Celebrating Another African Success Story
Ghana has the unusual, definitely non-celebratory distinction of being the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived for the purpose of trading: first in gold, and then in black/gold translated as slaves for a slave-hungry Europe. Ghana also was the first of the black African states to break free of colonialism, joined eventually by more than 30 other African states winning independence. Ghana is now ready to mark its Golden Jubilee with a $30 million party.One former political luminary who won't be attending is one of Ghana's former presidents. A former military presence who staged two coups and ruled Ghana for almost half of its 50 years as a free state. Former president Jerry Rawlings points to government corruption, tribalism, torture and political killings in the country as representing full reason not to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. Instead he blames the current Ghanaian government of President John Kufuor for the current unhappy state of affairs.
"Ghana is faced with pervasive corruption at all levels, missed opportunities for genuine progress, nepotism, tribalism and known cases of political torture and killings", claimed Mr. Rawlings. "There is decay of local industry, breakdown of the education system and an empty facade of 'good governance' which earns the applause of those who seek to control us." So it sounds like business as usual, and Mr. Rawlings should know, since he evidently has a long record of his own in human rights abuses.
When Ghana won its independence it was in a fairly healthy position economically and the future looked fairly bright for an advancing economy, bringing its people along with it into a healthy future. It produced 10% of the world's gold, had a gross domestic product per person equal to that of South Korea. Ghana's per capita GDP at the present time stands at $2,600, while South Korea's is $24,200.
Despite that the country is rich in gold, timber, palm oil, cocoa, industrial diamonds and bauxite resources, a third of the population lives on less than one dollar a day. In the capital of Ghana tens of thousands of residents have no running water, and the incidence of recurring power failures add to the misery. Like too many other African coutries there is a relatively wealthy elite.
On independence, Kwame Nkrumah who became the father/prophet of Pan-African liberation declared "We are going to see that we create our own African personality and identity". A noble and well- acclaimed vision for the dark continent. Yet post-independence Africa remains a continent mismanaged and misruled by its very own liberators and leaders. Its petty dictators have plundered its resources and its member countries face continual collapse.
The largely failed African governments one after the other, engaged in internecine wars and resource- looting by their own dark champions have indeed created their very own African personality and identity.
Africa remains a dark continent, one which must continue to challenge itself to do far better for its dependents. It can start by facing up to its own inadequacies in producing political figures who regularly seek their own financial advancement over that of the countries they represent. It can focus its attention on its inability to legislate and govern itself responsibly, rather than resort to the tired old blame-system of colonialism.
Africa must accustom itself to leaving tribalism behind, hauling itself responsively into the present, refusing to succumb to the whims and will of their petty dictators, and taking democratic action seriously.
Labels: Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, March 07, 2007
<< Home