Editor,

When I read in your paper about the dangers of depending on foreign aid, it reminded me that Africa has had to endure another period of neo-colonialism, just because of the same reason.

You cannot claim to be independent when you cannot feed yourself. This has been the undoing of many African states. After struggling hard to gain independence, the continent found its hands tied behind due to economy reasons.

We got political independence, but little did we know that we were yet to face, another form of colonialism. It is imperative therefore that the peoples of this continent work tirelessly to sustain themselves economically, if they are ever to be independent.

Unfortunately, the dependence syndrome has gone to our homes. You know, It’s even more problematic that one cannot even find an exact figure to quantify the number of unemployed youths to feed in his/her home.

One can say it’s our culture for one person to feed up to twenty people. However, it is likewise unfair for one person to feed twenty people when they are all able-bodied and healthy.

This dependency syndrome should be discouraged while a culture of independent and self-reliance is imparted to our young people. I am not saying people should not support each other but rather this support must be based on real grounds.

Rwamagana