Why Africa?: A Continent in a Dilemma of Unanswered Questions

By Bona Udeze

Why Africa? an abstract first painted in 1993 and
reproduced in collage in 2004, is variously described by his admirers as an
emotional revelation. The work depicts the African question problems
and prospects including political instability, corruption, and poverty in
the midst of rich natural and human resources. Thus, Why Africa? inspired
him to write a book on the subject, applying his creativity with a unique
perspective on the African case. Bona has written one book (unpublished)
titled: The Ancient and Modern (1992) a story on Urualla, his ancestral
origin in Nigeria.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 11, 2009
• ISBN: 9781469102184

Bona Udeze

Bona Udeze was born in Nigeria and now lives in the United States in Illinois. His background is in urban and regional planning. He is also the author of Why Africa? A Continent in a Dilemma of Unanswered Questions. He enjoys drawing, watching soccer and documentaries.www.bonaudeze.com

Book preview

Why Africa?

A Continent in a Dilemma of

Unanswered Questions

"The darkest thing about Africa

has always been our ignorance of it."

George Kimble, a geographer

BONA UDEZE

Copyright © 2009 by Bona Udeze.

Cover page logo design and interior art illustrations by Bona Udeze

Library of Congress Control Number:   2008911861

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4363-9685-1

   Softcover   978-1-4363-9684-4

ISBN:    ebook   978-1-4691-0218-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

53830

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

1

First Impression

Accepting the Exceptions

A New Way of Life

2

Spill on African Soil

A New Face of Africa

3

Indelible Scars

Slavery Within:

A Self-Inflicted Injury

Hunger and Diseases

Women and Child Abuse

Human Trafficking and Sex Trade

World’s Wastebasket

Making of the New Fourth World Countries

4

Extinction of Cradle of Life

Surviving on Hope

Evaporation of the Future

5

Mirage

Migration

Exodus Through the Valley of Death

Brain Drain

6

Elections and Transition of Government

Leadership Challenges

Poverty in Affluence

Ethnic Conflicts, Crises and Wars

Natural Resources and Un-natural Curses

Resource Looting

Corruption: The cancer of material acquisition

Loopholes in Government Bureaucracy

Scams and Frauds: Misuse of Talents, Knowledge and Skills

7

Back to Land

Sanctions on Medical Trips Overseas

Recovery of Looted Funds Overseas: An Inevitable Alternative

Challenges Before Us

8

Knowing the Unknown

African Greats

9

Natural Wonders

Seven Natural Wonders of Africa

Thirsts of Africa

10

Embracing the World

Handshakes Across the Oceans

Conclusion

Glossary of Words

List of Acronyms

Bibliography

Notes/Articles

Dedicated to my father Udeze Ipere

and in memory of my beloved mother

Florence Udeze Ipere

Acknowledgements 

I am grateful to people I have had contact with, whose personal experiences and deep recollections inspired me to write this book;

To the staff of Xlibris Corporation namely Moses Stanford, Jian Duterte, Sam Daniels, Diana Bartulin, and Michelle Postrano who welcomed the manuscript with rare enthusiasm. Also thanks to Ed Wantuch for his assistance in creating the cover page, Dean Monti, Jennifer Strader, Nicole Torling, Chris Van Opstal for their assistance, Chike Okafor for providing valuable criticisms in the early stages of the research for this project, and my father in-law Lambert Nlemadim for his time in going through the manuscript;

To Nigeria, my beloved motherland, that provided the challenging ground to learn to live and live to learn, irrespective of the circumstances;

To Africa, my proud continent of pleasure and treasure that gave me the impetus to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones;

To America, my homeland, whose immeasurable good heart of sharing, equality, and welcome gave me an opportunity to believe in myself;

To my brothers: Livinus, Ig, Ify, and sisters; Martina Onwuneme, Ngozi Ogbuji, Nkechi Asonta, and Uche Uwaoma for showing me the true love I deserve as their brother since my childhood;

To my lovely children: Dubem, Dera, and Tobe whose patience and unconditional love made it possible for me to persevere; and to Laura, my long time friend, confidant, and wife of inestimable value whose encouragement is unquantifiable.

Finally, to all the people in the world wherever they may be, who believe in dignity of humanity, restoration of morals and cultural values, extolling love and peace irrespective of color, race, or religion.

Foreword 

Bona and I met for the first time several years ago as colleagues in the same company. We frequently spent many hours exchanging ideas, discussing issues, and current world affairs, including Africa. I began to learn more of Africa from the author’s well-articulated view, and understand its people better in many ways no one could imagine. When the author invited me to an art show in Lake Zurich, Illinois in 2001—where he participated as the only African or minority that exhibited—I was amazed by his bundle of talent in expressing African culture through many art forms.

Bona once told me that he wanted to make a video documentary about Africa. I am glad that he decided to write Why Africa? instead, because the written word seems more permanent and detailed. Based on my experiences in the corporate world, as a volunteer in social work, and my involvement in church activities with mission projects in Africa, I know readers will be intrigued and well-informed by what is written in this book. I have had many associations as a Caucasian-American with people of different races, creeds, and religions all my life, yet I have come across few people as dedicated, well-informed, and non-judgmental as the author of this book.

The great thing that makes this book stand out from all of the others out there is the personal experiences shared by the author in his writing: He is a civil war survivor, a native of Nigeria—a country that is very rich in natural resources such as oil. It’s unfortunate that the same country is poor in the areas of infrastructure and basic amenities, government policies, employment opportunities, among other flaws. Above all, readers will have first-hand, genuine and unbiased information as Bona covers issues never written by any author—it is the first of its kind by an African or foreign author as well. Reading the book will help one to understand what Africa really represents, in contrast to the bland accounts offered by the media.

If you’re an African who’s constantly concerned about what is going on in your community, country, or continent in the areas of socioeconomic and political developments; if you’re one whose predecessors are traced to Africa many generations in the past; or, if you’re non-African challenged with the African question, this is the best guide to inform your view. This book is written for you!

