Fellow Afrikans,
The biggest problem the continent of Afrikan and all Black people face today
is miseducation. That is when we thought we know, and attempt to think and
decide for ourselves, and still think that we are making the right thinking,
when in fact we are confusing ourselves more and more. Miseducation is
dangerous. More dangerous in fact than ignorance. An ingorant person does
not bother to explore, and he may refrain from venturing into that he knows
nothing about. Yet still an ignorant person faces the possibility of
destruction, because he lacks the consciousness about time and space, and
the need to adjust oneself to the changing times and circumstances of one's
environment and nature. However, the dangerous thing about the miseducated
person is that he thinks he knows, that he is armed with truth, facts and
figures, and thus he is secure, while the actual fact is that he will lead
himself quicker to his own destruction than the ignorant. This is because he
attempts to venture into areas he definitely has no knowledge about, and yet
out of blind arrogance and self-imposed supremacy in knowledge, dares to
tread on. A miseducated person is so well educated that he easily disposed
to manipulation. So if one analyses the Afrikan world today, one would see
that our main problem stems from those who lead us in all spheres of our
life. But instead of leading us , they mislead us simply because of
miseducation. They are in our political leadership, religious leadership,
economic, academic, social and professional leaderships.
Such one miseducated leader is Dr. Ayittey.
In his article "why Afrika is poor" he made some serious comments that I
thought for a minute, whether he was really thinking when he wrote those
things, or was it just another consequence of miseducation.
He said,
"and today, Africans are worse off economically than they were at
independence. This is not a justification for colonialism but a statement of
fact."
He is right that it is a statement of fact, but the wrong is that it is a
justification of colonialism, and he is not even aware of it. Now Dr.
Ayittey is from Ghana, and I am from the Gambia. In 1957 Ghana became
independent, and the Gambia in 1965, though more accurately it was 1970. Dr.
Ayittey knows that ten years before these dates, both countries were not
independent, so therefore one cannot attribute any development or
backwardness in those periods to the present managers of these countries
today. So whatever economic development Ghana or Gambia scored in 1950 and
in 1964 respectively, is not to the benefit of the people of Ghana and the
Gambia, but to the British, who controlled the economy at the time. Afrikan
people were no more than commodities that could be exploited for the benefit
of the colonialists. Obviously they exploited our resources and our people
to get that wealth anyway. And in pre-independence days, i am sure there is
no doubt in the mind of Dr. Ayittey and all of us that an overwhelming
majority of Afrikan people live in abject poverty, disease, illiteracy,
oppression, despite the claim of Ayittey that Afrikan was doing better then
than today. And on the other side, today literacy level in all Afrikan
countries has increased tremendously compared to pre-independence days.
Today there are more hospitals to cater for our people. Today there are alot
more Afrikan entrepreneurs. Today there are a lot more Afrikan people living
a decent conditions than before independence, etc etc etc. And Dr. Ayittey
still says we are worse of today than at independence. Personally I am not
proud of any Afrikan leader today, and I do not approve of the economic
policies of almost all Afrikan countries, but the fact of the matter is we
should make a distinction between pre-independence days and now. Western
scholarship, the IMF and World Bank would want us to believe that theory
that we were doing better at independence so that they could defend
colonialism, but the little progress that we have today, even though
unsatisfactory and a mockery considering the wealth of Afrika, is far more
than what colonialism provided for our people. And the credit of this
modicum of success, for it is really a success, is for Afrikan people and
their largely misguided leadership. Period. In my country they teach me in
school that colonialism brought education to our people, and a similar thing
has been taught to Ghanaians, including Dr. Ayittey. But the fact is why do
we still have only 20-30% literacy level when colonialsim has been in the
Gambia from 1902 to 1965? If it was really true that colonialism had such a
mission, why cannot we still have the required number of doctors, engineers,
administrators, lawyers, scientists etc etc. Dr. Ayittey knows that Ghana is
far in education because of DR. Kwame Nkrumah's enlightened leadership to
see all of Ghana literate within ten years from independence! And yet Dr.
Ayittey tells us that we are worse off today. Nkrumah especially gave
education a tremendous push and priority since he became prime minister in
1951.
In another part of his misguided article, Dr. Ayittey said, after giving
figures of GNP for various world regions, that
"for all of black Africa, real income per capita dropped by 14.6 percent
from its level in 1965, making most black Africans worse off than they were
at independence". This really makes me laugh.
Did Dr. Ayittey try to find out how many Afrikans were being employed at
that time in the first place. And did he know that Afrikans were not
enjoying equal pay as their European counterparts. And does he also know
that the only jobs available to Afrikans then were cleaners, watchmen,
police guards, messengers, plantation workers, clerks, fitters etc etc. And
after independence did Dr. Ayittey realise that our work force had to expand
because we have to take charge of things on our own, and pays have to be
levelled and rationalised? In any case these figures that Dr. Ayittey quotes
do not include the majority of Afrikan people. Colonial figures mostly
centre around the centres of colonial interests and the Afrikans they
directly exploit. But there are a lot more Afrikans in the forests and
deserts who have been trapped there of forced to hide there because of the
harsh conditions of colonialism. So how accurate are such figures? But what
this means is that Dr. Ayittey is just been fed and fed and fed to the
extent that he became easily disposed to manipulation, and he things he
knows and has the facts. Who created the facts, and for whom?
