The ‘Final Solution’ (not what you think) for Africa: How to solve Africa in 5 ‘easy’ steps

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!