My reaction after seeing the picture of various African leaders at the Korea-Africa Summit was simply, “Ugh!”
I suppose the cynicism and anger in me was still riding high after President Ruto’s recent American state visit embarrassment. Just seeing the African heads of states there surrounding South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol made me see them as the paupers they turn into when begging the East and the West for scraps.
Now, don’t get me wrong. As a citizen, as an African and more importantly as a journalist, I try to give all heads of state office the respect in light of their rank and position in society, whether or not I like them. Which is why you will never find me saying ‘Zakayo’ or ‘Kamwana’ in any professional setting. However, they are making it very hard for one to avoid crossing the line between professional and nationalist.
I realise that State visits are a thing and countries around the globe must foster bilateral relations with each other for economic purposes. But there is something so undignified about seeing our heads of states rallying around leaders of rich countries, wagging their tails sheepishly to be thrown a bone. That’s all I could see from that picture. Surely, did we really have to send 25 heads of state and 23 representatives to one summit in a country half the size of Uganda.
We know there is a big struggle for Africa happening right now between the East and the West. Every major country in the world wants a foothold in Africa. It is evident that Korea, being a younger but nonetheless powerful nation, wants a piece of the cake, too. They may make up fancy terms and come up with all kinds of deals and freebies, but we all know what the agenda is at the end of the day.
African countries are billions of dollars in debt to the West and China. Debts that can never be repaid. These loans were sufficient to better out our countries and grow the economies tenfold, had they been used properly. But with millions squandered, infrastructure that is built but cannot maintain itself and no visible economic growth, we are somehow worse off than we were before the loans.
I wonder why we never see photos of all 54 presidents in Africa meeting together and working towards improving the economic stand of the continent as a whole. Must we be brought together by a foreigner? Must we only rally when there are promises of ‘free’ money by other countries? Why can’t we think of ways to generate our own funding? Why can’t Africa be as powerful as the EU or G7?
The African Union is practically a political party at this point. Every country in Africa is eyeing the other like an enemy. Why do you think they all swarmed to Seoul? Everybody wanted a piece of the pie, and nobody wanted to lose it to their neighbour. We would literally step on our neighbours to get to the loan first.
Pan-Africanism is dead. Gone is the spirit of Ubuntu. Africans do not care about each other. Our own leaders no longer care about us, either. They are selling us to the highest bidder for their gain. Meanwhile, the African people and their descendants will keep paying heavily for these mistakes for as long as we live.