AFRICA

‘It Sits On Your Conscience’

What is it with Africa? Not only do we turn on each other, but we blame the outside. This is a cancer from within that we need to fix.

By Scott Johnson | NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Feb 18, 2008

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  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot @ 02/28/2008 7:54:45 PM

    Damn, if blacks can't get along with other blacks, even on their own continent, then how the hell do they expect to ever fit in here in the majority white U.S.?

  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot @ 02/28/2008 7:54:07 PM

    Damn, if blacks can't get along with other blacks, even on their own continent, then how the hell do they expect to ever fit in here in the majority white U.S.?

  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot @ 02/28/2008 7:53:58 PM

    Damn, if blacks can't get along with other blacks, even on their own continent, then how the hell do they expect to ever fit in here in the majority white U.S.?

  • Posted By: Nesh @ 02/18/2008 9:05:10 AM

    Annan is right when he says we turn on each other and blame it on the west. Africa suffers mainly because of two major factors. We have a class of elitist who call themselves leaders and secondly, we have poor or unsufficient constitutions. In kenya for example, the leaders both in the government and opposition spent almost the last five years creating animosity against certain communities. Take for example a full Legislator calling certain community a "Mafia" out to steal our resources! The constitution has created one big office for the president with all the powers you can think of. this has resulted in having politics of winner takes all. If Africa is to improve, we must have directed leadership. There must be structures that lead to leadership. It is impractical to call for change and at the same time have corrupt individuals in leadership. leaders must stop using divide and rule tactics as used by the colonialist because in this modern world, there is no room for clanism and tribal kingdoms.

    • Posted By: Nesh @ 02/18/2008 9:12:22 AM

      Your opinion is directed. I agre with you, leadrship must hold agreeable societal moral dignity if results an dwishs of the peole are to be respected.

  • Posted By: Dimasalang @ 02/15/2008 6:06:06 PM

    Annan is right His comments on politics and money does not only apply to Africa. Philippine politics has the same situation. The National Broadband Network scandal rocking the present administration is just one of these corruptions that bleed the country's coffer. While the government proclaims economic development, the economic instability of the country is getting worse. Thanks to the politicians who can't even manage the economy of their own localities.

  • Posted By: Henry Zakumumpa @ 02/15/2008 7:56:48 AM

    Annan is right. For many Africans the money is politics. Many ambitious-types who feel stagnated in business or the civil service throw their hat in the ring and run for political office believing it to be a quick way to make obscene amounts of money. Politics in Africa provides better dividends than almost anything else. To get governemnt contracts and tenders you have to be connected to the system. Most of commerce is really crony capitalism. The gap between rich and poor in countries such as Kenya is staggering. Many feel they have nothing to lose and have been left out hence the backlash which recently broke out.

  • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 02/10/2008 3:36:16 AM

    Let the Kenyans kill themselves until there is no more Kenyan to be slaughtered. These people are not normal humans nor are they animals. They just cannot tolerate each other, not because of colour, race or religion. They are the same and the look the same. So why bother?

    I think the UN should conduct tours for foreigners to visit Kenya not for a safari but to see how they kill each other. The casino-on-line should put on bets to the numbers of slaughtering each day or get a live killing footage and let the world bet on line on who will get killed!

    I have no symphaty for them, stupid people!

    • Posted By: The Canadian @ 02/14/2008 12:55:11 PM

      to make blanket statements of this kind shows a lack of understanding and frankly uncalled for hate on your part. to say that tours should be lined up to watch people kill each other instead of looking for a way to fix the damage of Colonialism and Western instilled distrusted of there niegbours is ridiculous in its face. Hatred is something that is taught, not something that you are born with. Finding the root of that hatred and working to mitigate it is what all people should be working towards regardless of where it takes place. Conflicts like these in Africa be it Kenya, Uganda, or Rwanda are no different in terms of the distrust people feel for each other then in the situation that is taking place between the Palestinians and the Isrealies. Rather than further promote hate when not think of reasonable solutions. The situation in Africa was create by the western powers when they chose to not educate and subjectify the poeple of an entire continent. It is now the responsibility of the western world that has done so well off the backs of africans to help lift them up out of poverty, to educate, and to engender a new generation of africans that do not hate there nieghbour.

  • Posted By: The Canadian @ 02/12/2008 1:45:27 PM

    Enter Your Commentit's seems odd that everyone is so quick to disrespect Mr. Annan, after all it's not as though America is rushing to aid this situation. Let's face it if there where major oil in Kenya America and Americans would be in Kenya stoping the violence. Now they would probably overthrough the government and install an bunch of pro US scmoohs but they would at leat do something. So much noise from a nation that does nothing if there is no "NATIONAL INTEREST". What about human life is that not in your national interest

    • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 02/13/2008 11:13:41 PM

      Yes, fortunately Canada has no substantial amount of oil, if not Canada will be the 58th sate of the US long, long time ago. By the way that includes seal oil, penguin oil, walrus oil and whale oil. No, no, not cod fish oil.

  • Posted By: AugustineOponTutulyn @ 02/10/2008 6:14:38 PM

    I believe this due to the fact most African leader leave mess behind they a scared to vacate their post . But the international community should release we have a proverb that says we dont use our left hand to point to our hometown, therefore most of the supporters of a faction would not try to advise his leaders even he goes wrong but

  • Posted By: AugustineOponTutulyn @ 02/10/2008 6:08:10 PM

    I believe the situation in kanya is not any different from what is happening in other parts of the continent. This situation mostly arise due to our greedy leader who would not like leave power due the mess the create less they are prosecuted for causing financial loss their states.

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