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Appetite is increasing to re-colonise Africa by the Western world. They want to increase their presence by masking themselves on preaching the practices of the human rights, good governance and the rule of law. They think that African leaders are missing this important element of development. More pressure is witnessed in Southern Africa where the West is protecting the minority interests by demonising the legitimate governments. However, the divisions that might be experienced in Africa emanate from those who do not think that land seizure by colonialists was not the core problem during the fight for independence, resulting in conflict with those who think that "State" is land. When land is invaded, the owners fight to reclaim, a process that Africa, Zimbabwe in particular, is currently doing. This means that indeed land was and is still a core issue in human development in society. Africa is partially free politically but political independence is meaningless without economic empowerment. Politics, social and economics are inseparable, each one will affect one another. It is disheartening to note that our African leaders are regarded by the West as leaders who lack the sense of responsibility, leaders who could always call for donations, bow their heads and clap hands for the handouts. However, those who are courageous enough to say, "land is the economy and economy is land", become the target leaders in Africa and the West does everything in their capacity to suppress the land reclamation. But history will tell. In continental history people are forever talking about our revolutionary leaders who championed the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, which transformed into African Union. The decolonisation of Africa was the liberation of the oppressed people from the systems of colonialism, settlerism and apartheid. In South African papers recently, it was reported that, "the land shall belong to those who work on it. The history of the land dispossession in our country is inseparable from the brutal system of colonialism and apartheid". The remarks went further to say although many black people had already lost their land in the wars of dispossession by the time the Union was formed in 1910, insatiable avarice of the resident colonialists saw them seeking new ways of grabbing more and more land that was still in the hands of black people. Nevertheless, if the matter of land is not addressed properly in the continent by leaders by bowing their heads to the former invaders and cronies, divisions among the leaders will surface. Land has got everything that human beings can survive on, it has oil and all other mineral resources. That is the main reason why the industrialised countries are pushing to come back and consolidate their grip in Africa. But a pertinent question comes to African leaders: are you ready to part with Africa or not? What history can you leave for the existing and the generations to come? Africa should have noted what the Western industrialised countries have done to the countries they purported to be helping. They first destroyed the country and later went back and looted their natural resources. In reality there is no tangible evidence of help. The Iraq situation is a good example where her oil is now being used to rebuild what was destroyed during the invasion. I am perturbed by Africans who think that foreign troops invasion would solve the continental problems. Such people are doomed to failure because all what foreigners want is dominance of Africa and its resources, hence their effort to put puppet regimes who can dance to their tune. Africa has some major problems, such as debt, to resolve. If the West is genuine and sincere to help Africa, they must do so without pre-conditions. In my sound opinion, Africa has repaid its initial debt many times over, losing precious social gains in the process and strapping its economies on the breaking point. Between a quarter and a third of national budgets in African countries (and 40 percent in most heavily indebted poor countries) go to service debt. In Sub-Saharan African countries the reactivation of development will not take place without an early and durable solution to the problems of internal indebtedness. The burden of debt-service on African countries imposed severe constrains on their ability to accelerate growth and eradicate poverty and has led to a contraction in imports, investment and consumption. External indebtedness has emerged as a main factor in the economic stalemate in Africa and other developing regions. There has been a notable net transfer of resources from the developing to developed countries, depriving the former of such needed resources for development. However, if the G8 and the rest of the developed world are extension for the implementation of the proposed new partnership by African leaders, they should consider the total cancellation of African debts. The African leaders are always proposing the total cancellation of debts by developed countries and start with a new page of development. Speaking during a visit to Kingston, Jamaica as far back as September 1998, President Joachim Chissano of Mozambique insisted that it was clear that what was needed was not " . . . debt reduction, but the total scrapping of our debts". However, the same concern was raised some years ago by Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo when he addressed high academic pedestals of Harvard University, to insist that debt rescheduling option offered by Nigeria by creditors would not solve the country�s debt problem. Explaining why debt rescheduling will not solve Nigeria�s problem, President Obasanjo pointed out that Nigeria had done several debt rescheduling in the past but the outcome was the expansion in the country�s debt stock. During the just ended AU Summit in Maputo, the debt issue should have been one of the priorities for discussions. This is a thorny issue in the betterment of the future of the African continent. In order for Nepad to succeed, it should not swallow the bitter "debt" pill. If the new partnership means that the debts are to be honoured and pre-conditions are imposed on the African continent, Nepad would not develop to the expectations. However, if the expectations hit on the hard rock, people will point fingers to each other, which could result in promoting divisions among member states. Africa should be careful of divide and conquer tactics by the West. l The writer is Zimbabwe�s ambassador to Libya. The
Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie" |
