Is imperialism Africa's biggest challenge?

Editor, RE: “It’s up to Africans to save Africa from imperialism” (The New Times, July 22). Personally, I don’t get the gist of the article. It sounds like a convoluted rant without any real or concrete examples of these imaginary imperialists. What have ‘imperialists’ done lately that’s not so good? It’s time to move on from the past. But while donations keep flowing in to plug funding gaps in our budgets and other human development aid that is so much needed in most developing countries, we have to accept that certain conditions will be required until that time that we can be independent. Again, no nation – not even the U.S – can be completely independent. Trade and tourism are absolutely vital for a nation’s growth and development agenda. Davy ***************** I am unable to find it in me to remain diplomatic in the face of clear evidence of the successful indoctrination of so many otherwise seemingly intelligent Africans. Until they understand the deep-seated exploitative relationship that somehow keeps the world’s richest continent (the world’s largest share of the remaining un-poisoned arable land, fresh water, natural resources, etc.) also the home of the most materially poor inhabitants, nothing will change. And we Africans will remain the playthings of those who have never held our interests to heart. We have too many Davys unfortunately that do our exploiters work without even being asked – for they are real true believers, having had their thinking formatted from their earliest schooldays. And, lest he thinks I am an anti-trader, nothing could be further from the truth. It isn’t trade I am against. It is the unequal terms on which it is carried on so that its gains (based a lot on resources from our part of the world) are mainly captured by renters far away. And sometimes such gains are based on such fraud as transfer pricing in addition to artificially record ‘profits’ in low-tax locations that may not even have seen any of the items on which those ‘profits’ are alleged to have been realised. Transfer pricing is just one in a myriad of ways in which African resources are being looted for the benefit of those who rule the world in their interest. When all else fail, they send in the men with guns under the fallacious pretext of ‘protecting the natives’. Mwene Kalinda

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Is imperialism Africa's biggest challenge?