Malawi, EAC, Nigeria

Hi,
Today we want to discuss Malawi, the new EAC trade agreement and the Nigerian oil dilemma. Here goes...

MALAWI FEEDING ITS NEIGHBOURS
Malawi recorded a bumper harvest this year, because of a decision by the government to subsidize its farmers. They did this despite opposition from the World Bank and other development partners, who for long have been pushing policies that have been detrimental to the African nations food security.

Should other African states follow suite and move away from policies pushed by the IMF and World Bank that are harmful to their economies? What reaction can this produce from the Bretton Woods organizations, and should threats of a possible backlash deter developing nations from adopting other development models?

Read the story here: Malawi

Post your comments below

NEW EAC TRADE PACT
The East African Community-EAC (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi) has just signed a new controversial trade agreement with the EU. This agreement will allow European produce to move freely into the region. Critics argue that the deal could damage developing economies by cutting their customs revenue and making it harder for local businesses to compete with larger foreign rivals. What are your thoughts on this new deal?

Read the story here: EAC Trade Pact

Post your comments below

NIGERIAN DILEMMA
With the largest oil reserves in Africa, the biggest and arguably the most educated population, why is Nigeria so poor and underdeveloped? Can anything be done to remedy the situation? Is Nigeria like Ashif Hanan calls it, ‘a basket case’?

Read the story here: Nigeria burning

Post your comments below

Have an intellectual day.

Mark Gaya

I send out regular emails on the issues we're discussing. If you would like to be included on the mailing list, please send me a note on markgaya@villagevolunteers.org. Your email address will only be held by Village Volunteers and will be used for the purpose of administering this blog site.

Lefties Are Still lefties

Hey Kagenza...I also miss our ideologies class! Just one thing, it's OYOO, not OLOO! My name is a major part of my identity since it was my great-great-grandfather's, so I tend to be rather fascist about people getting it right:-)!

I stand by my opinion that extreme leftist thought has a ring of class structure to it, the idea that a better-placed individual-in terms of education perhaps? Enlighten me- has the duty of showing the lost sheep-I think I might be included by some in that category no doubt-the right path to socialism, an ideology that has definitely outlived its usefulness.

Your response brought out a lot of factors that really need to be explored and it has taken me much time and effort to reflect on.The gloves are off, yeah, just like old times buddy, we are allowed to get personal because this is healthy and I really take no offense. I am sure that when when I 'sit around my European/American (white) girlfriends and boyfriends, I bathe in their reassurances that 'you are one of us'. Most of my friends (brown, black, white, yellow, pink, blue, whatever) are Baha'is, and that is a comforting reassurance. Out in the world there are people who share the same aspirations for the human family as I do and are heavily committed to demonstrating in in the totality of their lives. That is a very comfortable situation for me, don't you think? The fact that we all feel thoroughly connected, not because of race, nor class, nor taste in music and other ephemeral objects, we identify a silver thread that runs through all of us: a principally spiritual identity. There is absolutely no harm in talking 'about western fashion, western music, western concepts of life, western cuisine, and all other things that excite white Europeans/Americans.' I know several other brown, yellow and black people combined who have an interest in a plethora of similar ideas and things. Since when was one's taste dictated by one's race? I find that idea completely unacceptable and to be quite honest, extremely bizarre. Aren't you a socialist who delves into the works of Chomsky and neo-Marxist critical thinkers? I find it very paradoxical then that you'd highlight my interests in a way that makes them seem so frivolous! Sackcloth has never appealed to me and never will! Are you proposing that I run to USIU from the ends of the earth each day and then run back home? That I walk to a river thousands of miles away to get washed? That I wear skins or leaves? I don't know about you but my skin is prone to bursts of allergic reactions when it comes into contact with wild plants. Maybe you should put that to the test and tell us how it goes. Western technology makes our lives easier, doesn't it, otherwise we wouldn't be blogging (and doing so in English, a language that has clearly demonstrated man's ability to unite).The 'real' Africans out there will think of us as being very stupid and privileged young men with lots of free time to talk about life and identity when they are thinking about where their next meal is coming from. Kagenza read your submissions: the reality you complain and castigate is your reality. You are a product of 'factories' as much as I am!