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Robert J. Wulff

North Barrington, Illinois, U.S.

Preface 

Pause for a moment and set aside your perception of Africa in personal reflections momentarily, irrespective of your color, race, or religion. Think of what you might have heard about the continent from distant people, close friends in everyday discussion or read in the mainstream media. Your preconception may be entirely honest of course, depending on the source and facts available to you. This book is tailored in the right perspective without any bias as we explore and apply real-life situations with no superficial embellishments. It serves as a revelation to salient issues on the continent and why it exists and persists.

If you are confident or satisfied with your personal view of mankind in general in areas of socioeconomic and political inclinations, and the world at large, then you will find the book interesting. But if you truly believe that we live in utopian world of ideal perfection, and humanity has reached the peak of its natural, spiritual, and scientific fulfillment, therefore, the world cannot improve and do better, then read for mere pleasure.

For millions of people who watch television, read books and newspapers, and nod their heads in affirmation or in consternation, wondering and asking what is really going on in different parts of the world today, including Africa, and why must this happen. This book therefore will offer you the unique opportunity to understand the situation better. Having understood a little bit on the realities of life, you may then challenge yourself and entertain critical questions bothering you as an individual, who we are collectively as human beings irrespective of color or race, where we come from, where we are now, and where we’re all going to. Such probing questions might help you to articulate your viewpoints, perhaps, to put you on the right track. Then read further as eyes are more accurate witnesses than ears.

The future is reserved for a few people who see the possibilities before they become realities. Are you one of them? If so, then dance to the rhythm of instruments of life and truth as it is played in this book. The importance of reading this book cannot be overemphasized, but to put it mildly, you stand to enrich your knowledge. If we acknowledge that all good and curable medicine in human life is distasteful or bitter, this book is no exception. This is because when you realize that nothing is more damaging to a newfound truth compared to old mistakes, then we concur that a new beginning has arrived. In the event that we choose to walk on a smooth and soft ground, there is urgent need to straighten and wet the ground ahead to realize our dreams.

There is a need to learn a lesson or two from those in distress, in difficulties, or in pain. When an injured person is left to die in pain for instance, without any medical care, no one offers help because the injured is not a family member, friend, or colleague. When people are abused, we fail to ask questions or act accordingly as basic needs in life are met on a daily basis. When others are oppressed, no one cares to stop inhumanity since that person is not the victim. When hunger is sending many to their early graves through starvation, the lucky and privileged ones care less as their income and daily bread is guaranteed. But finally, when you are down and in dire need of help, there will be nobody left to speak out or help you; they must have all gone.

Life on the surface is not about what you do to make a living. Life is more than that; it means who you are, your identity, and the future of your children, grandchildren, and generations to come. Wisdom may generate or acquire wealth, but wealth cannot acquire wisdom. Rather, wealth can only bring material comfort temporarily and not happiness permanently. It is certain that we come from different family backgrounds, but with a common philosophy that no one can claim to be an island as everyone has relatives, dead or living.

People may look differently and speak differently, but are endowed with the same common sense of taste, sight, and hearing as human beings. Also, we may have different religious doctrines, cultural beliefs, philosophical inclinations, ideological convictions, and socioeconomic status yet; all is guided by a single document, the constitution of the land one lives. The world today is made up of people of different colors and races, yet there is a general belief that we may have come from one source through creation or evolution many years ago, depending on your belief. The underlying factor here is that we are all involved as human beings.

This book offers a live depiction of the African question. It will engage you on the constant challenge of the image of Africa being portrayed by the mainstream media as a region of conflict, death, political instability, and corruption. Another interesting part of it is how you will find out if the European invasion of Africa in the colonial era helped or hurt the people. Furthermore, you will reach a conclusion based on facts provided in this book whether or not the abundance of natural resources in the continent is a problem or a prospect, a blessing or a curse. Why Africa? is indeed a revelation for everyone irrespective of race, color or religion to understand and be understood.

Chapter 1—Why They Are What They Are—enlightens the public on the impression people may have on Africa and its natives, and thoughts by Africans around the world about themselves, too. It also explains some of the exceptions and new ways of life embraced in this modern time that is threatening the fabric of its rich culture and tradition. Chapter 2—Gamble and Scramble for Africa—reminds us of the peaceful coexistence among Africans in their kingdoms and ethnic entities in the pre-colonial era. Unfortunately, the creation of nation-states through colonization by the Europeans led to the emergence of new frontiers, and the discovery of natural resources that have remained a water-shed in the polity and existence of the continent.

Chapter 3—Conscience of the World—exhumes the symbol Africa represents from the rubble of dust raised by slave trade, political instability, hunger and disease, human trafficking and sex trade, dumping of toxic waste, and the emergence of the new fourth-world order. Chapter 4—Vanishing Points—evaluates the impacts and the disappearance of nature, and the liquidation of infrastructure in a continent known for being the least prone area to natural disasters, but subsistent to various man-made disasters than any other place in the world. Chapter 5—Shadows of Imaginary Lines—explains the unquantifiable losses in human resources through migration and brain-drain of the brightest minds in Africa to the developed world, thereby contributing to its slow pace of economic development with the rest of the world.

Chapter 6—Stumbling Blocks of Stepping Stones—is a pains-taking analogy and straight-talk of the impediments in the socioeconomic and political growth such as leadership flaws, elections and transition of governments, ethnic crises and civil wars, corruption, among others. Chapter 7—Options and Actions: A Matter of Urgency—is a clarion call for Africans to use the available resources to empower the people to reach their individual potential; to initiate sanctions on medical trips overseas by government functionaries; and to intensify efforts to recover money looted by corrupt Africans currently swelling bank vaults overseas.

