a cursed race while others have heaped the blame of the Blackman’s predicament on the Whiteman who ‘whitewashed” Africans to remain in perpetual poverty. One such writer is, Daniel K. Pryce who, writing in Ghana Times newspaper says, “That Africa's collective growth ― social, political and economic ― remains stunted many decades after all colonists had departed for their respective native countries is indicative of what I generally refer to as a congenital splotch on the mental terrain of the black man. If after so many decades of pervasive self-determination Africans are still unable to unflinchingly meander through the quiescent tides of basic economics and social organization, then I am sorry to state that there is little hope for both the present generation and posterity alike”.
Whereas many countries especially in Europe and Asia have taken comparably shorter periods to uplift their living standards, it is taking what seems like eternity for Africans to achieve development. In some situations, parts of Africa remain almost as backward as they were more than 200 years ago, if not worse off. Famine and diseases are in some cases as intense as what was obtaining during what is commonly referred to as “the dark ages”. Africa is at crossroads because it has not yet decided on which development model to adopt. Countries like Thailand chose the path of investing in their people who later transformed the economy from the bliss. Britain invested in industry. Germany was interested in funding technological research and innovation. USA emphasized liberty and freedom for her people to realize their full potential. Japan emphasized innovativeness together with replication of best practices and technological advancement. Africa has been using all the above approaches but the results seem to be dismally disappointing.
Some scholars such as Timothy Kalyegira, a leading local social critic, have made astounding proposals which have attracted outright rejection and rebuttal. Kalyegira has variously argued that Uganda was better off under colonial rule than it has been after attaining her independence. Of course Kalyegira is not alone. There is a sizeable number of people who believe that we should hire leaders from the west to manage our countries and lead us into prosperity like they have done in their own nations. All these are maneuvers to find an answer to the problem that seem not to have a workable solution.
President Yoweri Museveni has identified Africa’s problems and has gone ahead to suggest solutions as well. These too have remained proposals and assumptions. The fact is that we all know the problems of Africa but we don’t know what we are supposed to know when it comes to solving them, because if we knew, we would rightly apply appropriate measures to help our lot.
We have been advised by everybody including those who give us grants that aid has never developed a country and it will never do in the near future. But the givers and receivers continue to give and receive with deceitful belief that the unthinkable may happen, that Africa shall develop through aid and become economically self-supporting. One of the questions that has been asked about Africa’s underdevelopment has been that “Is the west responsible for developing Africa?” of course not. America for instance does not have a duty to develop Africa but Africa has a right to development. But I personally believe that if for instance America has been able to develop her potential to such levels, through conquering the earth, the sea and the space, it seems to me that America should be judged harshly for the small oversight it has made to shamefully remain indifferent to Africa’s problems for such a long time. Of all the problems developed nations have solved within and outside their boarders, Africa’s underdevelopment remains one of the sticking issue that is yet to be addressed. Would one be right to imagine that Africa’s problem is not important to attract the attention of the west? When will the turning point for Africa arrive? Isn’t it about time that Africa weaned herself from the west by rejecting aid and advice since this is the only thing we have not tried out? Africa is desperate and desperate situations call for desperate actions.
** The writer is a Human Rights Defender: mutasamste@yahoo.com
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