Is Africa really cursed? – Part III

“All of Africa’s colonial masters, according to experts, left behind an utterly devastated way of life, a people traumatized and trained to despise everything about themselves, from their complexion to their languages to their customs.”

Brian Mukalazi contributed to this article.

I recently had a discussion with a coworker who controversially stated that if a vote or referendum were held today to determine whether Africa should be re-colonized or not, the results would be shocking. He claims that the majority of Africans would vote in favor of recolonization.

Why? Because our ostensibly post-colonial African liberators have fallen short of their promises. They’ve reneged on their pledges, and many of them no longer qualify as heroes. Some have proven to be just as ruthless (if not more so) as the oppressive colonial administrations they overthrew.

Perhaps this explains why Athol Trollip, a white man from the primarily ‘White’ Democratic Alliance Party, was elected mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the 2016 South African Local Government Elections.

In South Africa, Trollip’s victory was viewed as a significant political shock. Nelson Mandela Bay, with a Black South African population surpassing 60%, has a long history of anti-apartheid resistance and was formerly a significant battleground. Observers, on the other hand, saw this as a sign that people were losing trust in the African National Congress (ANC) as a ruling party.

Let’s face it, given the current state of affairs in most African nations, even if progress in Western countries were theoretically halted for 100 years, I have a strong suspicion that Africa would still fall behind.

The African continent has something unique to offer! In this last installment of a three-part article series on the subject, I’ll offer some parting shots as well as a possible path ahead.

Africa is fortunate, not unfortunate.

Africa is not a cursed continent. Obviously not. Many of Africa’s issues, such as poverty, illness, and ineffective political leadership, are not unique to the continent. Similar events have occurred in other regions of the world, including Asia, South America, and portions of Europe and North America, but the concept of a “curse” has never been mentioned.

There is no mention of the formation of a unique or favored race of people in the Bible. When the first human being is formed in the book of Genesis, he is simply called Adam, which means “human-kind” in Hebrew. Adam and Eve were neither white nor black, and there is no indication of their race in the Bible. They are the mother and father of all nations, according to the Bible.

Returning to our prior discussion of the so-called “Curse of Ham” (Genesis 9:18-27): Those who promote racial prejudice have frequently misused, misinterpreted, and perverted this Scripture. However, it is important to note that the curse is laid on Canaan, not Ham. It is a misreading of the text to apply the curse to all of Ham’s descendants. Furthermore, assuming that the word Ham truly means “black people” is speculative.

When Africa has the finest weather on the planet, how can it be cursed? How can Africa be cursed when it has nearly all of the world’s natural resources? And how can Africa be cursed when its people are thought to be among the nicest on the planet?

All of these, in my opinion, are Africa’s benefits. Could it be, however, that we have abused the benefits that God has placed upon us? Have these advantages led to complacency? Well, I’m not sure whether I have the correct answers to these issues, but I am certain that something is wrong.

 

Setting the appropriate priorities

As I have stated, Africa has sufficient resources to carry out its development goal. However, there is still a long-term development issue. One of the biggest roadblocks has been many African countries’ poor policy prioritizing, with important priority sectors such as healthcare, agricultural output, employment, and education often overlooked.

Let me give you an example from my native country, Uganda: You might be wondering why the country is investing billions of Ugandan shillings in the manufacturing of electric automobiles, including buses, but still imports toothpicks and match boxes, and why the number of Members of Parliament (556 MPs) exceeds the number of ICU beds in public hospitals.

Then there was the Covid-19 battle: By August 1, the country had raised over UGX4 trillion ($1 billion) in loans, gifts, and grants, but surprisingly, the vast majority of these funds never went into health initiatives, and nary single dosage of Covid-19 vaccines had been purchased (all the availed vaccines came from donations). Instead, much of the money was spent on security, allowances, and other administrative costs, according to reports.

 

The impact of the ‘white man’ (and now China)

Without a doubt, the slave trade, which began in the 1400s and peaked in the 18th century, severely harmed Africa. According to Professor Nathan Nunn, 11 million people were enslaved forcefully, and “the African nations that are the poorest now are the ones from whom the most slaves were taken.”

According to experts, all of Africa’s colonial masters left behind a completely destroyed way of life, a people traumatized and taught to despise everything about themselves, from their complexion to their languages to their rituals, in colonial schools. The World Bank and IMF’s structural adjustment programs then devastated African economies.

“When you take a deeper look at most of the difficulties that Africa suffers, one sees the hidden hand of colonial imperialists in one form or another,” one observer once observed. Libya, South Sudan, Boko Haram’s blight in Nigeria, and now the so-called terror threat in Cabo Delgado Province, Northern Mozambique, all point to a race for the continent’s abundant natural resources.”

Then you’ll travel to China. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is gradually enslaving several African countries in debt. For example, the Chinese-financed $4 billion Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway ended up costing Ethiopia over a fifth of the whole 2016 budget.

 

Is there any hope at the end of the road?

Yes! The African continent (Reminder: Africa is not a country!) is not all doom and gloom. Despite the current difficulties, there are significant prospects ahead. And with success stories like Botswana, I have no doubt that Africa will make the transition from poor to decent, and finally great, in the decades ahead.

Botswana, a mostly tropical and landlocked country, was one of the poorest countries in the world when it gained independence in 1966. Botswana, on the other hand, is now classified as an upper-middle income nation and consistently outperforms countries like Italy and Spain on corruption indices, thanks to its institutional strength and wise policies. It is frequently referred to as the “African miracle.”

Our leaders must build a foundation that will enhance people’s education, health, security, and economic opportunities. But, most significantly, we must create long-term governance systems since they are the pivot around which all other concerns revolve.

Not just sitting and waiting for foreign aid, but putting our effort, sweat, and tears into things that truly make a difference. Foreign assistance and investment do not, in and of themselves, grow a country or continent; they can only assist. Only those with a strong growth mentality and policies have the ability to progress.

Africa’s growth is ultimately up to Africans. This message must be deeply ingrained in the brains of all Africans.