Chapter 8—Africa: The Unknown—chronicles several leadership and significant roles played by Africans in the world which are downplayed. It also includes the works and achievements of the unsung heroes of African descent in different parts of the world who may have been forgotten by history. Chapter 9—Land of Treasure and Pleasure—avails the opportunity to discover and appreciate the beauty of nature that are abundant in the continent, with several natural wonders and landmarks dotted in several places, considered as one of the best tourist attractions in the world. Chapter 10—Reaching Out and Building Bridges—engages readers on the need to build bridges and reach out to people around the world, irrespective of race, color, or religion.

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July 19, 2009

Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.

Introduction 

Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.

Professor Wole Soyinka (writer, poet, and Nobel Literature Laureate [1986])

The identity of an individual or group of individuals is an insight on their family background, personality, and culture. The combination of self, family background and culture is the only linkage with the past, ancestors or part of the spiritual being. Most people frequently use the word Africa not only for the continent geographically, but also use it as a common denominator for every nation, including hundreds of millions of people with over 1,000 languages and tens of thousands of dialects. At the slightest mention of Africa, what enters in the minds of non-Africans or those who have never been to the continent is the notion that it is a massive land with a common language, culture, religion and color. But let’s be cautious to understand that Africa is the second largest continent in the world comprising nations with different people and cultures. Therefore, it deserves proper and adequate attention for details that make each dialect, ethnicity, kingdoms, and states unique and original in its existence from generation to generation.

The name Africa has been previously written and interpreted in variant forms, namely, Affrica, Affrika, Affrikah, Affricah, Afrika, Africah, Afrikah, Aific, Aifrica, Apirkah, Apirka, Ahpria, Aphrica, among others. There seems to be substantial agreement, however, based on research done by experts in the past that the word, Africa is derived by the West through the Romans who used the name Africa terra, meaning "land of the Afri" for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage. What was known as Carthage at that time falls within the present geographical location of the North African country, Tunisia and some parts of present-day Algeria and Libya.

In the book written by Pier M. Larson of Pennsylvania State University, USA, titled Origins of Africa: A Dialog from the Nuafrica List in 1996, he wrote, The Afri or Afrid supposedly inhabited the region to the south of Carthage. When Romans added Carthage to their empire, the ethnonym was transformed into a geonym to name the entire province, Ifriquia. And later on, the Latin term Africanus (a historian) eventually enters English as African. Both the Latin word Ifriquia or Africa, meaning sunny, or Greek word Aphrike, meaning cold and horror, could still claim the emergence of the African word to denote a massive land known today as the African continent. The Romans who used the ca suffix in Africa were merely denoting land.

It could also have inspired them to name some of the first people they met on the continent like the Afri, which was the Berber tribe in the Carthage province. At this time, Egypt had been established already as a known territory, but south of the Pharaoh’s land was predominantly unknown to the Romans, although people existed in these areas. In an effort to explain further the origin of Africa with a different viewpoint, Dan Kashagama wrote in his article The Meaning of the Name Africa in 2006, Africa means land of perfection, good, beautiful, clean or noble. By the time we read through the chapters in this book, we would have questioned if Kashagama’s definition lives up to its name.

From another perspective, Jacob Crawford took a more different approach in his article Africa: A Great and Problematic Word in 2007. He wrote, About 2,000 years ago, ‘Aethiopia’ may have been used to describe and identify the land found south of the Sahara, but Europeans later preferred to use ‘Africa’ to describe the entire continent. It is strange that the land area called Africa has gone through stages of two extremes in its lifetime. In the beginning it was referred to as the land of sunshine and warmth according to the early Romans, but now it is known as Dark Continent as it is freely referred by the mainstream media in the West. Has anyone paused for a moment and thought why the names of other continents in the world start and end with the letter A? With the exception of Europe there is Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica and Australia. Perhaps the names of other continents starting and ending with the letter A are a mere coincidence, which is not discussed further in this book, but a challenge to any curious and independent thinker to decipher.

The land area known today as Africa is considered by most paleoanthropologists as the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human species originating from the continent. During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation as early as 7 million years ago. Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have evolved into modern man, such as Australopithecus afarensis, radiometrically dated to approximately 3.9 to 3.0 million years BC.

Having gone through all these stages, Africa is still generalized today by a majority of non-Africans as a whole with a common culture, language, color, and religion. The assumption is probably borne out of the impression by Africans who freely describe themselves simply as African. It appears that the African identity is much stronger than any individual country or region in the continent. Generalization is borne out of the idea that Africans prefer to call themselves brothers and sisters with no blood relationship whatsoever, an identity originated from cultural values and further influenced in the early part of twentieth century by colonial exploitation for a common history. As the authenticity of the origin of Africa is rather inconclusive, it is certain that the topic is fascinating and revealing.

The obvious fact that is acceptable to all now, however, is that the word Africa is not of African heritage in the first place. It is not derived from within the continent, ethnicity, or culture; therefore, some people may argue that its future was shrouded, predetermined, and defined by non-Africans from the beginning. It should be acknowledged that what is known today as the African continent consists of huge numbers of ethnicities, religions, and cultures that formed more than 10,000 kingdoms but without clear land boundaries defining each kingdom or ethnic spheres of influence.

According to a Wikipedia Encyclopedia estimation in 2006, the population of Africa is currently 900 million. It is second to Asia in land mass which includes fifty-three individual countries of various sizes and shapes. The size of Africa is 11,608,800 sq. mi. (30,065,000 sq. km.), that is, 20.2% of the entire earth’s land area and a coastline of 18,976 mi. (30,539 km.). There are six independent island states associated with the continent of Africa. The west coast includes the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Senegal. In the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Gabon, is the tiny island state of Sao Tome and Principe. On the East African coast, bordering the Indian Ocean, are the island republics of Mauritius and the Seychelles. Lying close to Mauritius is the island of Reunion, with its economy closely linked to that of the East African coast and Indian Ocean islands. Off the east coast of Africa are the island republics of the Comoros and Madagascar, the world’s third largest island with an area of 367,883 sq. mi. (587,014 sq. km.). The Nile River flows from Rwanda through Tanzania, via various rivers and into Lake Victoria from which the White Nile emerges in Uganda and empties its waters in the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River is arguably the world’s longest river.

