Talking Drum
Are Africans capable of ruling themselves?
By Andrew Eperi.
Courtesy of Afrique Newsmagazine
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Where are our colonial masters? We need you dearly. The Africa that you left to its own devices is killing itself.
And I say this in all seriousness. When Africa was under colonial rule, things were better. I was born in Nigeria before she received her independence. Under colonial rule, Africa's major cities had a constant flow of good water, electricity and other forms of domestic energy. African people respected their colonial governments. The respected law and order.
Nevertheless, as Africa began to gain independence, things took a turn for the worse. Most African countries today are plagued with violence, tribal conflict, poverty, poor health conditions and hopelessness. Turn on the TV and Sierra Leone is mutilating its children and its soldiers raping and killing their own women. In the Republic of Congo, if you are suspected of belonging to the wrong tribe, you're dead. Nigeria is on the brink of religious war because it's mixing a lethal concoction of religion and law.
Africa has more human rights violations now than during colonialism. The declining economies, degradations of social welfare and escalating unrest in most African countries is caused and committed by Africans upon Africans! Africans wanted independence, yet they cannot manage it.
Ponder this: What would the state of Nigeria be if the colonists had uncovered the wealth of oil? Where would Nigerians be now? My guess? They would have managed the resources and we, in turn, would be living gloriousely. But instead, because we needed our freedom, the monetary wealth garnered from the oil was pilfered by individuals diseased with greed.
I am fully aware that colonialism whipped Africa into a vicious cycle of greed and death. However if someone is truly good, no matter what happened to him, that goodness will eventually shine through. And if someone is bad, he will always remain bad. I've seen not a glimmer of good in Africa.
Even here in Chicago, put a group of Africans together and try to form an Alliance, within a week it'll be dying. There have been several efforts to organize an African council but dishonesty and greed had impeded such efforts. Africans are masters in tearing down good efforts. People will start saying "I'm from Cameroon," "I'm from Nigeria," "I'm from Senegal," "I'm from Togo," and so on.
I don't think the colonial masters told them to do that. Yet they fill the prayer houses every Sunday.
Every African you meet will tell you that the other African is bad, so who is the good African?! I am still searching for the good African. If you find him or her, please let me know. Otherwise, don't sing your African blues to me, I've heard enough.
Is this inherent in us? That we cannot really rule ourselves? That we lack a common respect for each other? I can't even say that Africans are corrupted because that would imply that they were good at one time. And if they were good before it all happened then they wouldn't have sold their people into slavery in the first place. If the Africans are capable of ruling themselves, show me! I want to see some proof because, thus far, our track record stinks.
European rulers or black on black murder and chaos? I'm talking about two evils. Which evil do I prefer?
Courtesy of Afrique Newsmagazine
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