We are so good at faulty generalisation. I have to admit that I'm guilty of that cardinal sin given that 'lefties are blahblahblah'. I actually do find it hysterically funny that my friends have 'accepted me because I don't talk about racism'. I have to admit I hardly dwell on issues that just seem to hit a brick wall. And no, I am not so ignorant about 400 years of slavery! I spend too much time with my nose down history books to be that ignorant. Maybe I'm too unsentimental, a tad bit cynical and certainly cold (that's just life), I just think that revisiting the sins of the past purely as an exercise in pointing fingers is retarded and futile. What do we hope to achieve by talking about this day in, day out? Slavery was horrendous and we all know that, but somehow I don't seem to know anyone who has people picking cotton on their fields. We can't keep blaming people fore the sins of their forefathers! What about the future? What do we intend to do about that? Complaining about the past with no concrete plans of action to improve the situation is quite worrying!

My reaction when Morales came to power was 'hmmmmmmmm....unacceptable'. This is just my opinion. The so-called socialist revolution in South America is purely a reaction to the political realities north of the border, which will certainly change after liberals take the White House next year. There is also the fact that the Revolution's great leader Castro (am man I detest along with his poodle Chavez who just needs to be shot-yes Pat Robertson and I finally have something to agree on) is ailing (probably a corpse for all we know). I have to agree with Margaret Thatcher that 'Capitalism has finally triumphed over Communism'. Nationalisation of industries is an extremely stupid move that will cost Bolivia and the rest of South America dearly. It makes no economic sense to block liberalism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I believe in equality, but you can't have a properly functioning society if everyone exists on the same plane and earns the same! Basics have to be met but we STILL NEED ORDER! I can just see you wincing at my "elitist sentiments" but I assure you that isn't really the case. What we need to be working towards is finding a solution to extremes of poverty.Maybe I am too preoccupied with the future to commiserate on sad events that happened centuries ago.

I set down the rules when it comes to my identity, and that identify is multifaceted. I am different things to different people and there is not phony about that! I am a Baha'i, African, Kenyan, Luo, Nairobian, a photographer, a blogger, a writer, a student at one of those 'factories'(where I often sit not too far from the well poised, eloquent and strikingly handsome Afro-Centrist typing away on his laptop), an environmentalist, a civil liberties activist, an art lover, a liberal when it comes to social matters, a fiscal conservative. The list goes on and it tells me that I have a multitude of identities, not a confused personality. I am more than my race or cultural background and I tend to think that everyone else is pretty much the same. I don;t limit myself to lesser identities! Being a minority within a minority is not very easy, and I have learned to straddle all my worlds carefully without offending anyone, not because I am afraid of what they would think, but because I don't particularly enjoy making people uncomfortable due to the fact that I don't take too kindly to being made uncomfortable.

Because of you my very dear friend, I have been going on shopping sprees buying everything I can get my hands on by Noam Chomsky. Isn't that the same Western philosophical thought that you are eloquently denigrating?Well, my 'so called Liberals are merely a bouquet of pussyfooters who would never loudly go against the status quo because they don't want to step on anybody's toes'. Well I tend to think that I really do fight the status quo, particularly in my personal life. I have surrounded myself with people I accept and people who accept me, not for any of the reasons you have so beautifully elaborated on. Many of my friends, lovers and I are on opposite sides of the political or philosophical (or even artistic) spectrum and I definitely see you as being a friend who pushes me to think beyond my preferences and ideologies, getting me out of my comfort zone which is healthy for growth. It makes life interesting because one finds that one is constantly pushing oneself to learn.

I've probably been going on and on about nothing but I will answer your question. My centre is my identity as a Baha'i, my centre is 6 billion souls, my centre is the tiny contribution I can make towards the betterment of the entire human race. 'Let no man glory in this: that he loveth his country, let him rather glory in this: that he loveth his kind.' I do love my kind and the fact that all of us human beings are so different.

Patrick Oyoo

Nov 14

Hi there,

The Village Volunteers get together came to a sad end this past weekend. Thanks’ to all who attended, especially those who flew to Seattle from all around the US, Africa and Canada. It was a real thrill to see you all. We look forward to continuing the good work and discussions on development.

Welcome to our forum Dr. Wally Adesina from Charlottesville, Virginia and my former USIU professor, Jason Giersch from North Carolina. We are happy that you are able to join us, and are delighted to learn that you’re using our blog as a resource for your American students studying discourses on African Identity. I trust that our blog authors will enjoy having their articles and ideas shared with a wider population (all pieces will be attributed).

Today we have articles from Dr. Wally Adesina 'AFRICA IS BETTER OFF WITH WESTERN EDUCATION', Kagenza Rumongi's "RESTORING THE AFRICAN CENTER" and Elaye Moses' "IDENTITY- MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND COMPLEX". Please click on the side links to read more from these scholars. You can comment on their articles at the bottom of each page.
Cheers
Mark Gaya

I send out regular emails on the issues we're discussing. If you would like to be included on the mailing list, please send me a note on markgaya@villagevolunteers.org. Your email address will only be held by Village Volunteers and will be used for the purpose of administering this blog site.

