by now because ideas have become repetitive. But did the debate answer the question
it initially set to explore? That's why I reposed my question a few days ago but
mistakely posted it to myself rather than to the group. Please see my question
belwo.
Cu
--------------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------------
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Why is Africa in such a mess?
From: "Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu" <c-ukaegbu@northwestern.edu>
Date: Thu, December 23, 2010 1:27 pm
To: "Chikwendu Ukaegbu" <c-ukaegbu@northwestern.edu>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I joined this debate thinking that it will still focus on how Africa can escape from
its developmental inertia, or underdevelopment. But what I've been reading since my
previous posting have been completely different from the initial subject of debate.
I'm therefore reposting my piece to seek an answer to one of my questions in the
second paragraph below. Is there any case in history where development occurred as a
gift from one country to another? Is African agency necessary for African
development? What does African agency mean with respect to development?
Cu
> Sorry, I corrected some typos.
> Cu
>
> Chikwendu Ukaegbu wrote:
>> This interesting and lively debate has continued for weeks
>> now, I suppose. The debate has been between those who situate the
>> African condition in the structure created by the continent's history,
>> and those who argue that African agency, leadership agency especially,
>> is to blame for lackluster performance in 50 years of independence.
>> This debate is a good thing if we can learn something from it, and
>> *not* just for intellectual excitement alone.
>> Can any one, please, point to a case in history where a nation's
>> development occurred as a gift from one benevolent country to a less
>> prosperous and needy other? I mean development, I don't mean foreign
>> aid. One could cite that the Tiger economies received billions of
>> dollars of aid money from the West and access to Western markets to
>> sell their goods. But someone or group decided how, and implemented
>> the strategies, to use those forms of aid to eventuate in what is now
>> called miracle economies. If that is not domestic agency, what is it?
>> Chronicling his role, and that of his Singapore Action Party, in the
>> process of extricating Singapore from underdevelopment Lee Kuan Yew
>> stated that he was aware that the West possessed the modern technology
>> of production which would benefit his country. That he was, therefore,
>> determined to build a world class physical infrastructure and produce
>> a well educated manpower to entice Western firms to produce in
>> Singapore and sell their products in Western markets. Everyone knows
>> that he, his party, and country achieved this goal. If this is not
>> agency, what is it? What if Yew, his party and other Tiger economies,
>> decided to send those aid monies to personal accounts in Western
>> banks, buy palatial houses in advanced countries, send their kids
>> abroad for education, get health care in foreign countries, and fly
>> over potholes and dilapidated schools in helicopters and airplanes?
>> That's also agency. The difference is that one agency accelerated
>> development, the other perpetuates underdevelopment. Yew's vision
>> shows that humans can scale developmental obstacles if they have a
>> modicum of resources with which to do so. Africa has a lot of
>> resources with which to do what Yew did.
>> The posting below is right on the mark. Academic arguments that
>> continue to paint the African as slave to structure do a disservice to
>> the continent because the commanding heights of the global economy
>> will not and cannot philanthropically plant national development in
>> African countries. Lee Kuan Yew and his team forced the global economy
>> towards the needs of Singapore by doing those things of interest and
>> utility to both global capital and Singaporeans. Is the global economy
>> blindly bending to China's development needs or is Chinese agency
>> through the instrumentality of its leaders bending the global economy
>> to China's needs? Developmental structuralism is sexy and easy to
>> understand. But structuration theory (a la Giddens) is more
>> sophisticated, realistic and progressive i.e. the duality of structure
>> and agency-- human beings create structures which turn around to
>> influence them. What developmental structures have African leaders
>> created? Ali Mazrui said it best. Africa produced extraordinary
>> revolutionary leadership but has been unable to produce successful
>> developmental leadership-- again agency. A structural argument is too
>> simplistic and permits African leaders to hide in it and plead non
>> culpability because the iron cage of the global economy makes them
>> helpless. Africa will never come out of developmental doldrums if this
>> line of argument is the primary developmental paradigm. I want to be
>> counted out of that. African agency must take full responsibility for
>> its developmental successes or failures. That has been the history of
>> development through the ages.
