Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Pan-Africanism remains a ‘deferred dream’

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>>> Tracy Flemming <cafenegritude@gmail.com> 07/21/11 3:29 AM >>>
Imbizo - My Debate: True Pan-Africanism remains a 'deferred dream'
JB Moloi
The New Age

In his column, Don't Dismiss Pan-Africanism, in this newspaper on July
12, 2011, Tawana Kupe – dean of the faculty of humanities at Wits
University – talks about journalist William Gumede's cut and paste
model but he forgot to mention that the AU itself is a product of cut
and paste (copied from the EU model).

People do not criticise the AU or African leaders because they just
want to – they look at what is happening. Most of the people who are
interested in Pan-Africanism and Africa renaissance are African
scholars, academics and intellectuals. Their intent is noble but most
of them are not influential political leaders, or political leaders
who exercise political power on the African continent. Hence Pan-
Africanism remains a deferred dream.

I am not against Pan-Africanism but looking at the conduct of some of
the African rulers, it is clear that most of them are not interested
in Pan-Africanism or Africa renaissance. Some are simply interested in
self preservation. Some of the journalists, scholars and intellectuals
have been unjustly jailed, maimed or killed by despotic regimes across
Africa for political reasons. In some of the African states,
repressive security laws that were used by colonists in the past were
maintained or reformed and are in use to this day by leaders who
resist democracy.

Kupe said: "The problem with these sceptics is they think these
failures, perceived or real, are wholly the fault of Africans who, in
their view, are unable to practise good governance or run modern
economies." I must say the people who usually say this are angry white
racists who are prophets of doom. Unfortunately, the despots and
dictators play into their hands and unwittingly give substance to the
racist-inspired theory.

Africans know about history, colonialism and Western imperialists,
therefore they are no longer interested in being lectured about
history any more. More so because this lecturing is often used to
divert attention from rampant corruption, mismanagement and political
repression, and to justify the absence of progress and lack of socio-
economic development. People want democracy and socio-economic
development now, as we have seen in North Africa.

Some of the African states have become pyramid schemes, with a
permanent small group of wealthy politicians at the top and a
permanent large group of poor and destitute people at the bottom. You
also get predatory states where corrupt politicians, their families
and those who are connected position themselves at the feeding troughs
and plunder the states resources to the exclusion of the masses. While
predators are busy at the feeding troughs, they hoodwink the poor
masses by lecturing them about slavery, colonialism, the Western
imperialists and so on. It is not right the destitute masses are
expected to recite endless stories of slavery and colonialism, while
their leaders are living in opulence and secretly investing millions
of stolen loot in foreign countries.

Being critical of African despots does not necessarily mean that one
agrees with what was done or is being done by the Western
imperialists. Being critical of undemocratic and oppressive African
regimes doesn't mean that one is ignorant about history. It is only
fair and just that we expect our African leaders to embrace democracy,
be transparent, be accountable and lead.

What President al-Bashir and his government have done to South Sudan
is shocking. There is no development or infrastructure in South Sudan
except an oil pipeline that leads from south to north. Africans in
South Sudan are living in abject poverty. Money from their oil was
used to finance economy in the Arab north and buy arms and warplanes
for the region, which were used to maim and kill Africans in the south
during the civil war.

And mass poverty, suffering and repression have become a way of life
in Zimbabwe. Those who complain are lectured about colonialism and
branded as agents of imperialists, or at worst jailed or killed.

Members of the predatory ruling elite in the Democratic Republic of
Congo have investments worth millions in South Africa and abroad,
regardless of the fact that the masses are swimming in a sea of
poverty. DRC does not have monopoly on this since this is the norm
across Africa.

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