INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: AFRICANS, WHEN WILL WE STAND UP?

Le 16 avril 2012 par Correspondance particulière - Underdeveloped, Third World, HIV, AIDS, EBOLA, famine, corruption, unwanted in the West and many more. These are the words that describe Africa and its inhabitants from the point of view of the developed

world. Almost no one in the West officially tells the truth about the riches of Africa. It seems that Africa is not part of the ‘Global Village’. In sum, the sunny continent is seen and treated as an outsider in the arena of ‘International Affairs’. Since 2010, Africa is witnessing the most oppressive re-colonisation. The big bosses with their big guns are back and they mean big business. There is no room for Africans to decide for their own lives, their own future and for any policies that could lead to the development of their mother land. The question remains the same: why?

AFRICA AND WORLD PANDEMICS

Yes, it is true that compared to the West and some countries from the East, Africa is far behind on the scale of healthy populations. Africa has the biggest number of people killed of living with AIDS/HIV. For example, despite President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma’s denial about the existence of AIDS/HIV, South Africa is one of the world leading countries when it comes to classify the most infected nations on the globe by the couple AIDS/HIV. In 2009, South Africa counted 17.8% of its population infected by AIDS/HIV. This figure represented 5.6 million people of the entire population. It also places President Mandela’s country on the top of the list of countries with the biggest number of people infected by the disease. Botswana and Nigeria in the same year and respectively had 24.8% and 10% people infected by HIV. Kenya had an estimated 1.5 million people with HIV and 1.2 million children were orphaned by AIDS. In 2009 alone, Kenya lost 80,000 lives to AIDS related diseases (source: www.avert.org/aids-hiv-africa.htm). These facts are very appalling and shameful for any countries. Detaining the world record of most affected people by HIV is not honourable. But, as virtues do no more exist, the leaders of ‘the European Protectorates’ situated in Africa, individually prosper and leave the rest of the population in the ghettos where they die like mosquitoes. Public funds destined to the well-being of the poor populations are embezzled, given to the mediocre mistresses of the leaders and turned into bursaries for the children of the leaders’ friends who parade in Europe and America without attending the school they are meant to go to. This is not the fault of the West. It is the consequence of the high stupidity of the so called African leaders and their entourage. It is the result of the greed from these leaders who take Africa as their private source of income. In Nigeria, many women die every year during labour or just after giving birth. And, in front of this alarming situation, the government cares less. One could say that the only thing that matters is the self-enrichment that characterises the African nations in general. To understand what the Nigerian women are dealing with, it will be interesting to look at the following citation: “In Nigeria, pregnant women just hours from giving birth travel unprotected on motorbikes instead of ambulances. Other women go around maternity wards begging for money to pay hospital fees. This shouldn't be happening in Nigeria: the country has vast amounts of oil wealth and good maternal health policies. But some 59,000 Nigerian women still die every year during pregnancy and childbirth. The Nigerian government's unwillingness to reveal how it spends its money has thwarted efforts to provide all women with high quality maternal healthcare. This was a key finding of the Center's newest report, Broken Promises: Human Rights, Accountability, and Maternal Death in Nigeria. In 2008, Nigeria gave slightly above 5% of its annual budget—a third of what it promised in a regional treaty—to the health sector. But the country has no laws guaranteeing public access to fiscal information, and that makes it difficult to find out who received that money and how it was spent. Hospitals are built, but not staffed or equipped. In some instances, local governments receive money to pay healthcare workers, but those workers never receive their salaries. Without details on health spending, it is hard to identify effective strategies for curbing maternal mortality, or to hold governments accountable for unfulfilled obligations” (Center For Reproductive Rights).
Having said that, one must acknowledge that the West is not an angel in the sufferings of the poor African populations. The big European pharmaceutical companies are against any temptations to reduce the price of the medicines that could help the infected Africans to live longer and fetch for their families. For these corporations, there is no choice between their benefits and the lives of millions of people in Africa. Their bank accounts come first, no discussion. And, this situation has been going on for decades between the West and many poor African countries. After many court battles, the corporations from the West loosened their grips. But, Africa continues to be their biggest market. They sell or ‘give’ generic products to Africa. Those generic products do not have the same effect as the original ones.

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“The drugs, manufactured by U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies with exclusive patents, are priced far out of the range that even Africa's most developed nations - including South Africa - can afford. At the centre of this debate is the ongoing dispute between the US and South Africa regarding intellectual property rights, compulsory licensing, and parallel importing of HIV medication. Lawmakers, public health officials, activists, and the drug companies continue to fight about which comes first - public health or corporate profits”
(Source: www.avert.org/aids-hiv-africa.htm). As we can see, the West, no matter the excuses, is part of the core causes that maintain Africa in its degrading situation and in its ranking as ‘the world poorest continent’.