The massive Sahara, occupying the most land area in the north, is the world’s largest desert. Africa’s highest point is Mount Kilimanjaro 19,341ft. (5,895 m.) in Tanzania, while the lowest point is Lac Assal in the tiny country of Djibouti, 512 ft. (156 m.) below sea level. The largest country in the continent in land area is the Sudan with 1,566,133 sq. mi. (2,505,813 sq. km.) while the smallest nation in size is Seychelles at 284 sq miles (455 sq kilometers), which is comparable to two and half times the size of Washington DC. Nigeria, a nation lying in the western part of Africa, is the most populated in the continent and, by extension, the biggest and most populated black nation in the world, with over 140 million. Seychelles is the least populated country with only 70,000 inhabitants.

It is a known fact that the majority of people from other continents who have never been to Africa are greatly influenced by the mainstream media in the West. The impression projects the image of Africa as an empty place adorned with sand dunes in an open desert, with dry savannas and animals. It is also projected as an area engulfed with endless ethnic wars, incurable diseases, and abject poverty. When in reality, Africa is full of vibrant people that make up a large portion of the world’s population, and have contributed to the growth of humanity in all spheres of life. It is a continent of diversity, articulated in its physical geography and climate; in its plurality of cultures, traditions, beliefs, values, religions, and artistic expressions; in its many modes of economic production, distribution, and consumption; and in its diverse social and political structures and practices.

Africa has a rich, dynamic history and is the birthplace of human societies. It is also home to many great civilizations; its history redefined by contact with others through great migrations, wars, slavery, colonialism, the Cold War, and the waxing and waning of state systems. It has interacted globally with the outside world. This interaction has facilitated many African contributions and exports to the world through agricultural products, minerals, and other material goods, as well as knowledge and cultural expressions. Such interactions have also allowed Africans to benefit from imports from the outside world, such as information and other technologies.

1 

Why They Are What They Are

To live is to choose. But to choose, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go, and why you want to get there.

Kofi Annan (Secretary General of the United Nations, 1997-2007)

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First Impression 

Few have strength of reason to overrule the perceptions of sense, and yet fewer have curiosity or benevolence to struggle long against the first impression: he who therefore fails to please in his salutation and address is at once rejected, and never obtains an opportunity of showing his latest excellences or essential qualities.

Samuel Johnson (English literary icon, 1709-1784)

It is human nature that one is appraised when meeting with people for the first time even without uttering a word. This includes the appraisal of visual and behavioral appearance from head to toe—evaluating the person’s demeanor, body language, and mannerisms. Sometimes, one’s grooming and accessories like handbag, briefcase, wristwatch, and many more are assessed in a split second. If you appear to be comparable socially, or at the same business level, then you may be suitable for further interaction. If your appearance exhibits higher business or social status, then you are instantly admired. But if a person appears to be lower in status, perhaps they’re still tolerated, but definitely kept at arm’s-length. Everyone is challenged with the option to associate with strangers. Africans are no exceptions.

The fact remains that no one is offered any option whatsoever to choose their loved ones including parents, brothers and sisters, children, cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and many others. These family members are chosen for us by nature, and must be accepted the way they are. There is nothing we can do about it since the choice is not accidental; the reason is beyond human pedigree to such family ties. When we scratch our body, what flows on our flesh is the family blood that runs through our veins. People may decide to change their color, name, alter facial looks and appearance, but their blood is still the same. To buttress further, crude oil which is pivotal to many conflicts around the world may be thicker than both water and blood, but blood is certainly priceless and very precious compared to both of them.

To digress a little, the macrocosm of the long list of blood-related ones could be extended further to people from the same ethnic group, country, and continent. Ethiopia, for instance, is a nation that is composed of more than seventy ethnic groups comprising the Oromo (Galla), Amhara, Tigre and the others. In the light of the diversity, do these groups relate cordially with each other? Although the South African law of racial categories was abolished some years ago, many South Africans who are made up of the black population of Nguni, Sotho, Zulu, Ndebele, Khoi-San, Shangaan, Venda and Tswana ethnic groups; including Whites, Indians and mixed colors still view themselves according to racial categories. What is the impression of the Algerians—a population that consists of Arabs, Berbers and other mixed groups such as the Kabyles, Chaouia, Mzab, Mozabites, Tuaregs and Wargla? Do they tolerate themselves as a people in one nation?

Liberia, a West African nation is still dealing with ethnic differences which has made long-lasting impressions on her. Its population which includes the Americo Liberians (descendants of freed slaves), Mande, Kru, Khan, Mel and others who constitute the indigenous groups, are still having different impressions about themselves. Such impressions are significant in dealing with the other two groups, the Mandigo and Fanti that are not strictly Liberians as they came from the neighboring countries, Guinea and Ghana respectively, many years ago. Without any hesitation, can the Bantu of Tanzania who consists of more than 130 groups, relate freely with Zanzibans of mixed Arab, African, Asian and European origin?

Sudan is not left out in this malady of human impression held by various ethnic groups in the continent. How do the indigenous Sudanese include Negroid people—of whom the Dinka form the largest portion-relate with smaller groups, namely, Arabs, Beja and few others. The same question is posed to Nigeria with over 250 different languages namely Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Edo, Ijaw, Efik, Kanuri, Fulani, Urhobo and several other ethnic groups. There is need to imagine how Nigerians with diverse cultural affiliations relate among themselves across-the-board without exhibiting any ethnic sentiments either in public or in private. The list is endless as such impressions are prominent in other African countries and other continents around the world.

