Africa has long become the poster
child for war, famine and disease. Of course I really mean sub-Saharan Africa or
in un-PC terms ‘Black’ Africa. I believe the solution is as simple as the
solution I would give the fellow banging his head against a brick wall and
taking paracetamol.
1.
The former colonial masters, in fact the rest of
the international community should apologise and admit they got it wrong with
the whole colonialism and state creation wahala (malarkey). It is interesting
that there has never been any concrete apology for colonial rule. (Someone once
quite ‘kindly’ told me that there should not be any apology since the colonists
are no longer alive. I wonder why Bill Clinton apologised for the racist
behaviour directed at Jack Robinson…). So what this apology signifies is
accepting that it is undemocratic to create countries without the agreement of
the people within their highly artificial borders. So all the fruits of the
Scramble and everything that came before should be nullified, that is colonial
states, post-colonial states, neo-colonial states, international legal recognition
of any of these boundaries, any attitudes, policies or practices or attitudes
that insist in the rightness of the foregoing.
2.
All Africans especially the leaders should
accept the apology gracefully. Truly African leaders have no reason to be
proud. At least the international community thinks they are taking the moral high
ground by insisting on the rigid implementation of foreign Westphalianism by
imprisoning people within borders and into situations they have no say in.
African leaders have acted out of personal greed and extreme foolhardiness. No
man steals from his own pocket… no man except African leaders. If you build
roads, you are unlikely to have an accident on a bad road, if you build
hospitals, you will have somewhere to run to in case of a medical emergency, if
you build good schools, you will spend less on foreign education. The people
are not blameless either, Africans seem to be struck by an intractable apathy
about their own socio-political condition. We cannot be roused to protest
government policies, but will be the first to queue up for a hand-out arising from
dishonest government policies. Anyone swimming in a pool of ordure will climb
out even if there is some personal risk of using the shaky ladder propped up
beside them…Anyone apart from African people.
3.
Next, after all states and sub-state structures
have been dismantled (which with the situation of post-colonial state in Africa
should not take much) everyone has a choice to pledge allegiance to the place(s)
where they live or their great-10grandfather’s place of origin.
4.
Once all towns have an idea of the people who
belong to them, they should decide together how they want to be governed. They do
not have to adhere to Westphalianism/market economy/democracy. If they want to
form a partnership with another town, they should write a letter to request
partnership. It’s a request; it can be rejected. Each town owns the resources
within their territory. Any partnership agreement must be subject to an agreement
to resource distribution and use (not control) and leadership structure.
5.
Why would anyone fight or starve then?
While I wish this recommendation
will at least be given some consideration, greed and self-interest make that
unlikely. Any with a better idea, I would definitely like to hear it. Honestly!
