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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Africa is not a country

Many thanks to all of you who are keeping this blog exciting. I received many positive and constructive feedbacks through comments, emails and in person. I would like to seize this opportunity to make my position clear in response to some questions that were asked. 1) I am not an Afro-pessimistic; I am an Afro-optimistic. I believe in the future of Africa and know that Africa has a lot to offer. 2) I cannot tackle all the problems of Africa and find the magical solution in this article. The following is an excerpt of the first chapter of my book:

[I am a Cameroonian and Cameroon is one of the fifty-three countries of Africa. When I was growing up, I was told that Africa was the cradle of civilization and the place where life originated. The teachings I received were about the pride of Africa as the rarest place where life and nature were still respected and where love and peace reigned. I became quickly disillusioned when I opened myself to the world. For many people, Africa was just one big country; a reservoir of war, famine, corruption and diseases, a place crippled with lack of education, sanitation and civilities. I also learned that Africa was a useless leech crying with desperation for assistance. Now I had two conflicting views of my continent: how I saw it from inside out and how people saw it from outside in.


Far from me to deny my “Africanity”, I am simply exposing my “Cameroonity”. I am all for Kwame Nkrumah’s suggestion of the Unites States of Africa and Pan-Africanism currently advocated by Muammar al-Gaddafi. I strongly believe in African Unity and now African Union. I just feel the urge to emphasize the complexity of Africa and the uniqueness of its countries.

In the summer of 2006, a group of young American Christians came from Dallas, Texas, to train Cameroonian kids in leadership. Some of them struggled with the confusion between Cameroon and Africa. Each time they wanted to talk about Cameroon, they referred to it as Africa. I got a little annoyed by that confusion and reminded them that Cameroon was a country and Africa was a continent. One young American girl came to me and said:

“Thank you for that distinction, I didn’t know the difference before.”

“You are welcome, I am happy to help,” I said. “Could you do me a favor?”

“Of course and what would that be?” she asked.

“When you go back to America, if people ask you ‘where did you go last summer?’ please tell them ‘I went to Cameroon’ instead of ‘I went to Africa’, and when they ask you ‘and where is Cameroon?’ tell them ‘Cameroon is a country in West Africa’ then they would be able to find Cameroon on a map as a country and realize that Africa is actually a continent.”

“Yes, I promise that from now on I will no more call Cameroon Africa and will explain to people that Cameroon is a country in Africa.” She promised.

As I continued to talk to people about Africa and Cameroon, something absurd was happening. The so-called “Sommet France-Afrique” – a kind of summit between one country in Europe, France, and an entire continent, Africa – was expanding. France would summon all African leaders and pontificate them on their progress, and they would be listening like little obedient servants. I then questioned myself why France, as one country, thought it had the power to dictate fifty-three countries on what to do? I had never heard the super power and mighty United States arrogantly say that there was a US-Asia summit or US-Europe summit not to mention US-Africa summit. Even though giant China was invading Africa economically and population-wise, I was still craving to see what would come out of the increasing China-Africa summit.

A few years earlier when South Africa proposed their bid to organize the soccer World Cup championship in 2010, there was a big skepticism; people said that Africa wasn’t ready to organize a major event. They said there was too much poverty, disease, war, insecurity and inexperience, not to mention the lack of infrastructure. Nevertheless, since all the other continents had already organized the event many times in the past, they pitifully offered the bid to South Africa like a father who had five children and realized that four of them had always benefited from his largesse, then, he decided reluctantly to trust the discriminated last child. The whole world cried to boycott the games in South Africa after an incident that happened during the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January 2010. A few rebels in the Cabinda enclave trapped and machine-gunned two buses carrying Togolese players and staff and killed some of them. People began to say that Africa wasn’t safe and they should strip South Africa of the World Cup. The answer from the South Africa officials was that they shouldn’t be punished for something that happened 1543.64 miles away from them. They argued that if there was war in Angola, it didn’t mean that people should not feel safe in South Africa, in the same way that if there was war in Kosovo –which is even closer to Germany – that should not prevent Germany from organizing a World Cup.