On specific terms, how do Africans within the continent feel as people generally, or those living in other continents who are traced to the African continent, but separated due to migration or slavery irrespective of the history of one’s ancestors and forefathers? How do Africans perceive or relate to their folks from other countries within the continent, whether in the streets of the cities of Dakar, N’Djamena, Monrovia, Kampala, Yaoundé, Lusaka and Tunis, or the rural areas of Namibia, Egypt, Tanzania, South Africa, Morocco, Ghana, Congo, Nigeria and other countries?

In an effort to dissect the puzzle created by the impression people have on others they hardly know, it is worthwhile to probe further on how Africans react to fellow Africans overseas. For example, in the far away streets of Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Toronto, Singapore, Beijing, Sydney, Moscow, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and numerous places, struggling to make a living like every other person? Do these Africans accept themselves as one of them even when there is much diversity in appearance, color, language, religion and state? The impression people have on others for the first time could be attractive or repulsive, depending on the circumstances. Therefore it is very helpful to analyze all these scenarios before reaching a conclusion on what Africans feel about the continent and about themselves, too.

It is expected that people defend their actions and utterances at any given time, but it will only be attainable when such actions are from the inside to the outside and not the other way round. When you believe in yourself, people will believe in you. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent, according to Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, former U.S. first lady (1933-1945). At this juncture, there is a big challenge for Africans to smoothen, straighten, and wet the hard grounds ahead if they really want to walk on smoothly-paved straight roads with the rest of the world.

The challenge on the impression of Africans is taken to a different level globally for people from other continents, namely, Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Another dimension to human curiosity is to envisage on how Africans or blacks in North and South America and Europe relate to those who are born in Africa, or descendants of immigrants from the continent, based on impression they have. When you flip the other side of the coin it offers an interesting analysis also on the impression Africans have on those whose ancestors are traced to the continent, having been separated from their loved ones due to slavery centuries ago. There is every reason to look inward on how non-Africans perceive Africans at first impression and interact with them on a daily basis, or vice versa. These questions can be probed further to find out what Africa truly represents to non-Africans from other continents. Is Africa a continent full of commendations, condemnations, or both to these people? To put it more succinctly, is it a place endowed with an abundance of natural resources, made up of normal people, or a continent engulfed with unnatural curses? For sincerity’s sake, a thick smell of smoke is felt even before seeing it. But when claimed not to have smelled the smoke or having seen it, the air around you, or in some cases, the smell on your clothes, betrays your argument.

Feigning ignorance of smoke around us is applicable to human relations. No wonder people may be able to deceive their parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters, friends, colleagues at work, neighbors, enemies, strangers, and several others. But once they move very close and stare at a plain mirror at point-blank, the image they see in the mirror is exactly who they are. At this point, they cannot deceive themselves any longer with the shot they see in the mirror daily. The image in the mirror could be tied to how people generally see themselves or others as being African, or referring to one as an African, or vice versa.

With all due respect and modesty, when people meet for the first time, they introduce themselves by name or by title. Such a friendly introduction may extend to knowing one’s profession and qualification, family background, ethnic group, religion, country of origin, or continent if need be. The same applies to those who are genuinely seeking to know Africa and Africans for various reasons, or Africans seeking to know others from different continents. Under normal circumstances, the common question directed to Africans, particularly those living outside the continent should not be about animals, corrupt governments, HIV/AIDS, poor infrastructure, wars, and many other similar questions. Rather, those seeking to find out what the continent is all about should make efforts to understand what an average African represents as an individual first before generalizing the entire continent.

A true friend, colleague, or neighbor should be known first and understood before attempts are made in inquiring about other secondary issues, no matter how innocent and genuine the intensions are. Such effort paves way to appreciate the way of life of an African, depending on the part of the continent or topic one is more interested in. It is only after showing genuine interest to understand that person’s way of life, including value systems that would help the underlying factors to be assimilated and understood.

One of the motivating factors that inspired this author to write this book is primarily to arouse peoples’ instinct or curiosity to understand and to unravel peculiarities in the African continent culturally, socially, economically and politically, while providing some of the unanswered questions. Such curiosities are borne out of the potent questions that have begged for answers over many years in the past. There is a need to unravel whether natural resources found in African soil is indeed a blessing, a curse in disguise, or both. Another unavoidable question is whether the African image abroad being portrayed by the media is a true reflection of what the continent truly represents. Such probing insights to a certain degree would help the readers, irrespective of color or race, to seek and understand Africa as a people and continent first before being judged.

In Henry Ekwuruke’s article Echoes from Africa: The African Saga Untold published by EuroAfricaCentral Magazine (2007), he wrote, The rich and beautiful land of Africa has been an area of great concern and interest for great researchers through the centuries. In their study of Africa, these researchers have unanimously agreed that the African people have a common identity which can be seen in the distinctive African way of life. More so, this presents and makes the Africa that he is deriving mainly from what he has namely: The African thought and the African culture, which is indeed, the African identity.

After the European invasion in Africa, there has been a systematic and continuous disappearance of its culture and values. It also led to the emergence of endless boundary disputes between ethnic groups, neutralization of kingdoms, and balkanization of homogenous entities into states or countries in order to remain relevant in the commonwealth of imperial domination. Culture, described as a way of life developed by people as they cope with survival, is slipping through their hands with no resistance in Africa. For Africans to reclaim their culture it cannot exist in isolation; it must include the traditional beliefs and spiritualism inherited from their ancestors.

When early Europeans came to Africa, they introduced the Christian religion and values that separated the indigenous from their traditions and ancient roots, as well as their identity as people. This was first experienced when Arabs moved southward to engage in trade and introduce the Islam religion. The gains and significance of European invasion in Africa centuries ago cannot be overemphasized, and will never be the same again. Unfortunately, Africans will continue to bemoan the systematic and continuous disappearance of their value system and culture under the influence of Western culture.

