NO AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DEVELOPING AFRICANS

Africa’s most prized resource, its people, have been relegated to mere footnotes by Africa’s ruling elite. With low literacy rates and high poverty and hunger on a continent with 67 per cent of the world’s arable land, what gives? Everyone is clamouring for Africa, except the Africans, who, on rickety boats, look for opportunities their governments should have provided.

Imperialism plays a role in the current state of affairs, as well. Leaders of the 20th century, such as Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Patrice Lumumba, Burkina Faso’s Thomas Sankara, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Grenada’s Maurice Bishop, all executed pro-people policies, looking to utilise their natural resources to develop African people. They all saw their final days at the hands of the colonial powers.

PLO Lumumba, a Pan-Africanist and former director of the Kenya School of Law, made the case in November 2022 that development is impossible without improving the African condition. In this clip, he spoke to Nigerian politicians in Abuja before the 2023 elections.

Could greed, a lack of self-esteem and insecurity explain the disconnect? How relevant would the tired unimaginative elite be if Africans were empowered? How much better would the continent fare if the lions refused to be led by bought-and-paid-for sheep?

What do you think of Lumumba’s remarks? Let us know in the comments.