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Self Critique »
Africa's Self Critique is an Imperative
Ambrose J. Bwangatto
It is wrong for
Africans to look at themselves in terms of anthropological poverty. It is
naivety to carry on the victim syndrome as a result of the historical past
through which Africa has gone. Prof. Frans Wijsen, Professor of Mission Studies
at Nijmegen University, The Netherlands.
I have started
with the words of this Professor who is considering himself a specialist in
African Christianity, but also familiar with African life patterns having spent
some years working as a missionary in Tanzania. The above words may not be a
correct phrasing but they carry the spirit of what he wants to communicate. My
absence from my motherland Uganda and living in a situation of a minority in
the Netherlands for over a year now, has made me to reflect deeply about the
situation back at home in Uganda. There is no denial that Uganda is a beautiful
country and its beauty is just natural. Uganda cannot be compared to Netherlands
or Pakistan or the United States, countries which are prone to natural disasters
like earthquakes, hurricanes and floods. It is beautiful, period. Unfortunately
this beauty is not realised by many inhabitants of that promised land. They long
to go to countries which are unhealthy to humans. The Ugandan President, Museveni, recently made a joke that he is allergic to Europe.
One of the
disturbing questions which up to now has failed to be supplied with a satisfying
answer is related to Africa's perceived poverty and misery which have become
synonymous with the continent. I was insulted when i read an article by a French
sociologist who described Africa as economically anaemic, intellectually
unattractive and all those derogative terms you could think of. Africans in many
countries are looked at as beggars and people who are miserable. The western
media too has to carry on this kind of imagery as perceived by its audience. Any
report about hunger, wars and famine is covered widely and appeals are made to
save the poor ones of Yahweh.
Many African
scholars have embarked on a spirited fight to rebut the perceived image of
Africa especially in Europe and America. Many proud Europeans have described
Africa as a white man's burden. But many African scholars fight back and say
that Africa is what it is because of the external influence which has
persistently interfered in Africa's progress as history testifies.
The ignominious European crimes against Africa such as slavery, colonialism,
racism cannot be justified by any sober mind. The African scholars have become
so furious to extent of claiming that Africa has no position in the global
debate. We should rather revert to our traditional past where Africans produced
their own food, there was no such dichotomies as employer - employee, working
and retirement life, no criminals and prison warders to take care of and above
all we had our own religion where spirituality is participated in by all not
that there are specialist spiritual masters confined in a monastery and living
very individualistic lives, completely cut off from the rest of the community.
Let us go back to our past where all was roses. We should resent the white man
and all his manoeuvres. Africa is lost, so we need to go back in the past and
start from where we started to get lost. We should formulate a real African
identity free and untainted.
This is what
Wijsen calls naivety. The time first he made that comment, we nearly tore him
into pieces. He claimed that African scholars are doing a disservice to the
whole continent. Their main attention is the past and are keeping preoccupied
with the past which is completely gone. But still we had a word to settle with
him of which we shall not go into detail. I have come to realise that Africa
must, of course, look at the colonialists and how they denigrated African pride
and identity. I am one of the strong proponents of a move to force the
colonialists to make an apology and ask repent the crimes that they have
committed against humanity. I have never been a slave and all my family members
in Jjongoza have never been so. But because we participate in the African
identity we are offended and we need justice, however long it will take, still
we shall continue to press for the same. But then there is a raging debate about
African agency in all this mess. Africans have proved to be the worst in
everything. Practically speaking, there is no stable African government. Many
African countries are torn by tribalism, inefficiency, incompetence, corruption
and laziness. These are factors which make Africa a fertile breeding ground for
conflicts. Travelling has enabled me to see that we need a self critique in
Africa. This is an imperative. Why? Because we have problems with us which we
need to realise and sort out if at all we are to progress. Tribalism is still a
problem in many African countries. People cannot transcend the tribal
sentiments. They carry this everywhere, in offices, churches, politics and
everywhere a person goes. No one will deny that tribalism is not a problem.
Inefficiency and incompetence are rampant. In Uganda, of recent, there has been
many new buildings collapsing one after the other. Many institutions are dens of
corruption. why? For how long are we going to be subjects of mockery? I am proud
of my continent Africa and my country Uganda, but why is it a theatre of wars
and instability? Many shortcomings have bedevilled our African continent. The
beauty which is natural has been robbed. We need a self critique. Why are things
going the way they are? What is wrong? I think in this humble submission, my
point is clear.
I welcome your critique of the same. |
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