In the words of Desmond Tutu, the highly revered South African Archbishop, When the missionaries came to Africa we, the Africans, had the land and they, missionaries had Bible. Europeans taught us to pray by closing our eyes. When we prayed; they left the Bible on our hands and confiscated our land, Tutu lamented. Let us discard the judgmental perspective temporarily and embrace Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s comment for the sake of benefit of the doubt. Tutu’s viewpoint, perhaps, is to justify the aftermath of what Africa became in the postcolonial era. Africa never went through ethnic conflicts in the magnitude experienced today due to boundary disputes before the European invasion. At the end of the imperial invasion, Africa was divided purely for political and administrative convenience to the advantage of Europeans against the wishes of the indigenes.

Colonization of Africa by the Europeans is not the problem, but the coverage of Africa from the previous centuries to this day by some foreign media is believed to be distorted and negative in most cases. On July 11, 2008, a local Nigerian newspaper, the Guardian, published an article written by Levi Obijiofor titled Africa in the Eyes of the West. He tried to analyze the reasons behind the negative reports about Africa. According to Obijiofor, What has emerged from Africa’s misrepresentation in the West is that some journalists are yet to understand and communicate the most basic facts about Africa: that is, Africa is a vast and complex continent of no fewer than 53 independent countries made up of more than 700 million people who speak over 1,500 languages. He further stated that a number of scholars believe that ignorance and complacency are among the major reasons why some Western news media misrepresent and denigrate Africa.

In the December 2007 edition of Ebony magazine Nigerian journalist, Gbemisola Olujobi, told of experiences that left her bewildered when she made a trip to United States that same year. Olujobi was engaged in a friendly chat with an airport employee at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, who opened a friendly discussion with her. I hear in Africa, people are very poor and hungry, that they don’t have anything to eat, he said. According to Olujobi, she was perplexed momentarily while the airport employee continued, I saw a documentary on Africa a few days ago on CNN, and there were all these hungry people, dying children, with flies all over their faces, but you look well fed. Olujobi, a British-trained writer, did not lose her composure as she made some efforts to enlighten the clueless American to understand that Africa, according to Olujobi, is not one huge expanse of waste but with 53 countries in different stages of development, repair, disrepair and despair. Famine in Niger does not mean hunger in Nigeria, just as war in Liberia does not mean child soldiers in Lesotho, Olujobi replied politely.

Another example of a revealing story is Uchendu Chigbu’s publication What Your Child Should Know about Africa in January 2008. In that publication, Chigbu wrote what Mbonu Ojike said in his book, My Africa in 1946, Africa is not a language, or a religion, or a race, or a government. Consequently, it is not a culture and there is nothing homogenous about it. But we speak of African languages, African religion and African culture. The likes of Gbemisola Olujobi, Uchendu Chigbu, and millions of Africans around the globe are faced with the same problem of educating some non-Africans that there is a big difference between a continent and a country, and that there are numerous problems and several prospects in the African continent as found in other parts of the world.

Let’s not be judgmental prematurely. No one should blame millions of non-Africans for displaying a personal sympathy or profound ignorance about Africa. Perhaps the employee in Dulles Airport was sincere and only being inquisitive to unravel the stigma on the African continent created by the media. Neither should Olujobi be blamed for educating a foreigner on the true situation in Africa because negative news makes better news headlines globally. It is least expected for media houses to portray good sides of Africa since it will not attract a global audience. Rather, news headlines such as HIV/AIDS, wars, corruption, security problems, and political instability in some African countries are given priority. Such headlines will probably attract the nomination for world’s Best News Headline of the Year Award, if such prizes exist.

It is critical to clarify that there is a big difference between genuine news reports on what is really going on in some parts of Africa, such as the days of the Rwanda genocide, the unending Darfur crises in the Sudan, Liberian civil war in the 1990s, the ongoing political impasse and crises in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and several others. It is expected that news reporters covering an entire continent should be fair enough to extend their news search on other topics and areas where some nations have excelled. For example, while Zimbabwe is in political limbo due to its current political situation, Ghana’s experience in their last presidential run-off election on January 2, 2009 is quite the opposite and worthy of commendation by the same media houses. Looting and killing of people due to natural resources like gold and diamonds in the Congo and Sierra Leone is not the same in Botswana, which is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Or, when referring to Africa as home to dictators and life presidents, in contrast to Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, showed the world that not all African heads-of-state are corrupt and dictatorial. Also, former president of Botswana Festus Mogae should be applauded for his outstanding leadership experience and characteristics. Mogae’s tenure in power is heralded as transparent, and his efforts in combating the pandemic of HIV/AIDS are seen as a fitting example of practical and pragmatic leadership.

But it is self-deceiving to fail to acknowledge that Africa is truly faced with too many serious problems in political and socioeconomic dimensions. In the midst of these difficulties, Africans have also proved their mettles in several other human endeavors where they prevailed and excelled. Media houses around the world are primarily established to disseminate news to the public without any bias, no matter whose ox is gored. Such news could be commending and condemning, exciting and uninspiring, and blunt but fair. There is a general belief that portraying Africa’s negative side without paying adequate attention to the positive side also is a calculated way of projecting problems as solutions to an unsuspecting public around the world.

There is a growing concern that the society we live in today, no matter where we come from, is engulfed with negativism, eroded by pessimism, which eliminates the attitude of gratitude. Our society, unfortunately, encourages abnormalities to the high-heavens while accepting the exceptions never embraced by generations before us. It promotes societal ills and worships materialism, fame, and power. On the other hand, positive news that promotes traditional family structure, culture and moral values, economic and political development, peace and love, are relegated to the background because they are not news headline materials. Regrettably, the media disseminates news they want the public to know instead of what the public needs to know about Africa. The negative news and other unpalatable stories emanating from Africa will continue to reverberate and remain indelible in peoples’ minds for a long time to come across the world. In the Ebony magazine edition of December 2007, Don Cheadle, a Hollywood movie star who had the opportunity to visit Africa, said, One thing African people need is better public relations. If people think of Africa as a place with kids and flies swarming around their heads, then they won’t understand that these people are you and you are them.

