“Africa would be free again, it would gain its place of pride and independence from being a pawn on the chess board of world politics and global dominance”.
As we see what can be referred to as the second scramble for Africa, it would only be fundamental to remind ourselves that Africa’s historical subjection to foreign political dominance and economic subservience is a consequence of our leaders’ indiscretion and shortsightedness to trade Africa for the “toys” of so called foreign aids and relations. And it is quite saddening that this has been a prevalent political narrative for Africa nations even as we begin to experience what can be called the “Chinese Power Play” on Africa.
Africa has to learn that this “carrot and stick diplomacy” employed by foreign aids would only make her weaker and susceptible to abuse and misuse in the hands of her “savior nations”. There is no better way to become stronger than to maintain the discipline of self-reliance and limited aid seeking. Africa has no need of any aids of whatsoever kind especially from a sovereign state, which altruistic motive is questionable. Africa needs a freer economy dependent on her available resources intelligently managed by her own people.
Communist China can never be the solution to Africa’s prosperity, as a matter of fact, it is embarrassing for just a country to establish foreign ties with a whole continent and more disgraceful for a country to give aids to a whole continent, the underlying perception of such event is a caricature of China-Africa neo-imperialism. The consequence of such “feeder aids” to “Baby Africa” has been the steady intrusion of the Chinese culture into Africa’s knowledge economy, gigantic Chinese investments in African countries, and high-level indebtedness by many African nations to China. In fact, China’s first oversea military base is in Africa.
The occurrence of the event with the information phishing AU building donated by the China government should have served enough warning to Africa government to become weary of gifts from our mongoloid friends. The question to be asked after the discovery of the “back door” built into the building servers is that “why data from Africa’s political center of precious gem to China, such that China can afford to donate a gift worth $200m (£127m)?”.
Many African countries has been victim of China debt traps with Kenya’s debt ranking highest. Kenya has 70% of its debt owed to China, in a contemplative statement, an Africa nation like Kenya, has its allegiance owed to communist China. This is no different from other African nation relations with China. The acceptance of China’s Yuan as a currency reserve by Nigeria further strengthens the explanation of the power dynamics of China’s far reaching involvement in Africa’s political and economic ecosystem.
This alarming rate of foreign aid dependence has only made Africa a pawn on the chess board of global politics, it has been a popular narrative for World powers to use the “Africa piece” in making a statement about their political and economic strength. And this is no different in the China-Africa relationship.
With regards to China’s newest attempt to gift one of Africa’s strong organizations, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) a $31.6 million grant to build a new headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. Africa would be auctioning herself at a far lesser price in the hands of her future master. African leaders need to understand the power, of “freebies”. The mark of “goodwill” by the Asia giant to Africa is buying our future in guise. Only minors expect to get value at no cost, only babies cry for help, and only slaves rejoice at free bread.
The third China-Africa Beijing Summit, serves as another successful plot arched by China to further gain territorial dominance and wield wider influence in determining Africa’s future. China has denied allegations to lure Africa into debt traps, but what height of Altruism can be so displayed in cancelling African’s huge debt with the award of another $60billion debt trap. This is nothing far from “modern day imperialism”. Posterity looks with dismay at the Africa’s 54 who signs Africa’s future to slavery.
“Mother Africa mourns for her children’s auctioned future, her leaders run in vain pants and ties to the Chinese feasts of modern slavery, Mother Africa cries, only fools borrow to pay a debt”
No amount of favor or gift is enough to buy Africa’s future “Our past and present has been sold for a piece of cake, that we cannot have back”, what is left is to redeem the “auctioned future” from the hands of the slave auctioneer. Heavily indebted Africa, has given its natural endowments such as oil, minerals, and land rights as collaterals for “loan traps”. But we know that Africa’s future is not in its natural endowments but in its children, the Cheetah Generation.
This generation would redeem the Black pride, and turn the game around, Africa would yet be a queen again.
By Nathaniel Luz
The Head Disruptor at Free Africa Project, and Executive Director at Cheetah Africa, he can be reached at nathaniel.luz@cheetahafrica.org or on twitter @nathaniel_luz