The television advert says, `there is a new place they are all talking about, Africa.’ A new place? Africa, THE DARK CONTINENT is certainly not new. It is as old as the other continents. An African National Congress song was titled, `Nkosi Sikelele Africa’ – God bless Africa! But black Africa was blessed from creation, no earthquakes, monsoons, shifting tectonic plates, tsunamis and so on. Perhaps Africa was created to be the paradise we have been hearing about but have not seen. It has fertile land, good weather, the greatest variety of wild animals. Science even suggests that the first homo sapiens originated from Africa. Is that why black Africans were busy enjoying themselves, revelling in nature when the Europeans arrived and committed the greatest havoc, atrocities, genocide on them armed with the Bible in one hand and the gun in the other. The Germans, the British, the Portuguese, the Belgians and the French carved out territories for themselves in East, West and Central Africa forcing incompatibles into what they called countries while the Dutch, the British and the Germans fought over South Africa.
Predator Europe over a period of hundreds of years dominated, influenced, ravaged, plundered, pillaged, raped, virtually reconfigured and confused the other continents and made the world what it is now. Europeans colonised North America, virtually wiping out the Red Indians and confining the few remaining to reservations. They paid unsolicited visits to South America and carved it into servant territories. They did the same to Asia. Australia was a settlement for the most hardened British criminals who proceeded to wipe out the black Aborigines and confined the remnants to the arid North. Europe has left its mark on unpopulated Antarctica. But most of the countries of the above continents have picked up the pieces and are advancing the lives of their citizenry. Each has instilled the sort of discipline that enables it to produce leadership, change the leadership when necessary and move forward in this highly competitive world. Japan is tops in vehicle and electronics, China’s economy is growing by leaps and bounds. Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia are pulling their weights. The United States, Germany, France, Russia are advanced in technology and science. Even impoverished North Korea is developing nuclear weapons.
Before the Europeans came to Africa Arabs had been coming from the Middle East for slaves. Then the white man came and plundered the continent and in exchange for the Bible, mirrors, trinkets, gun and gun powder and such other mundane things, used black men to capture their fellow blacks and hand over to them as slaves whom they exported to the Americas, Britain, other parts of Europe and the Caribbean. In the end it was the white man who grew a conscience and stopped the slave trade. Right now there are millions of black people in the United State of America, Haiti, South America and the West Indies. But the vast majority of black people live in Africa.
In West Africa Nigeria, said to have two hundred million people with at least two hundred and fifty tribes should be leading the black race but is not. Why? Britain bequeathed to Nigeria an unworkable, incongruous set-up that takes three steps forward and two backward. It has had fifteen rulers since independence with Buhari on his second stint. It has made and squandered billions of dollars from oil. Nigeria cannot hold elections without rigging or people being killed. Census figures are false. Power supply is epileptic. Infrastructure is in a mess. There is mistrust, corruption and impunity. Kidnapping is rampant. Crime is on the rise. And poverty is pervasive especially now when the politicians promised us `change’ but all that is evident is abject poverty and hopelessness. In Gambia Jammeh, after ruling for twenty-two years, lost elections, accepted defeat but then changed his mind! What is there to cheer in other West African countries?
In East and Central Africa Museveni has ruled Uganda with an iron fist for thirty years. Mugabe, ninety three, has ruled Zimbabwe for twenty nine years and insists on continuing. Bongo has ruled Gabon for seven years and has just rigged himself back into office having taken over from his father who ruled for forty two years. Kabila has ruled Congo for fifteen years, his term has expired but he insists on remaining in office. Remember that his father ruled before him. In the other Congo Nguesso has ruled for thirty years and has won election again. In the Central African Republic Christians and Muslims are killing themselves over religious divides. Nkurunziza after ruling for eleven years in Burundi changed the constitution to continue ruling. In Rwanda Kagame, a Tutsi, ruling since the 1994 massacre of the Tutsis by the Hutus is probably dreaming that he can rule for ever. The ICC want Kenyatta to appear before it for crimes committed as president of an otherwise orderly Kenya benefitting from the presence of Asian and white settlers who ensure order in the civil service and business community. Salva Kiir and his South Sudan fought Arab Sudan for donkey years and got independence five years ago. Since then they have been butchering, raping, ethnic-cleansing themselves.
In southern Africa they awarded the 2014 Mo Ibrahim prize for leadership to ex-president Pohamba of Namibia. What? The man ruled for ten years a country of two million people five percent of whom, mainly white Boers, Germans and absentee whites own nearly everything including ninety five percent of the land. Majority of the remaining ninety-five per cent of the population, blacks, live in abject poverty as hewers of wood and drawers of water! Look at the mess Zuma is creating in an otherwise orderly country like South Africa with his greed and corruption. In Angola Dos Santos has ruled for thirty seven years.
I have not bothered about Ethiopia, Eritrea and the bits and pieces that are called Somalia. They are all in a mess. Also this post does not concern Arab Africa.
Outside Africa a black man rules Haiti, a country in mess. Is there anything special about any of the Caribbean countries? Some years ago a black American came to Festac to spend two weeks with a friend to learn about the Igbo apprenticeship system whereby a trader takes on one or more trainees who serve him in his shop while learning the trade for up to five years at the end of which period he `settles’ them, sets them up. He had come on behalf of a New York association wondering what to do about their Harlem youth who grow up with no ambition either educational or to learn a trade. They pose around with long cars, womanise and often get into drugs.
President-to-be Trump was reported to have made disparaging remarks about black people and about Nigeria’s President Buhari. Netanyahu was also alleged to have made even worse remarks about black people and Arabs. So what? Why complain? These people are not deaf and blind? They have embassies, spy agencies and ordinary workers here? They can see for themselves. Even if Trump or Netanyahu did not make the statements we should know that is what the white man thinks of black people, that we cannot rule ourselves. The proof is there. Did the Israeli Defence Force, under the nose of the buffoon Idi Amin of Uganda forty years ago not fly commandos into Entebbe airport and shoot up his soldiers and rescue Israelis high-jacked from a plane by Palestinians and taken to Uganda? They knew he was a toothless bulldog.
Nobody respects black Africa. Why should they? Leaders and their cohorts loot the treasury and put the loot in the white man’s bank. Leaders want to rule for ever. For some it is family business. They do not care about the people they are supposed to be ruling. And the led wallowing in poverty and ignorance and in different stages of civilisation cannot unite and organise anything near a revolt. Africa remains a consumer continent importing such little things as matches and toothpick. It is a dumping ground for other continents’ waste, expired drugs, and even toxic waste. No wonder everybody looks down on the black man? Why did Hitler want to use the black man to fertilise the Sahara desert? Black Africa is in a mess and there are no messiahs in sight. It seems the original kindness bestowed by nature on black Africa has led to all sorts of negatives from laziness to corruption, lasciviousness, impunity, wickedness, dishonesty and ostentation but I think the black man’s main disease is INDISCIPLINE! When and where will Africa find another Nelson Mandela? When and where will the black man find another Barak Obama? The most prayerful humans are in Africa but so are the most devilish. Africa needs divine intervention.