Africa is better off with Western Education

Hello all,
I decided to check out this blog site after my friend Mark Gaya told me about it.

I read most of the postings/comments by individuals. I enjoyed reading them. However, as most posting is all about African identity, intelligent, language confusion, lack of development etc. I would like to tell you all that (I respect your opinions), but there is a new face of Africa!

Africa has improved a lot from what you guys are talking about. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikwe of Nigeria, Nelson Mandela of South Africa are the frontline leaders who stood and fought for liberation and freedom in Africa. Today, we are reaping the benefits.

European education has done more good than harm.It enables us to contribute meaningfully to world issues such as peace, economy, religion etc. People like Wole Soyinka of Nigeria (A nobel prize winner) and the former United Nation Secretary (I can't remember his name now) have made African proud as a continent.

A tour of most African big cities such as Tripoli, Lagos and Abuja, Accra, Johanessburg, Cairo etc is a testimony that there is a big growth/development in Africa.However, most foreigners do not like to visit cities in Africa, they prefer taking pictures in the countryside.And those that stayed in the cities never ever saw any lion crossing the road.

Talking about slave trade and loss of indentity is not what occupied most educated African minds right now. Our priorities is how to develop our youths leadership skills, organize our communities, develop rural areas, train our people how to use technology so that we can quickly move forward.Talking about race, identity, reparation, western education and the other negative thoughts will not move us forward.

There is a new face for Africans everywhere and that is to distinguished yourself, compete by mastering western education, travel and learn other people cultures, skills and use the knowledge gained to develop your own community/country.

Thank you all,
Wally Adesina, Ph.D.
Charlottesville, Virginia

IDENTITY- MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND COMPLEX

Firstly i would like to declare that I am African, I am Nigerian and I am also British. This to some might seem like an ambiguous comment but i am making a statement that identity is multi-dimensional and complex. I do not stop being African because I have lived in England for 20 years and I (like the British immigration system has made abundantly clear) does not automatically become British because I have lived in England for 20 years. I refuse to accept that my identity can be defined along these terms. Is this opinion a product of the western education i have received? No because my story or stories from the proverbial "black" experience does not feature within the British education system, i have not been indoctrinated with this view by the Brit system. This particular position stems from my recent experience, having travelled to Africa recently the people I met perceived me as an outsider, a foreigner and I was offended. The experience however made me realise that no one can define me but me. I think you should take offense when anyone regardless of their racial or cultural background tries to define you. For instance I often get frustrated when African American theorists, writers, speakers etc. especially, talk about 'black identity and history' as though it is a generic experience. Often these theorists without naming names emalgamate the "African" experience with the "African American" experience (notice I have intentionally placed those speech marks because I acknowledge that to use these terms without them would be doing the same things that past theorists have done and reinforce the idea that the African experience can be defined), particularly making reference to slavery. I find this damaging to my identity as an African woman, I am not negating the importance of discussing slavery and dealing with the repercussions of the slave trade but I am merely asserting that slavery should not be our focus particularly when it comes to reshaping African identities post independence. I don't think it is good for African individuals to play the blame game and say it is the past colonisers who have taken away our culture, our language our expressions, and have made us lose sight of who we truly are but i think when we make slavery our focus we also become perpetrators of creating narrowed perceptions of African identities and experiences, and by doing so it makes African experiences unimportant, uninteresting and not worth documenting. Subsequently we lose sight of who we are and where we come from. African history or histories goes beyond slavery, although it is a part of some African identities but it isn't a part of all, it certainly isn't a part of my history. We should focus on sharing our individual experiences whether it is through this blog or through another medium, to help reshape perceptions of African identities post colonization.

Elaye Augusta Moses

Restoring the African Centre-

An Essay on the moral, political and historic imperative of the African youth today.


Introduction
The leading assumption here is that Africa is in need of an urgent regeneration of ideas and alternative models of development. If you do not subscribe to this imperative, then you will not find much relevance in this reflective essay. I do not engage in cold-scholasticism-where people juggle ideas about human lives yet the closest interaction with ‘humanity’ is in form of percentages and ratios. Neither would I subscribe to the notion that action is the only form of expressing an urge for change- in this case, positive change. Amilcar Cabral, revolutionary leader of the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) placed my contravening assertion in perspective when he noted in one of his numerous revolutionary speeches, ‘The Weapon of Theory’ (Address delivered to the first Tricontinental Conference of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America held in Havana in January, 1966) that:

