The complexity of Africa – Neo Colonial Pacts

Written by Wassim Morjane and widely distributed among channels following Africa, spiced up by some personal recollection.

Most here know that I am an African, that is, born in Africa. It is fair to describe Africa (taken as a whole continent) as complex. There are massive differences between the Africa North and South of the Sahara to call out only one, for example. We need to understand also that similar to West Asia and others, borders between countries were drawn between the colonists, to suit their purposes and without taking into account a powerful tribal connection.  But let’s loose the word ‘tribal’ and simply call it group identity and large familial groupings, which would make us suitably progressive in descriptions.  Thus tribes groups were cut in two or three and colonialism with its concomitant racism flourished.  (If any of this was questioned it was sure that you must be a ‘red’).   There is a high price to pay, both for the colonialist as well as for the people of Africa. The people become what we refer to as mentally enslaved and today, the neo-colonialists, who simply recruited groups of educated locals and paid them highly and made sure they won elections to continue standing between populations and continued neo-colonialist pillaging despite the spate of independence around the 1960’s and 1970’s, through to the 1990’s.  Now Europe needs to start living without the benefit of pillage.  This is one of the reasons that Europe is in freefall.

There is a trend among ‘progressive’ writers, some never having spent one moment in Africa. This trend is to forgive excesses in Africa out of emotional responses, because the people suffered (and they did). My recommendation is to keep everyone accountable according to the agreed upon legal structures that anyone that is country today, must adhere to. Africa needs aid and in this, by definition I differ with people like Thomas Ankara. A helping hand cannot be scorned. I am with people like Thomas Ankara, in that Africa needs a bootstrap treatment and this is the only real way that the chains of neo-colonialism will be forever broken. We have the examples of Russia and China which developed without aid and are flourishing. Development initiatives in Africa, for example those of China that are not supported by local people do not help much. There is also a history of political and economic corruption probably as a result of the sleight of hand between the end of formal colonialism and the start of neo-colonialism, that is difficult to clean up. Most everywhere crime is rife without a political will to do anything about it.

When I was studying what was then called Development Studies, the development cycles of what was then still called 3rd world countries and now developing countries, I chose three countries to study. One was a rural paradise with a benevolent dictator in charge. This was Malawi and the leader was Hastings Banda. During the course of my studies, I saw the IMF treatment handed out to rural Malawi and Hastings Banda and his people.

Let’s take a quote from the ‘very reliable’ Wikipedia, which is correct in timespan and of course measured by ‘democracy’ and levels of free elections and multi-party republics.

After the introduction of a multiparty system in 1993, Banda lost the 1994 general election. Today, Malawi has a democratic, multi-party republic headed by an elected president. According to the 2024 V-Dem Democracy indices, Malawi is ranked 74th electoral democracy worldwide and 11th electoral democracy in Africa.[16] The country maintains positive diplomatic relations with most countries, and participates in several international organisations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the African Union (AU).

That quote describes the situation in today’s progressive terminology.  It continues however, and explains clearly what the results are of western and colonial intervention and deposing Hastings Banda and generally breaking this little charming country apart by the roots.

Malawi is one of the world’s least-developed countries. The economy is heavily based on agriculture, and it has a largely rural and growing population. Key indicators of progress in the economy, education, and healthcare were seen in 2007 and 2008.

Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality. HIV/AIDS is highly prevalent, which both reduces the labour force and requires increased government expenditures. The country has a diverse population that includes native peoples, Asians, and Europeans. Several languages are spoken, and there is an array of religious beliefs. Although in the past there was a periodic regional conflict fuelled in part by ethnic divisions, by 2008 this internal conflict had considerably diminished, and the idea of identifying with one’s Malawian nationality had reemerged.

Even with all the intervention, Malawi remains one of the poorest countries.  I know the Wiki calls it ‘least-developed’ but what it actually is, is dirt poor but oh boy, they have a multi-party system and ranks reasonably well on ‘democracy’ indices.  After the IMF treatment, the local agriculture fell apart, older methods of supporting oneself disappeared, people gathered in cities without a stick to their names and it is a typical story of western colonialist  interference in Africa.  I have not been there for many years, but my heart still breaks for this wonderfully charming place that once was. (I hate to tell you what happened to my thesis lol.  At that time one did not say that grassroots development is more important than a multi-party democracy.   “She must be a red!”)

To conclude the personal recollection, a stark example of neo-colonialism.  I was doing a search and came across this page from the World Health Organization:  https://www.afro.who.int/countries

Take a look at the languages listed – there is not one local or indigenous language but rather the languages that the colonizer speak when they speak ‘about’ these countries.   I understand it is the UN languages but this describes exactly what neo-colonialism is.  At least they could have mentioned the major local languages.

The article, edited by Hikaru Kitabayashi

We always have to keep in mind that the situation in Africa is complex. Despite foreign interference, Africa is the continent with the most ethnic groups on earth. And, this led to many wars and genocides (the one I am most familiar with, the Rwandan genocide, comes to mind). It also facilitates foreign interference through those different groups who, in many cases, disapprove of African governments. Also, in North Africa, many don’t see themselves as Africans but “Arabs” and identify themselves with Arabs from western Asia. For example, Tunisia actually has a pan-Arabist president who is, basically, distancing the country from other African countries.

But, let’s keep in mind that the African Union (AU) and the International Organization of the Francophonie (or OIF) were created to unify the continent by focusing on what we have in common.

And, despite what many might think of the OIF, it started with Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia and Hamani Diori of Niger. France left its colonies with French as their primary or secondary language. For example, though I am Tunisian, I am better able to talk with someone from Niger than with a Saudi. So, this is not just a neocolonialist organization that France founded to strengthen its language and keep some kind of control, but it acts as a body reminding us in French-speaking Africa of our common modern history.

You see, in my opinion, the biggest difference between France and Britain is that France put in place a French education system, while Britain did not impose a British one. Of course, the presidents I named above were all taught in French schools. Bourguiba, the first president of Tunisia, together with many of his government members, studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Now for a fun fact. One of the last political prisoners in Tunisia during the French occupation was a cousin of my grand mother. The French wanted to execute him, but his lawyers, who were French, delayed the judgment until the partial independence of Tunisia was achieved in 1955. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the occupation was atrocious, but we need to remember that many people helped. In my opinion, it is always important to keep in mind that, for life to go on, many people are always involved. We need to remember this so as not create more hate between humans.

Unfortunately, not everyone sees the world in this manner. We see today many African countries in disagreement and even fighting one another. In my opinion, though, unity is strength. But, there are so many people who can’t put their differences aside or learn from them and work for the greater good.

In spite of everything, though, today we can be sure of one thing: the African continent is nowadays more united and peaceful than it ever was before, even during colonial times, when occupying European powers created the illusion of peace.

But, of course, there’s still a long way to go. There’s always a long way to go.

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Neo-colonialism will be very hard to overcome without African countries themselves or their leaders understanding that this must happen and apply the political will to make it so. In terms of multipolarity and multinodality, parts of Africa are going to be remain the hole in the bucket. The announcements that further countries are ‘kicking out’ the French troops are a blackface and a whitewash switch.  You will learn about the ‘colonial tax’ where France for example charges for leaving as a price for colonialism.