Mchango wa mawazo: Umasikini wa Mu-Afrika.

Resi · 2011-02-28T15:13:06+00:00

Ever wondered why Africa, Africans are poor? TAPIWA GOMO: Several theories are used in an attempt to answer this complex question. It is a question so difficult to answer in one piece as it has so many dimensions and is so complicated to address without blaming it on someone or something. Many Africans and their leaders evade this question by finding scapegoats. Our social, political and economic narrative over the years was dominated by such platitudes as acts of imperialists bent on derailing the gains of independence and land reform for anything that went wrong. According to one pastor I met last week, Africa is poor because it needs to know God. He thinks Africa is still a dark continent and strongly believes if everyone submits to God, the quality of life would improve. So Africans are blamed for not knowing God. This is backed by a common African belief that people fail to succeed because a jealous neighbour or relatives are casting bad luck on them. And the only way out is a spiritual cleansing. But then, most of the developed nations are known for their remoteness from God. Is Africa really poor? No. Africa without its people is one of the richest continents in the world with very fertile land, enormous rainfall, mineral resources, oil, good weather and a hard-working population. The world cant do without Africa hence the Sino-Western stampede for resources. Explorers, expropriators and foreign investors have been coming to invade, occupy, convert, plunder and trade in Africa. But still its people are among the poorest in the world as they dont have running water, no electricity, healthcare, good sanitation, shelter, good roads, good education and many other basic needs. In fact, the vast majority of Africans are near the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index, living a very appalling standard of life. It is still impossible to explain the paradox of these immense rich resources against the appalling poverty without placing the blame on something or someone. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia lays the blame squarely on African leaders. She believes Africa is not poor . . . but poorly managed, blaming corruption by African leaders for the plight of almost a billion people on the continent. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the troubled Libyan leader, is reported to have transferred over £3 billion with a London-based private wealth manager recently. This is by far higher than Zimbabwes national budget. Greg Mills, the author of Why is Africa Poor? concurs with Johnson-Sirleaf by arguing that African poverty is not because the world has denied Africa and its people the market, financial means and opportunities to compete. It has not been because of aid per se or colonialism. Nor is African poverty solely a consequence of poor infrastructure or trade access, or because the necessary development and technical expertise is unavailable internationally. He asks why then has Africa lagged behind other developing areas when its people work hard and the continent is blessed with abundant natural resources? He attempts to elaborate in his book that the main reason why Africas people are poor is because their leaders have made this choice. Some development psycho-analysts suggest that poverty is a culture and attitude that has been inculcated in Africans over centuries of oppression since the arrival of slavery and colonialism. They believe that slavery impoverished and suppressed the minds of many Africans and that colonialism set up trading and behaviour patterns which were aimed at benefiting the coloniser, not the colonised. Colonialism was all about take, not build. This attitude transferred itself into a lot of mindsets, attitude and a culture of laggardism such that some people, without being told what to do and where to go, would not have an idea of their own. So poverty is blamed on attitude. But to talk of why almost a billion Africans are poor may be quite a mammoth task. Perhaps, lets zero it down to individuals. Why are you poor when you are surrounded by fertile land, good rains, rich natural environment plus an average education and a possibility of accessing a loan, something that Westerners cant access easily? Is it because your neighbour is casting bad omens on you or you are just too lazy and scared to take the risk? Or is it because your mindset is a product of the colonial system that never prepared you to lead but to follow? Are you one of those who wait for a struggling African government to make opportunities available or you are one of those who break the rules in order to venture into new grounds? Or perhaps Africa is poor because its people are just poor-minded? Source: NewsDayZimbabwe

Thread starter Resi
Start date Feb 28, 2011

Resi

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Feb 28, 2011

nyantella

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Mchango wa mawazo: Umasikini wa Mu-Afrika.

Resi

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nyantella

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