The entire world was positively surprised by the tremendous success of the South Africa World Cup 2010. The president of the soccer governing body (FIFA), Joseph Sepp Blatter, said that South Africa had exceeded all expectations: the ten stadiums were excellent and better than those in Europe and elsewhere, the organization was flawless and the security impeccable. The game itself was of good quality with fewer cards than the previous World Cups, not to mention the fantastic exhibition of culture and joie de vivre. If there were any hitches at all, they came not from the organization, but from FIFA itself: poor refereeing, i.e. a clear US goal against Slovenia and a clear England goal against Germany both denied, just citing those two.

I am always intrigued by the consistent and permanent image of desolation projected onto my continent and the generalization attached to it. There is civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but there isn’t civil war in Cameroon even though some people would argue that the absence of war doesn’t mean that we are at peace. Ghana is democratically more advanced than Zimbabwe which is still crumbling under a dictatorship regime. What about the Maghreb and the Nile – our Arab neighbors in the North? From Morocco to Egypt, there are huge differences. We are all Africans and happy to be, but there are intrinsic distinctions in our aspirations as individual countries. It is true that we have some corrupt leaders in Cameroon, it is also true that we have a dysfunctional government, but does that make me any different from, let’s say, a random child in a more advanced country? As a Cameroonian, am I really an anathema, or Godforsaken, or gone in the wrong direction or doomed to perdition as people who see me from outside in want me to believe? It is true that I struggle with poverty; it is also true that I don’t have the latest technology and the most advanced science, but does that make me less human than those who have it? As a Cameroonian, what can I then bring to the gathering of the world’s nations?

I then realized that, of course, I do have something to bring to the give-and-take meeting of the world’s nations. It might not be the latest iPod or PlayStation or cancer cure or any of the things that make developed countries so special. It might not be luxury and opulence, imposing skyscrapers and magnificent highways, latest fashion or stunning scientific discovery. What I have to offer is simply what makes me a human being: my story, my culture, my world vision, my journey as a Cameroonian in the world.]

Now, to answer people who asked me to suggest solutions to the African problems, I will simply say that I don't believe that violence is the silver bullet here. It will only bring chaos. I don't also believe that we can influence the current African leaders; they are corrupt to their core. Like I said in my previous article; the solution to the African problems is not going to come from the West or from the East. It will come from us, Africans. We need to change our mindset and our mentality. We need to get rid of all the lies that were forged in our brain. We need to change our culture of dependency and unaccountability. We need to change ourselves before changing what we want to change. We need a generation of young African leaders and get rid of the current leaders with their colonial mentality. Those who think they must stay in power until death removes them need to go. Those who spend their time changing the constitution every day to remain in power need to give way. How can you explain that a country like Cameroon that obtained its independence on January 1, 1960 had only two presidents? The first stayed in power for more than 20 years and the current one has been in power for more than 25 years. How can we change that? I will tell you how.

Before the US became what it is, it was a bunch of British colonies that decided to expand and build this magnificent country. Before the European Union became what it is, it was a bunch of wealthy European countries that came together as a block and imposed conditions and requirements to the little European countries if they wanted to join the Union. We can also copy that system. It might or might not work, but we have nothing to lose in trying. The wealthy and stable countries in Africa need to come together as a group. I mean those that have shown some real signs of democracy and development. I am thinking of countries like South Africa and Ghana and to some extent Senegal. Cameroon is stable, but not democratic, so it shouldn't be part of that group. Nigeria is rich, but not very stable, so it can be on the wait list. Those wealthy, or I would say those democratically stable countries, would call themselves "The United Countries of Africa" and then they would impose some requirements and conditions for other very corrupt African countries to join them. That might be the solution we need.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Is Africa doomed to failure?

