Africans are welcoming. We recognize and appreciate our son, President Barack Hussein Obama visiting us as the first “African American” president. Visiting Kenya, his fatherland, and AU seat Addis Ababa Ethiopia, was greatly welcomed, this was a great historical moment. However, in his address to the Africa Union Commission, in his capacity as the president of the United States, we expected at least an apology for slavery and slave trade and the interruption of Africa’s development. Secondly, Africa deserves a substantial compensation from Americans and Europeans for the atrocity and dehumanization of the people of Africa for last 300 years. While Japan, South Korea and Germany were compensated, uplifted through the marshal plan.
We could have learned from our history either from 21st century diplomacy, our colonial past or both, Africa has been betrayed several times and kneels down by western force not so long ago. What difference would it make this time around? It moves and strategies are much more sophisticated than ever. However, we are corrupted. Visit Mr. we welcome president Obama with cheers and applauses for nothing. Can we do the same for our peers and fellow citizens, which could be key for our upliftment? The question is how long would the continent and people of Africa seek for external solutions, especially from a system that exploits it rich resources ruin its economy and enslave its youths. On the other hand, we missed the chance to ask “who killed Colonel Mohamed Gadhafi and why? We might have differed with Mohamed Gadhafi ideologically, observing such atrocities and western invasion remain unacceptable. The other opportunity we missed why Americans shouldn’t respond quickly with massive capacity in health sector to fight against EBOLA epidemic in West Africa? While the small island Cuba send big contingents a country that has limited resource?
Do we really need a lecture about democracy, good governance, term limit and corruption while we ignore our own institution that are in place like; Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). We are pleading donors while we are seating on gold and diamond soil and human resource. We have to define ourselves as important partner rather than a recipient of aid. For how long we idolize the Europeans and Americans while they consider us problem creator not solution provider? We are failing to follow the Chinese and Indian examples even as they heavily invest in the continent, with their limited resources; they believed that mutual development in partnership. We know no one can tell us that American or European investments are designed and implemented to change the lives of ordinary Africans.
Africans, particularly leaders are induced to corruption by European cultures, lobbying, sponsoring and corruption and it become a cancer for us and an opportunity for them to exploit our resource without any accountability. Corruption has never been a case before colonizers arrived to Africa. They have no moral standing to tell Africa to stop its cancer corruption though we have eliminate it for our own sake and send it back to its origin. It was not a long time that we learn about Economic hit man and its devastation and operation in Africa, with the same note we have to question that who was supporting the biggest corrupt head of state in Africa like: Mobutu Sese Seko, Sani Abacha, Daniel Arap Moi, Hosni Mubarak, Ibrahim Babangida? Even now we can name a number of leaders who are getting a great deal of backing from so called super powers based on their loyalty while they are looting their own people.
Our campaign against extremists in Somalia shouldn’t be to please the Americans or any other powers, rather to restore peace and tranquility for our bother and sisters in Somalia, based on our commitment and obligation as Africans, we shouldn’t seek any support and to bring peace in our shore, the help of external forces in this fight against extremists will be gross historical mistake, for fear of encouraging mercenary against our own. We have to mobilize resources with determination and motivation for our common destiny as an African. The life of Ethiopians, Kenyans, Ugandans and Somalians soldiers’ matters in fighting extremist elements in Somalia if we pursued our agenda in a dignified and principled way.
We look forward to equal partnership in trade and investment from any corner of the world that respects human dignity and common prosperity. However, if and if the investment is coming with precondition we have to have the right to say no. Donation and investment comes to our shore with LGBT right better to be starved than compromise our dignity. We can criticize our leaders, as dignified citizens, we don’t take kindly the idea of friends telling us how long this and that president deserves to go or stay. Our restoration or healing will only come from ourselves with pan African ideology that designed by our ancestral tradition and experiences for victory.
Seife Tadelle Kidane
https://theblacklist.net/
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