>> Cu (Professor, Sociology of Development)
>>
>>
>> Anunoby, Ogugua wrote:
>>> The evidence of history, human development, and progress is clear.
>>> Leaders build nations and make them great or not great. There is no
>>> informed person anywhere who would in good conscience, dispute the
>>> past and continuing terrible exploitation of Africa through slavery,
>>> colonialism, and neocolonialism. This is a settled subject for the
>>> most part.
>>> The concern now should be about what needs to be done to extricate
>>> Africa from the steel clutches of exploiter-countries, and the
>>> tangled webs of underdevelopment that her leaders seem not to be
>>> worried about. It is even not clear that African leaders are not
>>> helping to spin the webs. What is oftentimes forgotten is that the
>>> countries that are believed to have and continue to exploit Africa
>>> are always able to produce leaders that maintain the status quo in
>>> favor of the countries at the same time that African countries seem
>>> to be unable to produce leaders that will challenge and end the said
>>> cycle of exploitation.
>>> Right before our eyes and under our noses, China, India, and South
>>> Korea have joined the ranks of Africa's exploiter-countries. Where
>>> are Africa's leaders? Do they know that this is happening right now?
>>> Do they choose to benefit from the said exploitation in the
>>> advancement of their self interests at the expense of group interest?
>>> History can be real but this is no reason to allow history to
>>> successfully continue to take a perpetual mortgage on the present and
>>> the past. It seems to me that the case being made sometimes, is that
>>> the past, holding the present and the future hostage, is inevitable
>>> and unstoppable. History is a great teacher. It is little use however
>>> if its lessons are ignored or not/never learned.
>>>
>>> oa
>>> ________________________________________
>>> From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>>> [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of kwame zulu shabazz
>>> [kwameshabazz@gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2010 7:41 PM
>>> To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: Re: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Why is Africa in such a
>>> mess?
>>>
>>> Peace OA--African nations of been "independent" from roughly two
>>> generations. How does that work out to "many years"? Moreover, we
>>> have inherited borders and political systems that were mostly imposed.
>>>
>>> Re: Sudan--There is a lot more going on there than bad leadership.
>>> The Sudanese are divided by foreign religions. But they are also
>>>
>>>
>>> * fighting over increasingly scarce resources, particularly in
>>> Darfur (arable land).
>>> * The north-south skirmishes are being pushed along by Islamicists
>>> in Khartoum, by
>>> * nationalists in Khartoum who believe that securing oil and other
>>> natural resources by any means necessary from southern Sudan is in
>>> the national interests
>>> * Zionist who want to undermine Islamic regimes
>>> * old and new imperialists (e.g. US and China)
>>> * undisciplined rebel factions.
>>>
>>> Re: Asia--Yes, Singapore, Japan, South Korea would appear to be far
>>> ahead of many African nations. Most of these nations have not
>>> abandoned their Gods and Ancestors, although Mau certainly tried to
>>> banish them China. Also these nations was not forced to deal with
>>> imposed languages and borders. This is especially daunting in Africa
>>> given the stunning level of cultural diversity.
>>>
>>> Chinese elites still speak Mandarin and Cantonese. African elites
>>> often prefer English or French or Portuguese. Not only that but
>>> China's path towards "development" is wrecking havoc on the
>>> environment. And the level of poverty in some parts of India would
>>> embarrass many Africans.
>>>
>>> My sense of things is that we Africans have been colonized
>>> psychologically in ways that Asian nations were not. This is what
>>> Biko was attempting to address.
>>>
>>> Last and most importantly, I think the slave trades--transatlantic,
>>> saharan, red sea, indian ocean--have undermined African development
>>> profoundly. kzs
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the
>>> "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of
>>> Texas at Austin.
>>> For current archives, visit
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>>>
>>
>
>
--
Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu
Distinguished Senior Lecturer
Department of Sociology
Northwestern University
1810-1812 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60208
Phone: 847-467-0917
--
Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu
Distinguished Senior Lecturer
Department of Sociology
Northwestern University
1810-1812 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60208
Phone: 847-467-0917
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
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