Who is to blame for the political situation in Africa?

Africa is a beautiful continent made up of beautiful people with diverse cultures and identities. Some of the world supreme and most attractive animals originate from Africa. Every year, many tourists from all over the sphere flood the African continent to witness these mesmerizing cultures of different tribes. Africa is the place to be during winter.  A sun-bath along the beaches is a thing to look forward to. The coastline has breathtaking sites and horizons. A bottle of palm wine cools the nerves and the cool breeze takes away your troubles just for a moment. Many documentaries have been made depicting the beauty of Africa; not forgetting the courteous, generous and hospitable nature of its gorgeous people.

However, despite this beauty, this continent is ailing. It takes a keen eye to notice that behind those beautiful smiles and white teeth, Africa is weeping.  Africa is in a deplorable state. Its beautiful species are dwindling by day. Its exotic plants are getting depleted with each passing day. Even though this continent is endowed with numerous mineral deposits and precious stones, Africa still weeps. The main question is, “Who is to blame for the current state of affairs in the African continent?

Before the arrival of missionaries, slave traders and explorers, Africa lay quiet, safe, sound and unperturbed by the world yonder. Africans lived in peaceful coexistence with their brothers and neighbours. Of course, occasionally, there were sporadic clashes here and there, sometimes due to cattle rustling and sometimes due to sheer malice. We are told that witches and wizards existed and practiced their trade, sometimes causing mayhem. Medicine men treated the ailing. Customs were established which acted as guiding principles of how to live and relate with one other. Informal education was passed down from parents and grandparents to the young ones and the youth by word of mouth. Many beautiful oral narratives were crafted and narrated with gusto by the elderly men and women, as if they were truly there when it all occurred. Such stories, legends, songs, dances were passed down from generation to generation with a little bit of exaggeration here and there. Some of these stories were simply created to scare the younger generation and deter them from engaging in vices. A girl learned how to take care of the family and perform here roles as a woman. The man had to undergo a rite that qualified him for his role as a man, husband and provider. Clad in animal skin, everybody was happy with the simple lifestyle. Rules were observed and iniquities were punished appropriately.

But all this has changed. Africa is no longer the same again. Children no longer jump and scream dashing around the compound naked and barefoot, chasing after lizards and butterflies. Mothers no longer sit in the fields gossiping about their numerous husbands. Neighbours no longer greet each other “good morning” or “good afternoon” as it used to be. The youth no longer respect the elderly. Girls no longer perform their roles as it were. Elders no longer decide cases with fairness. Conflicts are no longer rare. Today Brother rises up against brother, wife against husband and child against father. When did the rain start beating Africa?

Today Africans identify each other by tribe and matrimonial home. Neighbours approach each other with suspicion. Boundaries have been established and guarded by sword and blood. This brother is no longer brother. The leaders that replaced the dynasties no longer serve the people that bestowed them to power. Africa is now infested with hunger, diseases and strives. Life is unbearable. Gun blazing has become the norm. Wails of women and children fill the air as they mourn the fallen heroes; fell by the sword of the brothers they elected to be custodians of law and order.

When colonialists went to Africa, they arrived armed with a sword and a Bible. They crafted laws that outlawed anything “primitive”. They destroyed the traditional fabric that held African people together. They developed some under-hand ways of ruling over the black man and forcing him into submission. They found Africans united and this proved to be a challenge to the colonialists because a people united can never be defeated. They therefore came up with the famous “divide and rule” theory. They demarcated the land into countries and further into smaller regions known as counties and sub-counties. They imposed a leader in each region and they soon succeeded to subdue the black man who was armed with nothing but a spear and primitive tools. Bullet sounds wrung the air and sent the terrified natives scampering for safety. When the colonialists left, for nothing stays forever, their place was quickly taken over by the village chiefs they had recruited to assist them rule the black man. Such people continued to practice what they had learned and even perfected the art further. They grabbed land that didn’t belong to them. They displaced populations. They created animosity. They enjoyed the civilization brought in by the colonial governments and ensured that it remained a privilege of the lucky few. Those segregated become bitter and hostile. Such regions quickly become breeding grounds for fundamentalism and terrorism.  It is a good thing that Colonial governments volunteered to spread civilization to Africa but maybe….just maybe…they left too early before the change they had introduced took root.

Today the youth complete their university education, their faces beaming with hope and expectation, only to be replaced by frowning eye brows. The good life is now a mirage. Their knuckles pain due to countless knocks on closed doors, looking for jobs. Man and woman no longer marry; no food to put on the table, they say. Development is scattered. Only few regions that are deemed to be loyal to the government of the day receive favors. Whom do we blame for all this?

Africans go to vote, but the minority always wins. Then there are clashes. Losers stick to power like a vampire leach on that tender part of your body. People die like flies. But they (leaders) would rather rule over corpses than submit to defeat. They vehemently stick to power with their hands and legs. Power corrupts even the most innocent. Such are the people that rally their tribesmen to protect “their” leadership. “It’s our time to eat”, so they say. The ignorant citizens believe them and do just that, even when it means killing their neighbors - the people they have known all their life. The neighbor with whom their children go to school and play together oblivious of the animosity that is brewing between their parents. The same ignorant fools vote for and protect the corrupt, the evil and the selfish. Years drag by and they see no change forthcoming. And the citizens cry how difficult life has become. But they still vote in the same people that have been in power since their independence and have never brought in any positive change. Once they (those in power) are gone, their children take over. So the dynasty continues only that now this one is given “democratically”. Things get from bad to worse. So, who is to blame?

By Prince.