To those who see in it a theoretical character, we would recall that every practice produces a theory, and that if it is true that a revolution can fail even though it is based on perfectly conceived theories, nobody has yet made a successful revolution without a revolutionary theory
(Cabral, p.2)

Therefore we must begin by asserting that sustainable action must be guided by a logical, relevant, and contextual theory. Without this theory, then we put ourselves at risk of being reactionary individuals who only react- thus placing us at the mercy of the elements that determine the action thus having power over our reactions- because they can now predict our behavior. The theory of this sustainable action does not encage us in a perpetual repetition of action- which is similar to action without theoretical backbone, but it free’s us from this pitiful situation because at once the action and the theory dwell together and in the same place. That is to say that the theory is dynamic only to the limits that the action determines, so each influences the other. Why are we mentioning the importance of theory in an essay discussing a moral, political and historic imperative? There are two fundamental reasons that must be noted:
1. The African youth, shortly after the liberation struggle for freedom from colonialism, and determined to achieve national Independence, has remained in the aforementioned pitiful state of a repetition of action. The colonialist projects of all the different European Imperialist powers-while they vary in approach and execution, rest on a common objective that is to create a slave out of the native black African. The objective of creating a slave is to serve the European master for as long as is necessary. We should note the words of the one-time Portuguese Prime Minister Marcello Caetano:

‘The blacks in Africa must be directed and moulded by Europeans but they are indispensable as assistants to the latter. I do not affirm this out of prejudice- I merely formulate an observation… The Africans by themselves did not know how to develop the territories they have inhabited for millennia, they did not account for a single technical discovery, no conquest that counts in the evolution of Humanity, nothing that can compare to the accomplishments in the areas of culture and technology by Europeans or even by Asians’
Gerald J. Bender, Angola under the Portuguese: The Myth and the Reality, 1978)

This repetition of action has taken varying forms and in varying levels in different countries of Africa. However it may be argued that the worst form of repetition of action is the continuation of a search for identity and meaning in different historic contexts while remaining within the Eurocentric scope. That is to say that the African youth, while having good intentions in their search, have failed miserably because their trajectory has been launched within the path of either European written history of Africa- and thus a distorted view of their past, or by employing tools of inspiration that are far removed from the true African historical context. These tools include Religions (which provides spiritual inspiration), music and literature (which motivates the African soul, and the latter provides necessary imagination to conceive and thus allowing one to achieve the constructed dreams or aspirations), role models (for mentorship and guidance in ones life choices), concepts of life/ Ideologies (these are heavily theoretical, and guide ones actions); the employment of these tools that are Eurocentric or Westernized cannot allow for an African youth to find true relevance of their life within the right African historic context. That is why for a long time we have had an exodus of African youth to the metropolis cities of the Imperialist powers in Europe and America. The central reason for this repetition has been a lack of adequate and relevant theoretical grounding; in other words, the lack of an African ideology that offers the African youth to make sense of his/her meaning and purpose in the world. It is fairly obvious that if you grow up being fed images of white people as being the best at everything, romanticizing over love stories in Soap Operas, feeding your sympathetic emotions for American soldiers being killed in Vietnam or European explorers being terrorized in the African jungles, or imagine the impact of years and years of watching television advertisements where subtle messages that uphold white supremacy are entrenched in your psyche, or being taken to church- the supposed ‘house of God’, and bowing to a White Jesus in the name of the son of God-yet we read that he was made in our image! This constant bombardment, although it varies in its effectiveness because the youth in the villages may not be as exposed to such mediums that carry these messages, has a far-reaching effect on the actions of the African youth. For those in the village, the mentality instilled by colonialism that advanced the notion of ‘centre and periphery’- where the colonial administrative centre was called the ‘Capital city’ and the other peripheral towns were known as the ‘villages’ or ‘village-towns’; this mentality compels those living in the ‘periphery’ to always look to the ‘centre’ for lessons and guidance on what is ‘moral’ or ‘civilized’. So the outcome is a total enslavement of the Africans no matter where they live.

