Africans to blame for the leaders they have
The Nation (Nairobi)
June 20, 2000
Nairobi - African leaders are corrupt, murderers and cowards and have led to the suffering in the continent. Writer ALFRED N. MUTUA explains we are responsible for our poor leaders and that only a new brand of nationalism in a new revolution will save Africa.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu tells a popular story. After delivering a speech in the United States, he was approached by a jovial woman who threw her arms around him and shouted, "Thank you Archbishop Mandela, thank you Archbishop Mandela."
"She was getting two for the price of one," the Archbishop chuckles when he tells the story, happy to be mistaken for the great leader, Nelson Mandela.
A leader, a saying goes, is born, not made. Mandela is regarded as one of the best leaders of his time. It has been a year since he proved his worth by stepping aside for Thabo Mbeki and by so doing proving sceptics wrong that all Africans are power-hungry and will do whatever they can to remain in power once they get there.
Mandela, though, is a mistake because leadership in Africa tends to be haphazard, reckless and lacking in foresight and development.
This syndrome of poor leadership has become a way of life and has contributed to the suffering of millions who have been called the "wretched of the earth" and whose home has lost light and is now truly a "dark continent".
Why are our African leaders, most of whom we have put in power, so bad? Is this a reflection of us as a people? Is it still the fault of our colonial masters or, as some would argue, part of the curse of Cain that we inherited after creation? But more important, how do we break from this cycle of bad leadership?
"In Africa, a leader is referred to as father of the nation," a professor of political science and African studies points out. "The roles of a father are clear. A father gives and a father takes away."
According to the academician's logic, by the sheer fact that we have bestowed upon our leaders the role of father, it has meant that the leaders have in turn taken it upon themselves to be masters whose main duty is to reward and punish. African leaders are notorious for rewarding people who are loyal to them, as a father would, and punishing those who disagree with them.
A fabulist by the name of Aesop once said: "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." This is definitely the case in Africa.
Fathers in African societies have to maintain an image of being the best. This, some argue, has made it necessary for our leaders to steal from their own treasuries so that they can have adequate wealth to purchase gifts to reward those who appreciate them, and also to make themselves richer than the rest and maintain their stature of being the best in everything.
Our leaders are weak and lack direction because they also make poor decisions while appointing those who will manage the countries with them. In nearly all African cabinets, you will find corrupt people, thieves, rapists, murderers and cowards. These people are rewarded for their loyalty though they are not qualified to hold public office, and also because they are criminals who should be behind bars.
Our leaders then appear perturbed that departments fail and their visions go askew despite their hard work. They fail to realise that the managers they have chosen are like the wheels of a vehicle. Should they develop a puncture, they bring even the best looking, most sound engine to a grinding halt, unless replaced.
In the 1970s and 1980s, we wrote of neo-colonialism and blamed our colonial masters for our problems. However, with time, it has become clear that to continue blaming the British, French, Portuguese and even the Americans for our dictators is a bit unrealistic. Three years ago, when Hong Kong became independent, many wondered aloud whether Kenya and other African nations would have been as prosperous as Hong Kong is today if the British were still our masters. The answer points directly at our abilities.
By now, we should have figured out how to manage ourselves and thought of ways to break from the economic dependency created by international governments and agencies. However, we have proved racist white people who believe we are inferior somewhat right by oppressing our own people and not appearing to think, and even outsmart, our rivals.
Maybe the problem lies in that our leaders do not see themselves as servants but as masters. From time immemorial, a true leader was one who served his or her people to the full with no regard to receiving back rewards. A servant goes out of his way to ensure future plans are made to bring about peace, stability and development.
The Holy Bible is a fascinating book. It tells the story of Moses, a great servant of his time. Moses, the book of Exodus tells us, led children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan. As they travelled, the Israelites were not always jovial. They faced many problems which they blamed on their leader, Moses.
Being wise, Moses, knew that if his people suffered, it was a reflection on his leadership. So, he went before God and asked for help.
However, the greatest asset that Moses had was his assistants and managers. People like Joshua, who had spent years serving, rather than receiving and stealing, were the ones he chose to lead his people. Joshua was picked for his skills and abilities, and not because he was related to Moses or was a crony. That way, the Israelites made it to Canaan.
Philosophers have argued about the best kind of leadership for years. Functional leadership, a new concept in the Western world, is one that has been shown to be best. This is the leadership that seeks to achieve desired outcomes that enhance development. Functional leaders function and recognise those who can help them organise and carry out smart strategies. Dysfunctional leaders are the direct opposite.
African leaders are dysfunctional and also subscribe to the Machiavellian philosophy of a higher moral. Machiavelli argued that a king, a leader, is governed by a higher moral that allows him to break the law - killing people, torturing others and plundering their resources - for the good of the kingdom.
This faulty philosophy clears our leaders of responsibility, and so they believe they are infallible. In the meantime, we suffer.
However, the biggest curse has been ourselves and our choices. It does not matter that you did not vote for a particular corrupt politician or leader. That person is there because our society as a whole has assigned him or her the role of a leader (mainly because he or she is rich).
The majority decide, even after election rigging and misappropriation, that that person is a leader, or say nothing when that person is elevated to leadership. Each of us is, to a degree, responsible.
Bearing all these things in mind and knowing that the Tutus and Mandelas are few, does it mean we are doomed?
The solution to our poor leadership lies in a revolution. Africans need to rise up again the way they did while fighting the British and French, and fight against the forces of poverty and mismanagement that are choking them. Like our freedom fighters, we need a new brand of nationalism, one that fights for efficient economic and moral systems of government.
This means the leaders who are in power now have to go. They have proved for many years that they are unable to govern properly and if history is something to go by, will keep making empty promises while rewarding their cronies and perpetuating corruption and suffering. The present systems too and our values have to change so that we can make appropriate choices.
Only after we force our present leaders out and and start choosing right leaders will we achieve what South Africa's Thabo Mbeki is calling African Renaissance. Until then, the struggle continues.
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Copyright (c) 2000 The Nation. Distributed via Africa News Online (www.africanews.org). For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
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