Editor, RE: "African states drag feet on Kaberuka AU funding mechanism proposal” (The New Times, January 27).

The "Kaberuka Proposal” for generating sufficient internal funds to reduce the African Union’s damaging dependence on non-Africa entities to finance critical operations that are often caused by non-Africans’ meddling in African affairs is ingeniously simple.

The only serious obstacle to its implementation is too many African governments’ lack of political will, itself arising from the inertia born of the difficulty of freeing themselves from a debilitating chronic dependence syndrome.

It is worth remembering that unaccustomed freedom can be experienced as an unwanted burden for those who have never known it. A good historical example is that, after the abolition of slavery in the US, some slaves initially had difficulties adjusting to their newly acquired freedom which they were completely unaccustomed to.

Looks like the Stockholm Syndrome can affect an entire group of people or even entire countries.

Mwene Kalinda