Africa must refrain from being patronised

IT IS a question that just won’t go away: What are China’s intentions for Africa? It is a query raised often in international media whenever a high profile Chinese government official visits Africa or when a President of an African country goes to China. It was thus brought up when Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta visited Beijing last August and during Chinese President Chinese President Xi Jingping’ trip to several African countries last March, and most recently when it’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang attended the World Economic Forum on Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. In broad terms the question bears undertones suggesting that the real ambitions of the Chinese in Africa are neo-colonial in nature. More precisely, the argument goes, the Chinese are bent on cultivating an unequal relationship with African countries where they exploit raw materials to feed their burgeoning industrial sector. In this relationship, it is said the Africans are set to gain little, if anything. Further, according to this school of thought, the Chinese principle of non-interference in the internal matters of African countries or what is known as its ‘no strings attached’ approach will undermine good governance in Africa. And when it comes to trade, critics claim, the Chinese will turn African cities and towns into dumping grounds for their products, creating something akin to African Chinatowns. Close scrutiny, however, reveals this obsession with China’s bad influence in Africa for what it is: China bashing. Criticising China could be tolerated. Only that it at times veers off towards exaggeration and thinly disguised hypocrisy. For me, that’s when things get very uncomfortable. Which leads to the question: How seriously should we take Westerners when they raise ‘deep concerns’ about China exploiting Africa? It is true that when Westerners talk about the exploitation of Africa, it is a subject in which they have great expertise, having practiced it for hundreds of years. Africa’s history is one of its unrelenting exploitation by them. Post-colonial Africa remains very much in the clutches of neo-colonial Western interference. One could argue that this history of exploitation does not oblige the West to remain silent in the face of a similar vice committed by someone else. Fair enough. However, it still means they ought to tread carefully. As the good book says, one should “remove the log in his eye before pointing out that in his neighbour’s eye.” There’s more to Western obsession with China’s role and intentions in Africa: it is patronising. Underlying the question is an assumption that belongs to the medieval era. It feeds into the idea that outsiders know what is best for Africa and that somehow Africa needs their advocacy or protection. Those raising the question treat Africans and their leaders as children who cannot be trusted to make rational decisions. It suggests Africans are deficient in the capacity to determine what is good for them. This is not a novel idea. It is a view that has informed how outsiders have perceived Africa for centuries. It is a thought that has, unfortunately, been reinforced by the manner in which some African leaders have treated their people over the years. Much has changed over time, however. Much attitude adjustment has taken place over recent decades. While some of this is the result of changing times, to a large extent it is the result of the “China factor.” The entry of China as a major player in the global diplomatic, economic and political spheres has offered another alternative to African leaders away from Western powers. The phenomenon of “looking east” has forced a slight change in the manner in which Western governments conduct business with their African counterparts. Where they used to dictate, for example, they now negotiate. It is also true that some in the West are refusing to acknowledge the changing times. It explains the outstanding residue of archaic and paternalistic attitudes. That is why, to arrive at a sustained attitude adjustment, the onus is squarely on African leaders to ensure that their counterparts from the West, or East for that matter, are not tempted to treat them as junior partners. It is not just the West that is changing. So are the Chinese. That is because they don’t want to fall into the trap that has been set for them by the West, portraying them as indifferent to the suffering of ordinary Africans. That the Chinese are making adjustments can be sensed in this statement by Premier Li Keqiang imploring Chinese companies in Africa to “strictly abide by local laws and regulations, hold themselves accountable to the quality of the contracted projects and goods and to consumers and shoulder due responsibility to local communities and the environment.” In essence, a new global environment is emerging where Africa and Africans are set to gain much if they play their cards right and refuse to be patronised by anyone.

Opinions

Africa must refrain from being patronised