Once again, thanks to all of you who contribute to the growth of this blog. Our blog is growing every day. Some of you leave comments, some prefer to send feedbacks through my email and others just visit the blog. I appreciate your input.
Today, I would like to talk about an issue that hits my hot button. I am not trying to lecture anybody on the issue, but I am simply sharing my views. I begin with a quote from a French anthropologist, Stephen Smith, who cruelly declared that: "since independence, Africa has been working at its re-colonization. In any case, even if this was not the intention, it couldn't have done a better job. The continent is doomed to failure. No one is ready to take it on." Shocking? On the surface, yes, but when you go deeper into the facts, you might discover that it possesses some truth in it. Enough with blaming everything on the back of colonization! It is outdated already, and as Africans we should know better. Taking responsibilities can only make us improve. If Africans don't change their mindset, they are definitely "doomed to failure". There is myriad of examples to back my point. One day, I was at the Hilton Hotel in Yaounde, Cameroon -the poshest hotel in the country. A Cameroonian person casually dressed tried to go in the hotel, but he was stopped at the gate and turned away by his countrymen. The reason was that he wasn't dressed up enough to be accepted inside. A couple of minutes later, a French man dressed in rags came and the doorkeepers bowed to him and let him in. Why? Well, because he was a French man, so he was entitled.
Gaston Kelman is a Cameroonian writer who lives in France. He is now a French citizen. He is also the manager of a development company. He took some of his employees -who are white French citizen- to his village. When they got there, the villagers rolled out the red carpet for the white French men and ignored him. As he tried to introduce his employees, folks interrupted him and said that he should shut up because he had nothing to tell them, but that he should let the white men talk. They believed that nothing truthful could come out of a Blackman's mouth, just like the proverb in my village that says that "only the truth comes out of a white man's mouth."
There are many examples of self-discrimination in the day-to-day lives of most Africans. Africans still think that they cannot take care of themselves. The leaders, after embezzling public funds, point an accusing finger at the West. Now that they have been sufficiently bullied by their bosses in the West, they are prostituting themselves with China. Guinea's late president, Lansana Conte, was praising China in 2006 in these words: "There's no one like the Chinese! At least they work. They live with us in the mud. Some of them grow rice like me. I gave them a worn-out piece of land. You should see what they have done with it!" The old man's face was so bright and looked like he was rejuvenating while he was mentioning those words. In the same line, the former Nigerian president, Obassandjo, said that it was time for China to lead the world and it was in Africa's best interest to follow China. African leaders are so excited about China invading the continent. In their views, China is the savior who is going to save them against the bullying West. More importantly, China doesn't put its nose in their politics and governance like the West does. Sassou Nguesso, the president of Congo-Brazzaville, pointed out that as opposed to what the West is selling, Africa doesn't need democracy, but Africa needs development. So I wonder if democracy and development are exclusive or inclusive.
The excitement is so great that some leaders are racing to be the best prostitute. In my own country of Cameroon, President Paul Byia spread Cameroon's legs and asked the Chinese to enjoy them as much as they want. Chinese now don't need passports or visas to come to Cameroon. The president granted them the freedom to come as many as they possibly can, and stay as long as they want, and do what they want. Of course, the competition is now ferocious. Even the street cleaning jobs that some poor Cameroonians held to raise their families are now taken over by the Chinese. I don't even want to mention the prostitution world where the Chinese beauties are beating our countrywomen in every front.
Everywhere in Africa now, little Africans are learning Chinese with such frenzy, but their counterparts have nothing to do with local languages. It seems to be a done deal now; even some prominent officials from the West admit that Africa has gone East. An American diplomat in Brazzaville said bluntly that: "God bless the Chinese. They build roads and dams, and quite frankly we don't have what it takes to do those things anymore. All we can do is give English classes and try to sell our technology." Okay, Africa is a market, I mean a big cake, but where are our leaders in all that? What role do they play? To cut a cake, you need a knife and a hand to hold the knife. Are our leaders conscious of where they really want to take the continent? I am all for the cooperation with China, but shouldn't there be some kind of guidelines? Granted, they are hard working people, but when they overpower the little street cleaner or cart pusher who rely on that to feed his family of ten, shouldn't the government do something? Should we trust the Chinese? We have been deceived many times in the past. The Europeans also came as saviors, with their big bibles, as the messengers of God. They asked us to get rid of everything that defined us: totems, talisman, etc, they said we were worshiping Satan. Then, they began to build churches, schools, etc, and before we knew it, we were colonized. They efficiently applied the MMM: Merchants, Missionaries, Militaries. Now we have the Chinese proposing cooperation only in the field of development and they let our leaders messing up with national revenues. What are their long term goals? We underwent the atrocities of the West, what would be China's punishment? Poor Africa, where are your protectors? Why do they let you be ripped apart with no mercy?