2. The second reason of the importance of a discussion on theory in regard to the African youth today has a lot in common with the first point. Since we have unraveled and without any doubt accept the fact that there was a process to create a slave- to enslave the black African, then it is logical to extend the analysis and posit that there must be another process of freeing a slave- to liberate the black African. This is where we begin our search for a theoretical/ideological basis for our actions- which is an act of liberation. We must unravel how the enslavement began and start to create an ‘action-plan’ that will tackle all the methods employed for our enslavement. If we have ascertained that the trajectory used so far by the African youth has proved to be futile and working against our interests, then we must determine a new trajectory. From my analysis, to dismantle one ideology necessitates a replacement by another and different one. That is to say, if we are to effectively dismantle our Eurocentric/Westernized premise of life, we must restore an African centered prism of which we view our selves and our place in the world. This African centered trajectory is the Afrocentric trajectory. This would require us not to merely ‘blacken’ all that has been fed to us as ‘white’- no, there is no need for that. What we have to do is go deep into our history- the correct history of the African experience, and unravel the best of what kept our communities strong and creative, the best of our value-system that kept our families together and gave meaning to the Ubuntu philosophy of African life. Along the path of restoring our African centre through a re-reading of our proper history, we will then see the importance of a political project of our Afrocentric trajectory. This is what inspired the early proponents of the Afrocentric political philosophy- that is, pan africanism. While it is true that pan africanism has been associated with Marxist-Leninist ideas, it is not correct that we yet again place ourselves under the intellectual, cultural and political heritage of European thought which gave birth to Marx’s analysis of man in society and subsequent ‘Leftist’ thinkers. We must centre our political ideology on Africa- and call it an Afrocentric ideology; because that is also part of liberating ourselves from the Eurocentric paradigm. So as we note the initial lack of appropriate and sufficient ideology for the African youth, we now see the relevance of discussing theory with regard to eventually inspiring action for the new liberated African youth.



The sooner we realize that as the new generation of Africans now going through the ‘democratization’ spell of our historic experience, and being thrown into the whirlwind of ‘Globalization’ with the expectation to ‘contribute to the rest of the world’, that we have our own historical duty to answer to that will determine if the degradation of Africa and all people African shall continue, the more chances we have of achieving greater levels of emancipation. We have been led to believe that indeed there has occurred an ‘end of history’ and that capitalism and western-style democracy has triumphed. This is mainly because, as Harold Macmillan, in ‘The Middle Way’ 1938 noted:

‘We have lived so long at the mercy of uncontrolled economic forces that we have become skeptical about any plan for human emancipation.’


So we do not continue with our everyday lives because we are sure that humanity has exhausted all models of development or human existence. We do so because the system that profits from our ignorance has aggressively perpetuated our ‘mental enslavement’ and thus almost totally sucked out our creativity and humane motivation to search for a better world. Despite this, and if we are to stare boldly at our dear continent and indeed the world in general, we realize that the locking of the chains on a slave does not symbolize the death of his/her freedom. It is with enthusiasm and revolutionary fervor that we shall shatter the shackles off and create our own path towards freedom.

By, Kagenza Sakufi-Rumongi: written in the capacity as a concerned pan africanist.

TO BE CONTINUED (ON THE MORAL, POLITICAL AND HISTORIC IMPERATIVES)

Please post your comments on this article below

Uncolonized

A picture of Lydia Gaya at an Obama function. To find out more about the Obama meet click on my friend Obama

Hi There

Last weekend I received a very interesting submission from Aileen Mallya, who believes that Africa can be developed in three weeks by using a three-pronged approach. Changing our perception on Knowledge, Skill and Attitude. Click on the comments links to read her article.

UNCOLONIZED?
Also pushing a three pronged approach is Pan-African scholar Kagenza Rumongi. In his proposal for African liberalization, the scholar is promoting a physical, mental and spiritual struggle through strategies of ‘Decolonization, Intellectual Disobedience, Ma’at (African righteousness), Re –Africanization (African cultural knowledge), and Sankofa (learning from the past to build the future)’.

Kagenza’s memoir highlights an identity struggle that many African youth are going through today.

I, like Kagenza, went through a foreign education system in Kenya that refused to teach me the history of Marcus Mosiah Garvey (Black Moses), Haile Selassie I (the Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah), Lalibela and Timbuktu. Instead it indoctrinated me with stories on the ‘great’ kings and queens of the West, the same people who I later came to learn, had classified the African as an animal, sold him like a loaf of bread and named the greatest genocide in the history of humanity as a mere trade, a Slave Trade.

All good students were required to speak a minimum of three languages. I spoke four. Luo (my native language), Swahili (the national language), Spanish (a school requirement) and English (the official language of instruction). Today, I speak all these languages, but I am a master of none. I know about the cultures behind the languages but I am an expert in none. I have all these identities but I feel I belong to none. I’m African by birth and European by education. Was this done intentionally? Is this mode of education beneficial or detrimental to the
African cause? Is there such a thing as an African Education and if so what is it? Did old colonial and neo-colonial powers seek to mis-educate me and my African brothers and sisters? What do they gain from indoctrinating a wholecontinent? Can we break down these walls and re-educate ourselves, re-write our history, un-colonize our minds?