Simon Inou, who was born in the Nso, Bui Division in Cameroon, but later traveled to Germany in 1991 for her university education, wrote in Afrikanet.Info in July 2007 that she started the project called Africa Positive because the media mostly reports about wars, hunger, poverty and disease in Africa. The usual pictures we see on European and U.S. TVs are those of Africans who can hardly hold up their skeletal bodies, brawling for food and gifts thrown out at them from trucks owned by Western aid organizations. Not that there aren’t similar sights in Europe and in America, she continued, but they make it appear to be the norm in Africa. Just because there are wars in, for instance, Sudan, Congo or Somalia doesn’t mean that there is war in all of Africa. I am aware that Africa has many negative sides, but I am equally aware that the continent has many positive sides, too.

Miriam Makeba, one of the greatest musicians produced in Africa, corroborated Simon Inou’s worries in her statement, "People in the United States still have a ‘Tarzan’ movie view of Africa. That’s because in the movies all you see are jungles and animals. We [too] watch television and listen to the radio and go to dances and fall in love," the revered queen of African music maintained. The questions asked by non-Africans to the likes of Gbemisola Olujobi, worries entertained by Simon Inou, observations made by Miriam Makeba, and views of millions of Africans wherever they may be must not be swept under the rug.

The most common questions asked to Africans including myself are: Why is Africa undeveloped? Why are many African countries always fighting each other or engulfed in civil wars? Why are African children and women suffering a lot of preventable diseases, such as, HIV/AIDS, cholera, tuberculosis, etc? Why are African people living in abject poverty with all the natural resources available to them? How do most people survive by living on the trees, naked, in the midst of wild animals such as lions, elephants, and crocodiles? Why are most African leaders corrupt? Why are scams popularly known as advanced-fee fraud rampant in some African nations? Such questions are too many to comprehend, needless to say, unanswered, which brings to mind the essence of writing this book.

It is important to note, however, that those asking such questions about Africa may be sympathetic to its course and, therefore, need transparent answers which this book offers. For the sake of posterity, such questions may not be deliberate or calculated to insult or ridicule any African in some cases. Therefore, it will be a disservice for those who are faced with such questions to feel humiliated or uncomfortable in educating their friends (non-Africans) about the continent. There is no need to worry about the things we shouldn’t and ignore the things we should. The genuine reason is to pay more attention to the events currently experienced in different parts of Africa, while it is the duty of every African to understand why these worries and questions are asked by non-Africans across the globe. It is only when Africans comprehend the questions posed to them by non-Africans that they, too, will be understood.

There is no better time for everyone to face the realities than now, by using their tongues to count their teeth. It is a self-deceit to fail to acknowledge that there are indeed several gory stories to tell in many African countries in different ways. The stories are told from the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa to beautiful south beaches of the Cape of Good Hope, from the coast of West African nations to the amazing beaches of the East African coasts. One important issue at stake is the glaring question before us. Why is the African continent synonymous with political and economic instabilities, the decimation of an entire generation of children through preventable disease, wars and corruption among the so-called leaders, both as civilian dictators and military juntas? Such probing questions are not answered by reading this book alone, but by doing what you can as an individual to make a difference irrespective of your age, color, cultural values, religious background, social and economic status, political philosophy, etc.

It would be a lot easier to enjoy our lives if there weren’t so many things that stand in our ways. The problems can start even before we are fully awake—can start an early morning heart attack, a fatal plunge down the stairs, a bite of bony fish that lodges in the throat, hazards in transportation, health conditions, and other numerous mishaps associated with living. While it is understandable for any human being to encounter some of these problems on a daily basis, there are other problems created by Africans due to lack of political stability, poor management, discipline and most importantly, lack of peace among their neighbors.

Today, the rest of the world is moving at a fast rate in areas of human and physical development. Africa, rather, seems to be moving at a very slow pace, sometimes retrogressive. When you meet an African whether from Somali, Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Guinea, Cameroon, Liberia, Mali, Algeria, Congo, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi or any other country, the general impression on their lips is basically the same, negative news of the overwhelming problems in their beloved land. The impression of mismanagement and looting of the national treasury in most African nations by its leaders leaves an indelible print in the minds of citizens living at home and those overseas. These concerned individuals keep wondering why most leaders in Africa entrusted with state affairs to serve and improve the general well-being of their nations decide, instead, to loot the funds that are meant for public development.

In an effort to avoid bias, and for one to know the true picture of the performance of governments in each African nation, there is no need to talk to politicians. Their notoriety for overblown, tainted accounts or positions depends on which side of the political divide they belong. Scores of 100% or 0% by sycophants or detractors, respectively, do not tell the correct story either. Words should be picked from the low and poor people in the streets of Ouagadougou, Yaoundé, Lusaka, Khartoum, Dakar, Kampala, Lagos, Harare and other cities with no connection or proximity to politics or exalted positions. You will be satisfied and encouraged based on the consensus reached with your inquiries.

On a more direct assessment, the condition and level of governance of any nation in Africa cannot be reached immediately. When you disembark from a plane and meander through the immigration check points in the halls of an airport, a first-time visitor is likely to be deceived, if they are restricted to a high-brow area in a city where the few privileged, well-to-do individuals live. A true reflection of any nation belongs to experiences on the streets of the low and poor citizens. It is only then that any assessment reached is usually true and unbiased.

Contrary to the popular notion that Africa’s problems are endemic and hydra-headed, this author believes that African states may have peculiar problems and similar aspirations but with different impediments. Very few problems are pardonable, but many are man-made, caused by the accumulation of poor management and lack of infrastructure. Although the continent can be defined today as consisting of indigenous and nonindigenous, the underlying cultural values and philosophy, historical or political experiences, and economic predicaments of almost all the groups of people appear very similar.

