“Africa is the richest continent on the planet with the poorest people on the planet…” and is treated like the world’s bitch
… In becoming South African president for the second time, South Africans were expecting much from Cyril Ramaphosa.
His first stint as president was essentially an interim position of four years, 2014 to 2018, to which he was appointed when then President Jacob Zuma contracted that seemingly incurable African political virus: corruption and its inevitable social impact on the lives of those to whom it means most – not the least is living conditions: lack of infrastructure, running water, etc.
Zuma was rightfully forced to resign, and is currently undergoing treatment: justice in the courts for indulging in an all-too-familiar African political pastime.
But on May 25, one of Nelson Mandela’s right-hand people, Cyril Ramaphosa, was elected to a full five-year term, with much expected from his supporters.
In his inauguration speech the new president of one of Africa’s most developed countries (longtime socio-political activist whose presence was a constant in the days following Nelson Mandela’s release from decades of imprisonment, setting in motion the crumbling of the nation’s entrenched apartheid system) and business tycoon spoke words oozing hope to South Africans, calling his election victory a “new era…”
His supporters are hopeful he will embrace and live up to the ideals of the iconic Nelson Mandela.
So, as president of one of Africa’s most developed countries and dominant economies, in his speech he said the country’s “challenges can be solved…”
And, perhaps in sounding a continental clarion call to his continental colleagues, he said, “Africa is poised once again to rise, to assume its place among the free and equal nations of the world.” And he summoned African countries to unite to achieve development on the continent.
Now president and one of the leading political figures on the continent and much is expected from him. He has much sway, which must be used in getting Africa to coalesce and move forward internationally, taking Africa out of the grips of external developed countries’ dominance (economic, military and other forms) and help guide the continent on a truly new and unbridled course… much the same way other peoples (inhabiting other continents of the world) have been doing, all the while leaving Africa behind, always fighting itself (or themselves).
Notwithstanding the historically recorded and embedded, albeit imperceptible, impact (psychological and otherwise) of slavery on African peoples around the world, lamenting (crimes perpetrated by Europe’s children over centuries and generations… up to today), self pity, the ostensible culture of dependence (on seemingly benevolent N.G.Os, because African leaders have seemingly deferred the responsibility for the well-being of their peoples to said N.G.Os) and more… In that sense many African leaders have done little to nothing to advance socio-economic, political and other conditions in their respective countries.
As stated earlier, Africa remains a ward of the developed countries of the world, primarily in the West. After being hobbled by colonialism, it was then hobbled by post/neo-colonialism, its resources (natural and strategic) offered at a discount to developed countries of the world where money flows into politicians’ offshore accounts. All this at the expense of Africans, “the poorest people on the planet…”
The images of neglect and need that we have become all too familiar with are evidence. Evidence that Africa’s political leaders are for the most part not looking after the collective interests of their people; rather they’re selling out their peoples’ birthright.
That’s not the way those developed countries that have done well over the centuries by Africa did it. They ravaged (and continue to ravage) Africa to build themselves up all the while Africans are continuing to flee their countries with dreams for places where dreams apparently come true, for the proverbial “better life?”
And they continue to leave one of the largest mass on the planet, their ancestral homeland that God blessed with every conceivable resource the rest of the world needs and has had access to for centuries to develop themselves… to make themselves more attractive.
Here’s hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa’s sentiment about Africa being poised once again “to rise…” will soon begin to be manifested…
Wonder if he should borrow a line from that disgraceful man down the way.
I see enough positive images coming out of Africa. So I might look into getting a visa to make a trip to my ancestral motherland where people won’t disparage me based on race… one of the 1.2 billion on the continent and others across the Diaspora.