I look forward to hearing from you
Best
Mark Gaya

Jabs and Uppercuts

Hi there,

Today we want to welcome Guandiish from Ghana, Miriam, a German expatriate working in Kenya and my good childhood friend Timothy Mlay, who is writing to us from Tanzania. We look forward to reading your thoughts on the blog.


Above is a picture of the Pan-African Scholar, Kagenza Rumongi . The picture was taken in Ghana at the African Union summit this year.

Click here to learn more about the African union

I send out regular emails on the issues we're discussing. If you would like to be included on the mailing list, please send me a note on markgaya@villagevolunteers.org. Your email address will only be held by Village Volunteers and will be used for the purpose of administering this blog site. Cheers

Agriculturalist needed

AGRICULTURE
Do we have any agriculturalists on board or anyone who can give advice on horticulture? Majiwa Village in Western Kenya is one of the areas where Village Volunteers is working. The region has experienced severe drought for three consecutive years. Successive crop failure has left the community impoverished, diseased and malnutritioned. Does anyone have ideas on how to improve crop production in an area that is experiencing erratic rain patterns? Please send us your thoughts. Your input could save lives.

Please post your thoughts on our blog
It’s very easy.

I look forward to reading your comments.

Best
Mark Gaya

More Identity More Development

Hi there,

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to share the podium, listen to and be inspired by the great Kenya-American, Barack Obama. At the end of his fabulous speech he turned and shook my hand and that of the twenty or so people also selected to accompany him on stage. It was a great experience friend’s, one that I will never forget. I can only thank my mother-in-law Clover, for setting it up. Asante sana.

Check out barack my friend for more info


All the best
Mark Gaya

Identity and Development

Hi there,

A big thanks to all who participated in last weeks discussions, and to those who read our blogs, emails and comments. Your contribution is much appreciated.

This week I want to welcome Kirsten Clemens to our forum. She is a former Village Volunteer from Seattle and is currently doing community work in South Africa. I also want to welcome Augusta Moses, a British Nigerian living in England. We are very happy you could join us and look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

A Recap of the past week
For those who missed out… Last week we examined the provocative statements made by James Watson on the African/ black persons “lack of” intelligence. This discussion has grown to cover the socio economics of racism, different perspectives on intelligence and the impact of tribalism vis-à-vis development on the continent. For those still wishing to comment please send me an email on markgaya@villagevolunteers.org, or post your thoughts on the provided links below.

This past weekend I received several emails correlating identity and development.
Pan-African scholar Kagenza Rumongi says there can be no development without a knowledge and promotion of self-identity, in this instance, the African Identity. He goes on to chastise the ‘African educated elite’ for loosing its identity and in effect lacking a development agenda.

Some of you have written questioning his concept of Africanness and it’s connection to development. Tallash Kantai in Addis Ababa asks, whether being African means dressing in African clothing, driving African cars, feeling African, listening to African music and if it does, how does this affect economics on the continent?

Do you, like Kagenza, feel that the African (middle class especially) has lost its identity? Is there any connection between a promotion of self-identity and economic development? Should Africa emulate the US, which grew by producing and consuming its own products before opening its doors to trade with the world? Is it safe to drop tariffs and trade freely with the rest of the world? Can Globalization kill African industry

For more info on African economics see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa#Economy
For more on economic protectionism see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectionism

We look forward to hearing from you

Tribalism

TRIBALISM.
Those of you who are familiar with African/ Kenyan politics know that the period before elections is the most ethnically charged period in the entire continent/ country. Some of you have suggested that tribalism is Africa’s worst enemy, even implying that this is the number one reason She is still so underdeveloped.

Some statistics I put together.
Singapore, which was less developed than Kenya in the early 70’s, now has an economy three times larger, even though its population is only a 7th of Kenya’s 34 million, and it possess few natural resources of its own, including land (Singapore’s total land area is 704 km square while Kenya’s is a staggering 580,367 km square). Where did the Africans/ World go wrong and what can be done to rectify the situation? What did Singapore do right to get where it is? Can we use the same development model in Africa? Is there any hope for recovering lost ground? What role should we as young leaders play to mould a better Africa/ World? Is it possible to stump out tribalism and why does it always rear its head before elections?

Please post your comments in the provided link below

For more data on Kenya
For more data on Singapore
For more info on tribalism in Kenya

Africans Less intelligent than Europeans?