Africans aspire for peace but are denied it due to warlords and power mongers posing as politicians and military officers who assume the mantle of benevolent leaders. The main target of these leaders is to enrich themselves and their families by any available means, surrounded by equally criminal minded individuals in most strategic positions in the government. Africans dream of posterity and economic emancipation, but their individual aspirations are not easily achievable due to the problems associated with the majority of nations and their governments.

Over the decades there are many positive developments in the continent in the midst of these impediments. As many people write off Africa as a continent of despair and darkness, other well-meaning people, enterprising individuals, companies, and organizations across the globe have recognized the huge untapped potential of Africa and are actively pursuing business ventures and making friends across the continent. In the business world today, everyone is paid in two coins, cash and experience. The intelligent ones take the experience first; the cash will come later. While the greedy jostle for cash and lose experience afterward. But in an ideal humane situation, peace and progress should take priority over cash or experience on both sides-of-the-coin. The interesting part as you read through the chapters in this book is the ability to decipher the dilemma of issues, never questioned and answered frankly. It leaves us with the challenge that it may not be in the best interest to take a clue from the weather that pays no attention to human criticisms and forecasts as seasons come and go. Rather, it is better to aspire and get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.

Africa will be accorded due respect in the world and will benefit more when they deserve without receiving, than to receive without deserving. This is because no individual, nation, or continent is rich enough to buy back the past. The greatest aid to Africa, benevolence or assistance from Europe, North America, or other rich countries is not funds or aids. Rather, it will progress rapidly when foreign powers help them to fight corruption among leaders who are tainted with this social malaise. According to Martin Luther King Jr., the revered African American civil rights activist, Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

When it comes to leadership, what comes to the majority of peoples’ minds while going into politics and vying for elective positions is how to immerse wealth from the state treasury and oppress others. To such individuals, veering into politics is the best opportunity to grab whatever is available at their disposal. It is time to feed from the national cake, so they think. Their conviction is borne out of the precedence laid by past leaders who went into politics or the military poor, but came out stupendously rich and powerful in society. These politicians and military officers are not prosecuted by their governments. Instead, they are eulogized and worshipped by those they oppressed, deceived, and dehumanized. In this case, most politicians and military appointees in Africa represent the status of wealthy people who looted government treasury, and never true public servants.

It is no exaggeration that corruption in Africa is more deadly than HIV/AIDS, terrorism, wars, and natural disasters combined together. Let us be specific momentarily; it is because of corruption alone that politicians and military warlords plunge nations into avoidable wars. These privileged individuals accumulate wealth for themselves to the detriment of the progress and unity of their country, and its costly casualties. There are unimaginable sufferings in forms of hunger, poverty, and diseases caused by avoidable wars. It is because of poverty and a bleak future in war-ravaged societies that encourages youth to indulge in criminal activities, handling guns as child-soldiers or militants at one time or the other in order to survive, thereby rendering the society volatile and perpetually insecure. The majority of African leaders have chosen corruption and poor management of state resources to exploit the masses to the point of hopelessness. A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan, says Martin Luther King Jr.

High rates of crime among the youth continue to portray Africa as a breeding ground and a continent with the worst security problems due to lack of employment opportunities, provision of basic amenities, and dilapidation of existing infrastructure. Economic blockades or other sanctions imposed by industrialized countries on erring nations would have been averted if a leader’s intension is to serve their country, not to loot its treasuries. Imposing military and economic sanctions on African nations by developed countries is a further step to emasculate and extend untold hardships on ordinary citizens. It would rather be comprehensible and commendable when sanctions are imposed on those serving, or on the past leaders of Africa, including their family members from maintaining foreign bank accounts opened while in office under real or pseudo-names.

Foreign governments, particularly developed countries who sincerely want Africa to succeed in this campaign to curb corruption and make progress, must initiate an urgent policy to discourage their local banks from accepting money from government officials of African countries. It is easy for these foreign banks and their governments to bring these criminals to justice as sources of wealth are almost known to the public in their native countries. Another clarion call is to ban overseas medical trips by these leaders, particularly to Europe and North America. The ban should be extended to their family members and friends who are beneficiaries of ill-gotten wealth stashed in foreign banks as safe-havens. In most cases, these leaders use such medical trips abroad to launder money under the disguise of executive immunity depositing millions of dollars and pounds in banks with known and fictitious names. Such sanctions are one strategy to seek a permanent solution to corruption in Africa.

If steps such as imposing sanctions on medical trips by Western nations are not implemented, Africa will continue to be relegated to the background as the Dark Continent. It only confirms that the hand of the giver is always on top of the hand of the receiver, and so shall it remain. Political instability, economic retrogression and social decay will continue to exist, insist and persist. The world will not hesitate to see Africa as an embodiment of disrespect, despair and a disease-prone area. The questions will continue to be asked on why Africa is yet to embrace change in progressing with the rest of the world.

It poses the challenge that if Africa cannot aspire to be one the forests in the world’s vegetation today, at least it should strive to be part of the trees that make up the forest. It is far better and rewarding to belong to the group of forests or trees in the world’s vegetation than being relegated to the level of unwanted weeds. Nobody wants to be classified as unwanted weeds, as it will be marched upon and disposed of easily. In all human endeavors, people strive to achieve something in life without succeeding, but will never succeed without trying. African problems at this moment seem to be complicated; however, it is important to remain optimistic that solutions will be comprehensible at the end.

The uncertainty of the continent is not known, but the certainty is obvious. Every road or path that leads to success is always under construction; the current problems associated with Africa are no exception. No person or group of individuals, ethnic group, nation or a continent should allow other people to define them with their limited perception. But when African leaders squander opportunities and resources available to them, such limited perceptions on the continent by non-Africans appear to become realities and legitimate. When the majority of Africans, including young and old, privileged and underprivileged, fail to distinguish between hope and expectation, then other people will continue to define and place them at obscure positions.

What matters is not really the conviction people believe, but