AFRICAN AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

Part of what has been said above explains the lack of ‘good governance’ in Africa. But, we ought to insist on the ‘pandemic’ that is represented by corruption, clientelism, favouritism and other factors that undermine Africa in all senses. The African nations are among, if not the most, corrupt countries in the world. According to the German-based organisation, Transparency International, Chad, Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria are countries where corruption is very ripe and a common practice. It goes on as follows: “Overall, corruption in Africa costs the continent an estimated $150 billion, or 10 times the combined GDP of Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda”. The only consolation of the continent is Botswana which is the least corrupt, worldwide speaking. At this stage again, the West is a central part of the puzzle. The West backs up many corrupt regimes in Africa since the so called independence. The cases of the RDC with Mobutu; the Ivory Coast with Houphouet Boigny; Togo with Eyadema Senior; Gabon with Bongo Senior, et cetera. We ought not to dwell on these cases further as they could fill many libraries. The lesson is that the West says something and does another. The West policies swing according to its interests. It can portray any states as democratic when these countries obey its diktat or anti-democratic, a dictatorship when it finds any resistance from the country it want to subjugate, re-colonise in order to control the economy and all the sources of revenues. There are many recent and good examples that substantiate what is said. Burkina Faso is seen and protected by France, the coloniser, as a democracy. This is a country where the killer of President Thomas Sankara, Compaoré won the 2011 presidential election with more than 80% on the first round and this happened in this century. Out of Africa, the USA, Britain, France and their allies close their eyes on Saudi Arabia where women are not allow showing their faces in public, to work unless they have the consent of their husbands or drive a car. But, at the same time, these nations, ‘mothers of democracy’, are funding and arming the rebels in Syria to oust President Bashar al-Assad. For their interests, thousands of people are been killed in that country every single day.
The African states must get rid of ‘clientelism’ the ‘favouritism’ that have become ‘normal’ in the daily life of the inhabitants of the continent. To establish any administrative document in many parts of the continent means passing a brown envelop under the table to the person in charge of the needed paper or document. Students get their diplomas through ‘special’ contacts.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AND WHERE DO WE GO?

These questions have become generic. Academics, revolutionaries, philosophers, politicians and students use them to galvanise their followers. But, what do they really achieve? Just a short-lived success as result of the arousing of the masses. Otherwise, nothing serious or durable that could change the way the big corporations and the world powerful countries are dealing with the small and poorest countries. The next step for Africa is multidimensional and we dare not to cover all the angles, nor do we intend to go in depth as we do not want to take more time from our readers. People like Patrice Lumumba, Cheikh Anta Diop, David Diop, and Thomas Sankara, Kwame Nkrumah and Laurent Gbagbo and many more have opened the eyes and the ears of many African patriots. Their works have to be followed and duly implemented. Their ideologies and ways of seeing the future of Africa must be taught in schools and Universities around the continent. And this, we believe, is a step forward. The African populations must do what it takes to choose their own rulers. Africa does not need imported or imposed rulers who are respondent to the West. Africa does not need guns to choose their governments like it was the case in the Ivory Coast, the RDC, Congo, Chad, et cetera. After fifty years of ‘independence’, Africa should and must be left alone to take the direction it wants to. If the West really means that ‘independence’, Africa is free, then the USA and its friends must respect the choices of the African countries. The West must stop using Africa as its market for guns, war planes and out of dated products sent to many areas in Africa to show how ‘Good Samaritans’ its leaders are. Africans, by ignorance and with the complicity of some infamous African children, commit parricide for the sake of the West.
Next step, the A.U must become a real instrument that looks after Africa’s interests as its most priority. To fulfil this objective, the continent needs to elect its representatives; no more nominees. An African organisation of this magnitude does not need Europeans on its different top Boards. For, Africa has the potentials and any other tools to conduct its own destiny. The A.U has the obligation to recruit among its Diasporas. There are so many ‘têtes bien faites’ in the African communities across Europe and America. The A.U must think ‘Africa first’. This is not anti-anyone; it is called protectionism and real politik as the West does it to protect its own populations.
Corruption is an illness that all African countries ought to fight. An African body fighting corruption must be set up. Famine and all the diseases the continent is faced with should have their African bodies too. For, what happens in Togo, Benin or Nigeria affects the entire African continent. In these bodies, there will be no need to start with Europeans and Americans. Again, Africa is well equipped to give a better future to its children. Any embezzlement must be severely punished by law. Africa does not need an enforcer from the West to teach him how to behave. Africans must avoid being manipulated by the West. Africa is dealing with China, it is good. But, Africa must not become a dumping ground as it has been for the West for centuries. We should not forget that there is no one out there who care more about us. Only Africans can solve their own problems. No one else would give freedom to Africa, only Africans can bring freedom to the shores of the African continent. There is no price for freedom. Together, unite, hand in hand, Africans will rise and conquer the necessary space needed for their survival. No one else is prepared to fight for Africa. Freedom is not for sale, it is natural, let us go and get it.

Hoping that we have started a debate that will grow and set Africa free, we would like to say see you soon.

SYLVAIN DE BOGOU
WRITER, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST, PUBLIC SPEAKER…
E-mail:limbecile6@hotmail.com