This week I want us to talk about Race, What can and can't you say about it? Veteran scientist Dr. James Watson, who won a Nobel prize for unraveling the structure of DNA, was quoted in an English Newspaper as saying that Africans are less intelligent than Europeans. Regardless of whether you agree with his assertions or not should he or anyone else be allowed to make such comments? Or does race have to be removed from science's research? Are there some beliefs about race which are simply intolerable and deserve disassociation and condemnation? (Ros Atkins, BBC)

I send out regular emails about the issues we're discussing. If you would like to be included on the mailing list, please send me a note on markgaya@villagevolunteers.org. Your email address will only be held by Village Volunteers and will be used for the purpose of administering this blog site. Village Volunteers may also contact you to further inquire about issues raised in mails posted to the blog.

China's loss, should be Africa's gain

The news has been plagued by massive recalls of sub-standard Chinese made products. I think this is good news for African producers (producers in Africa). With intelligent marketing and massive investment, we can take over business that is wary of being associated with China... this is an opportunity we shouldn't miss out on. Your thoughts?

A Response

Dear Sammy,

Thank you for your prompt reply to my post and also for sending in your wonderful article. I really enjoyed reading it. It touched on some of the major challenges our continent is facing today. It also made me realize that even though the issues in West Africa differ from those in the East, our problems are similar in that they are uniquely, African. I relate strongly to the issues that you have raised and have commented on some of them below.

In regard to Africa’s role as a major economic player in the global arena, I agree with you that Africa’s human and natural resources, though exploited for centuries, have not been tapped in a manner that benefits the continent. Due to this, I feel Africa has a long way to go before it can play its rightful role in international trade. I have listed some of the factors I think are hindering this great continent from reaching it’s full potential.

First. By not developing their industries, African nations are not able to add value to their products. This compels them to a future as exporters of cheap raw materials, and importers of expensive finished goods. In Kenya for instance, where coffee is grown in abundance, very few natives can afford to buy a tin of Nescafe or any of the richly blended Kenyan grown coffee, which is processed in Europe and re-imported back as a high end product.

Second. The domestic policies rich Western nations have adopted are killing African industry. The farm subsidies the US government pays its farmers has created an unfair balance of trade in the international arena. African farmers are not able to compete with their European or American counterparts because of these imbalances. Attempts to level the playing field have been met by harsh protectionist reactions from Western policy makers, who in the same breath are arm-twisting African nations to open up their markets to Western goods.

Third. Africa is crippled in trade negotiations. The breadth and depth of negotiating teams Western governments front in both multilateral and bilateral trade meetings greatly outnumber those presented by African nations. It is simply too expensive for most African nations to send sufficient experts to represent them in trade negotiations. The cost of supporting the necessary number of negotiators and experts in NY, for instance, is beyond the budgets of many African states. This handicap overwhelms African nations in trade meetings, sometimes causing them to sign agreements they don’t fully understand or have not had sufficient time or the right expertise to decipher. Western nations know this and use it to their advantage to fulfill their national interests.

Fourth. There is a presence of external forces that do not wish to see Africa rise above its problems. Some Western nations benefit when there is chaos in Africa. It gives them easy access to the diamonds and gold. When there is chaos, these nations also have the opportunity to sell their guns and ammunition. They sponsor one rebel against another or help keep an oppressive authoritarian leader in power. Sometimes they even call in the CIA to assassin enlightened African leaders, as was done to Patrice Lumumba in the Congo. This is done in order to create the ‘right’ environment for a ‘healthy’ gun and minerals trade.

Fifth. Africa is its own worst enemy. Africa’s decay has been accelerated by undemocratic and corrupt leaders, who have stagnated economies and enslaved their people in massive debt. These leaders have misappropriated funds meant for development, education and health care, leading to massive breakdowns in infrastructure, high illiteracy levels and disease outbreaks and deaths through preventable illnesses.

Statistics show that many African economies have shrunk steadily since the 1970’s. Wars, civil strife and famine have created a new face for the African continent. Cries by human rights activists, civil society and right thinking individuals to help regions such as Darfur, continue to fall on deaf ears. Are Africans less human because they are poor? Is the measure of one’s life the value of what his nation has contributed to the global economy? Or is it as you put forward, “what's missing (is) a basic understanding of and appreciation for the true gift of life, the human spirit”.

Regards,

Mark Gaya

When the African Past Meets the Global Future

By Sammy Jacobs Abbey, Human Rights Activist United Nations

General picture of Africa in the mid 1990s is that of a region full of enormous potential to be an economic giant in the world. It’s human and natural resources have barely been tapped. However, in the global arena, Africa still stands out as a continent engulfed in civil and political conflicts, poor economic performance and deepening poverty.

We must increase global attention on the plight of African people! I wish I had the money and power to do so but we are obliged to what we can with what resources we have and I believe your passion combined with mine will do just that.

