Africa must liberate itself

companies linked to notorious Malaysian logging giant Samling” have been given “unparalleled access to some of Liberia’s most pristine forests.”
Forests should never be considered rigidly only for economic gains but also ecological sustainability and balance.
The second stark reality is the privatisation of land in some African countries to foreign firms to produce food for their home nationals.
Zimbabwe was placed under sanctions for repossessing land from 400 000 whites and redistributing it among its 14 million black population. Zimbabwe’s idea is to reverse colonial land imbalances and the United States of America does not like that.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan are renowned for entering such agro-colonial investment. In 2009, Kenya was in the process of leasing over 100 000 acres in the Tana River delta to Qatar to grow food for its population.
It is sad to note that while African countries are leasing their land to foreign firms to produce for their nationals, Africans are going without food and depend on international relief agencies to feed them.
Such a scenario favours the United States of America which uses humanitarian aid to penetrate Africa socially, politically and militarily.
This is precisely the reason why America has come up with a specific military establishment to marshal over Africa’s resources in the protracted battle to outwit China.
Africa has therefore became the battlefield on which China and America are fighting for resources, but it is the clandestine use of military prowess by the US that is sickening and should be stopped, immediately.
It is the kind of madness that has been used for regime change in Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and even across the seas in Syria.
African governments must learn from Zimbabwe that the survival of their people hinges on total political liberation, economic liberation and outright indigenisation of natural resources.
The question is: why are African governments able to do something that violates the lives of their people? It is just because of lack of Economic Justice.
The third force behind proposing Economic Justice for all Africans is the fact that since her independence, Africa has been producing goods for Western markets at the expense of her own people. Africa is forced to sell goods at a throwaway price under the so-called international trade.
While all this exploitation has been going on, Africa is awash with all sorts of non-governmental organisations for various civic and political rights ranging from human rights, democracy, equality, education — you name it. Worse, when it comes to Economic Justice, something is amiss — nobody cares about it or agitates for it. Africa lacks vocal local and international standing on the matter. Why?
The African mindset is not directed to this very fundamental right and tool for Africa’s full emancipation. When we talk of democracy and human rights in Africa, we mean the right to shout and bicker but not the right to have food on the table or decent life for our hoi polloi! While many African countries’ constitutions provide for various rights, they are silent on Economic Justice! In Tanzania, for example, the constitution stipulates that all humans are equal and deserve dignity.
The same constitution does, ironically, provide for the rights of a cabal of rulers, their families and bureaucrats but not for all citizenry.
The continent’s presidents, ministers, MPs and all the high and mighty have the right to medical care, security, housing, clean water and other amenities, but the hoi polloi only have one right — the right to pay taxes to enhance the comfy of the high and mighty.
If all countries in Africa shall enshrine Economic Justice for everybody, chances are that the inert and uncaring government Africa has ever had would not remain in power to do what happened in Liberia and other above-mentioned countries.
How would one, for example, lease land while his people are landless? How would the government offer lip service, embezzle public funds, and stay in power if Economic Justice would be everybody’s right constitutionally as the rights of rulers are?
If this was so, all people involved in vices and impunity dogging African governments would be in jails. Back to NGOs and their role in cultivating the culture of Economic Justice, instead of fighting for the rights of gays, lesbians and other minorities, they should spearhead the fight for the rights of the majority. Western donors should stop the hypocrisy of funding unnecessary rights. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) should be forced to see how they condone the exploitation of Africans by financing corrupt and irresponsible regimes. They would incorporate Economic Justice in their policy.
Recently President Barack Obama secured a landmark ruling on the provision of healthcare to all Americans. Who thinks about or proposes the same for Africans, except Mugabe? Who makes noise about something so vital like healthcare in Africa, except Mugabe? NGOs should be making noise about such issues.
Business people would operate competitively and legally to avoid being at loggerheads with the government. This will lead to improved living standards. Economic Justice will emancipate everybody where other means have failed.