The Sunday Mail
But again, when given a lemon, one ought to make lemonade. It begs the question: Africa and her cousins: What are the excuses?
by Ejike E. Okpa
This is not new. When food is not enough, the fabrics of a family are broken and weakened, and irrational conducts such as the ones noted in this thread take foremost. A hungry man is an angry man. That human condition takes place in every geography.
It is evident Sub-Saharan Africans believe in attacking themselves instead of attacking those responsible for their less than desirable outcome in life.
But again, no one owes Africa any reparation or abatement for slavery or colonisation. Sub-Saharan Africans need to realise as they make themselves doormats even within themselves, intra and inter tribal and national conflicts continue to ensue or set like kegs of gunpowder, about to explode.
In recent history – assuming less than 35-years-old is a good recent – Nigeria in the early ‘80s kicked Ghanaians out of Nigeria, leading to a slogan known as “Ghana-Must-Go”.
Nigeria at the same time ridiculed Ethiopia because of famine during a soccer tournament in Addis Ababa between Nigeria’s Green Eagles and Ethiopia’s Lions.
This caused a major diplomatic uproar. Ambassadors to each country were recalled.
Gabon at some time rammed Nigerians, and during 2000, South Africa kicked against Nigerians. Sub-Saharan Africa is wrought with conflicts against other African nationals. Consider the intra-national conflicts in Rwanda in 1994.
But Africa is not alone in this.
During the Cold War, while the West and East blocs were jostling for a piece of Africa as if the Scramble for Africa in the 17th Century was not enough, Africans have been on top of each other in self-destructive conducts. The global media hardly reported them because the powerful blocs saw the inter and intra conflicts suited to their divide-and-conquer manifestos.
On South Africa, it is really a shame that after Nelson Mandela, things got worse. Nothing has been done – effectively speaking – to stymie or quench the future uproar due to social injustices from within and without.
Lasting institutions to address certain things were not created.
South Africa’s Rand, which, in 1996, was exchanging at single digits to the Dollar, is now in double digits. And anyone familiar with currency exchange rate slide knows it is hard to get back to the parity basis.
Ordinary South Africans hardly obtain credit facility for business development. When they do, the conditions are such that they are choked and strangulated.
Majority South Africans do not understand what owning a business is and how to sustain such. Although a few of them were elevated to positions and glorified as executives in once white-run establishments, it appears some are more interested in the perks of the office than delivering dividends of democracy for their people.
They are quick to celebrate their new houses, vacation trips, cars, etc, but hardly speaking up firmly on behalf of persons needing direction to realise their bearing.
There is a mild, but profound apartheid that black South Africans have hoisted upon themselves. Most of them are caught up on sense of loss/deprivation, so they want to catch up, endorsing negative culture, “I have mine, you go get yours.”
Welcome to the black world home and abroad. Africans love the title and glamour of the office, but always fall short of making positive difference using the power and influence of their office to elevate the condition of their people. The tension among black peoples of Africa will continue as the world image of Africans, sub-Saharan ones, is that of crybabies and or babies with flies on their face, unable to do something to stop the flies from coming.
If as a people the issues of the 21st Century are just as the issues during colonial and slavery periods, in the presence of civil rights and independent nations; but very dependent, then we got lemon.
But again, when given a lemon, one ought to make lemonade. It begs the question: Africa and her cousins: What are the excuses?
Ejike E Okpa writes from Texas in the United States. This article has been reproduced from The African Executive.