Too many people drag the past around with them as unnecessary excess baggage and too many others dream of a future they cannot find a way to make happen. The only time we really have to work with is the here and now. This is where we tear down the real or perceived barriers and replace them with bridges from the past to the future. We determine our own future by the choices and decisions we make in the present based on what we have learned from the past and our current situation.

It seems to me that in Africa, we must create a generation of Champions of Change from so many victims of circumstance. The young people are the hope and future of Africa. Our generation has it all wrong, waiting on the more developed countries to come to Africa's assistance. It hasn't worked. The cries of infants suffering and dying have fallen on deaf ears in the developed countries. I believe the media is the key. We must find ways to develop people from the inside out, determined to shape their own future while, at the same time, using the media to raise the awareness level of people in the more developed countries. Change will not come through governments or even international organizations. It will only come from people like us reaching out to each other as brothers and sisters.

Reading the history of Asia, I have heard the "development" taking place there and there is a valuable lesson for the African people to be learned from the emerging Asian countries as they "modernize". That lesson is that we cannot afford to sacrifice the past for the future. We cannot afford to lose the traditional values and ways of any ethnic group in the interest of a few dollars. I see that happening Africa and it breaks my heart.

If Africa is to realize its incredible potential, it must not sell its culture and wonderful history in the process. That is to me, nothing less than moral prostitution and is totally unacceptable. We have a major, major crisis in Africa today. The total decimation of entire populations of adults has brought about a terrible situation. Where are the young people supposed to learn values and principles? You have so many young people left without parents, abused and used for selfish and greedy purposes. These are the real victims and Africa will take a long time to recover from the gap that has been create in recent years. To me, the moral wounds are more severe than the physical ones, though both are connected. Confucius once said that you cannot teach philosophy to a hungry man. This is something I agree with.

One of the problems here is that people in the West do not believe that peace is possible in Africa. Many Africans feel the same and no one could blame them for their lack of faith and hope based on what they have experienced and are seeing take place all round them today. As long as they believe that peace is not possible, it never will be. That's the first step. It is time for all African people to stop using weapons of war to destroy one another and begin using the mind and heart to form their own coalition to take control of their own destiny. You do not need Western governments and corporations coming in to lead the way down their path. That path is not what the African people need. It is a suicide run. What is taking place in the world today, which many refer to as globalization, is nothing more than economic colonialization. It is the subjugation of the poorer nations and their people, a stripping of their natural resources, and enslavement to none other than the almighty dollar. And that's the point. People have replaced God and spirituality with money. That's the philosophical side of things. This war on terrorism in which we are engaged is partly our own doing. We have to address the issues that created this intense hatred of America and the West while defending ourselves against those who would kill innocent civilians, women and children. It is a paradox and an irony that has most world leaders today baffled, but it is also reality. And so simple. It is we humans who are complicating it and this is the reason for so much frustration. People in the West tend to look at Africa and see so much that is overwhelming rather than seeing it as a continent of individual souls and human spirits connected not only to each other throughout history, but also with themselves. Until we all make, it none of us do!

On the practical side, we need to work with the current victims. We need to teach them how to eradicate the wars and poverty and sickness that is wiping out millions of people at such a rate that it is astounding. We need to put an end to the conflicts which no one wins in the end. We need to direct the power of the human mind towards taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves while building nations based on mutual trust and respect. That is how we end war, not with more guns and ammunition. It is true that violence breeds violence and never leads to peaceful resolution. History can teach us that if we but look at the truth and not the way it is recorded by the victors.

The Native American Indians learned that lesson the hard way. The more they tried to "become white" the more they lost in the process. Those who have survived the genocide that took place in many countries only managed to do so by holding onto the old ways while adapting to the evolving situations. Those who did not, perished. That is not to say that the West doesn't have something to offer, however, something the Middle Eastern terrorist groups have lost sight of. You don't have to take all that the West has to offer, just what you need to assist you in attaining your goals. You don't have to remake Africa in the likeness and image of country like America, but our principles of individual freedom and basic human rights are something that you need to instill in African people everywhere. That's what's missing, a basic understanding of and appreciation for the true gift of life, the human spirit.

Best regards
Sammy J Abbey
University of Connecticut
Institute of Comparative Human Rights

Let's Talk

Dear reader

My name is Mark Gaya and I’m a former in-country coordinator for village volunteers in Nairobi, Kenya. I have been engaged in a discussion with Sammy Jacobs Abbey, a Human Rights Activist for the United Nations in Ghana. Sammy and I have been debating Africa’s role in 21st century global politics. We have decided to air this debate on the Village Volunteers blog, and are inviting ‘you’ to participate in this discourse. Please feel free to air your views on these or any other developmental topics. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
Mark Gaya