In another part of this unlightened article, he said
"four out of 10 Africans live in absolute poverty and recent evidence
suggests the poverty is on the increase..." Now Dr. Ayittey needs to find
out how many Afrikans out of 10 live in absolute poverty in 1940, at the
height of colonialism. Since independence Afrika has reduced poverty more
than it was before independence, and we do not have to run a survey or go to
university to know that. And Dr. Ayittey has the nerves to advice that we
should attain a growth rate of 7% annually if Afrika can reduce poverty by
half. Did Dr. Ayittey try to figure out why Afrika is still poor, and how
many of our resources are still in the hands of foreigners, not because out
leaders gave them the access, though that is a part of it, but more
correctly most of the mining companies and individuals grabbed Afrikan lands
by force, and they still occupy it. What is happening in Zimbabwe is a clear
testimony of that. If we are to describe colonialism and give it its correct
due, it is that colonialisdm institutionalised poverty, illiteracy,
irresponsibility in Afrika. Colonialism denied Afrikans to grow what they
want, to learn and acquire skills, to organise and fight for their rights.
These are the roots of the poverty, illiteracy and irresponsibility in
Afrika.
In another part of the article, our own Dr. Ayittey said, note this: "Zaire,
now the DRC, EXPORTED FOOD WHEN IT WAS THE BELGIAN CONGO. TODAY, IT CANNOT
FEED ITSELF, NOR CAN POSTCOLONIAL zAMBIA, SIEERA LEONE, TANZANIA, AND EVEN
NIGERIA". This is really unbelievable!!!!!!
Does Ayittey know that King Leopold of Belgium killed TEN MILLION AFRIKANS
at that time so that they could work the plantations and then export the
food? And that is what Dr. Ayittey is so proud of that he is disgusted with
today's Congo. Would you have also celebrated the same feat had that
abominable Mobutu set up farms and butcher Afrikans to work on those farms
so that he could export food? If Dr. Ayittey knows the history of his people
he would have known that never in our history had Afrikan people left their
shores to search for food in other lands. We have always been
self-sufficient and self-reliant. As a matter of fact, all throughout
history it was other people - Asians, and Europeans- who left their lands in
search of food in Afrika. So today we are not exporting, and that has
nothing to do with our leaders per se, but with the system that has engulfed
Afrika and her people for the past centuries. And this is what I think
should be the pre-occupation of people like Ayittey. That is to destroy that
system, so that Afrika can be free and stand on its own feet. But not to
support that system, and use it to show the hopelessness of Afrika and her
people.
In another part he states,
"increasuingly, Afrika has become unattractive to foreign investors and even
to the donor community which suffers "donor fatigue" after so many
failures". Well, we need to ask when has foreign investment started in
Afrika and has it ever been beneficial to Afrikan people. For me, without a
PHD - a combination of intellectual Povety, Hunger and Disease - forieign
investment includes slavery and colonialism. These were foreign investments,
and since then Europe has been heavily investing in Afrika, even today with
the war in Sierra leone, and the "corruption" in Zimbabwe. And when you say
they are running away, I do not see any foreign investor leaving Afrika. I
have never heard it over BBC, CNN, DW or RFI. Instead what I hear is that
they are still coming. In my country, Gambia, we have so many donor
conferences, almost every week, and they have never said they will leave,
but interestingly we have never lived a better life since the White man
stepped their feet on our shores. We have scores of NGOs in the Gambia, but
what I see is wretched mothers and children, and still most of them say they
are for children and mothers. So my Dr. Ayittey, do not sit in the US and
accept State Deopartment and UN reports, or World Bank and IMF analysis, or
experts papers on Afrika. If you also want you can unearth one million nasty
things about America and if you control the media you can easily convince
the world that, yes, America is hopeless. But that is cheap and dishonest.
Afrika is really in a big problem, which for me is mainly aggravated today
by our leaders in all areas, including you and me the "educated Afrikans".
We are the problem. And what I expected from you and all of us is to see how
to salvage Afrika, and not to torment her.
However, I will tell you that now a new Afrikan youth is awakening, and we
will not hesitate to attack any blood sucker who wants to lick Afrika. We
will not apologise or excuse anyone for that.
Afrikan is poor. Not entirely because of its leadership. In fact when you
consider the leadership, we have also played a part. Why didn't Dr.Ayittey
go back to Ghana and put up a political party, a school, or teach at Legon
or Kumasi, or run a radio station, and enlighten the people about their
reality and what needs to be done. Western statistics are more valuable and
indispensable to those who wish to see Afrika torn apart and humiliated and
exploited. And I am not proud of any person, organisation etc etc which
makes such a venture its pre-occupation.
But I will tell you I have hope in Afrika, that Afrika shall rise and Afrika
shall be free and stand on its own, and unite all her sons and daughters.
Those who do not believe this are not reading histories of the world. Afrika
is moving towards that achievment, it might be moving slow, but it is
moving.
Victory is ours.
madi jobarteh
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