Oh, children of Africa, we are to blame as well. Traditional Africa is dying! Where are those values that saw me grow up? Sharing, nurturing and caring, what have they become? Empathizing and sympathizing with our neighbors, Gathering under the big Baobab or around the fire to tell stories and congratulate each other on our achievements, where has that feeling gone? One's success was the pride of the whole community, but not anymore, why? We do know what is wrong with the continent, why don't we fix it? All we have now is jealousy: if you do better than I do, I will kill you; instead of I will support you like we did before. If your child does better than mine, I will poison him; instead of I will bless him like we did before. All we have now is witchcraft: if your child is smarter than mine in school, I will eat her in witchcraft instead of I will give her a present like we did before.
We used to be good in communication, because of our oral tradition. Oral communication was our faire valoir. Now, we are left with poor communication. We never get to say what we think. We conceal the truth and give poor directives, because we want others to fail. We used to be good and understanding, but now we lack understanding badly. We create unhealthy working environment and refuse to be in others' shoes, because we don't want them to succeed. Extremist tendencies were foreign to us, but now we lack affirmation; either we underestimate ourselves, or we over estimate ourselves and become arrogant and inefficient. We lack vision and we are professionally short-sighted sometimes. We have become unabashedly egocentric. We think of us first before thinking of the others. We don't want to give room to our successors, just like our leaders who have been in power for decades and don't want to go.
This is what we need. We need to radically change our mentalities. The help we receive from developed countries is not the solution. Needless to say where that help ends up. Furthermore, we are just having fish and don't learn how to fish. Let's stop being leeches. Our solution would not come from outside, it would come from within ourselves. We need a new leader who will train and change mentalities. Bad mentality is our real poverty. Our continent is rich; let no one tell you the contrary, but we as people are poor mentally. We should think about what we can do for our continent and not the other way around. Knowledge is the base. We should hungrily look for knowledge. We should build skills. We should build capacities. We should learn how to manage information. We must develop an entrepreneurial spirit. We should set high standards. Let's not forget that it took centuries for some developed countries to develop.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Dilemma

I want to take a moment to profoundly thank all of you for your valuable comments. I also want to suggest that if you have a real life topic that bothers you, and you want to discuss it on this forum and receive ideas from other people, please let me know. We need each other sometimes to go through difficult times in our lives. The next topics were suggested to me by friends, mostly men, who have been struggling with them for years now. These are the stories:

1)  Bob is deeply in love with Elise. Both are in their late thirties and early forties. They have been dating for a couple of years now and thought their love was indestructible, but now that apparent solid love is threatened. Bob wants a child, but Elise doesn't. Elise says that she doesn't see why she should try to bring another child in this world when there are already so many suffering children who need help. Her solution is to adopt a child and to love him/her like she would do if she had a biological one. Bob disagrees. He wants his own biological child. He wonders what the power of procreation feels like. He fancies a child that would look like him. His dream is to perpetuate the family line and name. A child he will raise, play with, teach things. He wants to have that feeling that biological fathers have when they look at their new-born baby at the hospital. He says he can't feel the same with an adopted child. Their relationship is suffering from that dilemma and is on the verge of collapsing. What can they do?

2) The second story is about Paul. He has been with Amber for five years now. Amber had a son with another guy before she met Paul. In the beginning, everything was fine. Paul thought it wasn't an issue at all. Now Paul is not sure anymore. In fact, Paul doesn't think she is the one. Why? Well, because she already has a son who is not from him. She is genuinely in love with him and believes that he is the one. Yet, Paul doesn't want to settle with her and is looking for another woman with whom he can have his own child. The problem is that he doesn't know how to put an end to that relationship that has been going on for many years. More importantly, he doesn't want to hurt her. What can they do?

NB: Names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Your comments are highly appreciated.

Thank you

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Life or Science

Since September 2004, an American laboratory called Gilead has been testing a preventive medication for HIV/AIDS called Viread (or Viread DF) in Cameroon. They hired and paid a man 800,000 dollars to recruit young and uninformed Cameroonian girls to serve as laboratory rats. They promised to pay 4 Euros -approximately 5 dollars- per month to every girl who will be infected.

Officially, 400 young and uneducated girls were recruited. After being contaminated by the virus, they were simply abandoned by the laboratory officials who promised to take care of them.

An officer of the Ministry of Health unabashedly said that his position has been created because of the existence of that American Lab, therefore, there was nothing he could do to remedy the situation.

Currently, more cases of such experiments are taking place in many developing countries.

Should life be sacrificed for science?