The Problem With Africa

Africa is known as the problem continent. Needless to say, the problems are many. Poverty, diseases, famine, poor leadership, religious conflicts, ethnic clashes and corruption are a few of them. With each passing day, the problems increase. It has been a series of disasters, with Africa recovering from one disaster, only to fall into another.

Africa´s numerous problems are two-fold: One being the natural problems such as Drought and famine, and the several deadly diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid, HIV/AIDS and Malaria which are most peculiar to the African nation. There is little we can do about these than to take preventive measures.

And then there are the problems Africans have created for themselves- problems which have continually hindered the success and progress of Africa for many, many years. We all know them by heart- Corruption, poor governance, poverty, religious and ethnic clashes stand out among the rest. Over the years, we have witnessed civil wars and related conflicts that have resulted in genocides such as we have seen in the DR Congo, Rwanda and Sudan´s Darfur region. These conflicts have been instigated by us Africans.

Here in Africa, a lot of debates have been going on as to the real causes of Africa´s problems. Many propositions have been made. Some ignorant people are quick to blame the colonial masters for about everything. Ethnic violence for instance, is blamed on the borders colonialists created that ignored ethnicity. Some Africans blame the underdevelopment of Africa on white colonialists who exploited the land and left Africa bare.

And then some Intellectuals and renowned scholars have summarized the problem of Africa into a failure of the continent´s leadership. To an extent, I tend to agree. However, in my real opinion, the problem of Africa is Africans themselves. They are the one who elect people into office, not based on the credibility of people to lead, but on how much bribe they are given by the political contestants. It is commonplace in many African states to find people vote individuals they know nothing about into government simply because the candidate bribes them with a few dollars. Africans have thrown their dignity to the wind. We have witnessed civil wars and related conflicts that have culminated in genocides of the sort that have been witnessed in Rwanda, some parts of the DR Congo, and in Sudan´s Darfur region. These conflicts have been instigated by us Africans themselves. It is unfortunate that Africans can wake up one morning and use machetes to kill a fellow countryperson because they are from different tribes. These conflicts have many of the time led to economic crisis, which in turn culminate into the poverty Africa is so famed for.

I will not deny that Africa has governance problems. Like hell, it does. If truths must be told, the majority of African leaders are a bunch of greedy no-gooders who are in power more to secure the futures of themselves and their families, than to develop their nations. In Africa, a position in government is viewed as an express ticket to wealth and prosperity. Hence, once elected into power, the majority of African leaders preoccupy themselves with acquiring wealth from the country´s coffers rather than dealing with the issues at hand affecting the problems of Africa.

African leaders have the mentality that once in power, they have to secure the future for themselves, their children´s and relatives´. Most of them get into power, neglecting the needs of the people who voted them into power (in democratic situations), and instead, devote their energies towards unscrupulously enriching themselves and relatives.

This mentality is fast gaining popularity to the youth—the future leaders. Unless African leaders do away with that mentality, Africa will always remain retrogressive. What is needed in Africa is a paradigm shift in the thinking of Africans, and a change in the entire political ideology in Africa.

It all starts with the mind. Three things Africans must do: First, stop blaming the colonialists for the underdevelopment of Africa. If anything, I think they still make up for it by the frequent aid they throw our way as Africans- for which Africa should be thankful. Secondly, our current and future African leaders must change their thinking patterns from thinking of government as a business venture, but rather, as selfless service to people. Finally, Africans must learn to live in love and unity- refusing to be divided by tribal, ethnic or religious lines whatever the case may be. If Africa can do this, Africa will well be on its way to seeing a new day. If Africa refuses, the continent is doomed forever.