Free continent from "imperialism"
May 7, 2008: Journalist Robert Mukombozi is deported from Rwanda, Andrew Mwenda is arrested in Uganda and his newspaper The Independence impounded. Zimbabwe joins the Kenyan queue on vote tallying fiasco.
Guerrilla war rages in Congo and Northern Uganda; Darfur is on fire and over 300 million Africans might starve due to ongoing food crisis. The old political order has refused to give way across the continent. Why did the African nationalism experiment collapse?
The post-election violence in Kenya brought to the fore the fragile nature of our nationhood; ethnic equations became so glaring that “born – city” residents suddenly found themselves digging for identity. Matters were made even worse for inter-ethnic marriages where groups suddenly put pressure on individuals to retreat to their ethnic safe havens.
Over 44 years of independence for most African countries and the political leadership has failed to deliver nationhood and Pan Africanism.
An aerial view of Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa reveals a leadership faced with double political and economic systems. Colonialism succeeded in driving native political systems underground but never extinguished them – what was in the traditional times an element of communities paying homage to the king through gifts was converted to the modern king (presidency) simply dipping their hands into the modern kitty of tax payers and donor funds.
It is the kings of today who dish out to cronies… The traditional utilitarian economy (hand to mouth) thrives among the masses while the African leadership leapfrogged to global economic system (saving and investments).
It seems to me that the political leadership might well be privy to some feeling that their constituents do not need roads and other basic infrastructure. African people have not been inspired by their leadership to seek higher goals.
That explains in part the calamitous consequences the few in Africa who seek to inspire go through. Why on earth would a Pan African leader deport an African journalist, detain others or raid media houses if he/she really stood for a brighter future for Africa?
Why would simple summation of polls become difficult for modern- day Africa equipped with calculators and computers? “Son, you have no idea. A lot is at stake – the imperialists are using opposition elements to destroy Africa. That is why we must clamp down on their agents!” an African leader whispers to my ear.
Pray tell – if the logic of imperialists is true, what type of soldiers do our African leaders wish to present to the war front? Sick, emaciated, ill informed, poor, tribal, and already mutinous soldiers.
Each one of us must take responsibility to push our leadership to allow for openness on the way they run matters of state and government. We must be on the frontline to excite and incite our farmers to produce enough to feed the continent and engage in business. We should creatively merge the modern and the traditional to build a new Africa. Let us not celebrate the leaders who steal; rather let us produce so as to reward the best among us.
Talk on fight against imperialism must provide reasoned strategy on how ordinary Africans can productively participate (if such a fight indeed exists) so as to avoid individuals enriching themselves by riding on the plight of the poor.
Open up Africa for business; free Africans to engage in business. Let African sons and daughters speak and move freely on the continent; generate a constituency of wealthy and well informed Africans— and this is achievable only through an open mind. A freed African mind is the best weapon one can use against imperialists!
Shikwati is director, Inter Region Economic Network james@irenkenya.org.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
