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AFRICA: Post-Colonial DILEMMA?

By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Africa & the Gulf of Guinea

Date note: Undated Facebook post, estimated to about 2020.

Tags: colonial-institutions, self-rule, systems

The dilemma for Africa is that, after the 1884 partition and colonial rule until the 1950s and 60s, Africa has not replaced COLONIAL institutions of government (originally DESIGNED for COLONIZATION) with INDIGENOUS institutions of government (designed for SELF-RULE).

Designing public systems is "algebra" that few people have the brain muscle for. Just saying… and that's a challenge. Not rocket science, though. It mostly depends on how a human's MIND is FRAMED: colonial-positive, or indigenous-positive.

Self-determination, independence, self-rule… are not just words, but ACTIONS, as simple as a village council running a garbage-disposal system for the community. No one needs to sign a "political decree" or "manifesto" to dispose of the community's garbage. The community simply designs and implements a system for doing it, with all the brain muscle, expertise and resources it can muster by itself.

Europe left behind a colonial system of government that Africans took over and ran into the ground in no time. Why? Simple: the COLONIAL SYSTEM was NOT DESIGNED for AFRICANS, but for EUROPEAN business.

Now, in the post-colonial period: why were (and are) some African leaders killed? Their actions were a threat to "business", so they had to go. Think that mentality still holds today?

My GrandMa (Nini wom) could blow against the wind. I can't.

TribalMonk

— Wanaku Verdzekov

Reading & grammar

Reading level: Gr 9–11

Understand

  1. What institutions does the author say Africa has not replaced?
  2. What simple example of self-rule does the author give?
  3. Why, according to the author, did colonial systems not work for Africans?

Grammar focus: capitalization for emphasis. "COLONIAL institutions… INDIGENOUS institutions": the author uses capitals to stress key contrasts. In formal writing, use italics or sentence structure for emphasis instead.

Try it: Rewrite the first paragraph without capitals, using italics or word order to keep the emphasis.

Discuss: Should a village council be responsible for services like garbage collection instead of the national government? Argue.