Adonis Diaries

“Development programs in Africa are planned poverty”; (Jan. 21, 2010)

This article introduces five young African authors and activists: Aminata Dramante Traore, George Ayittey, Celestin Monga, Marc Ona Essangui, and Rasna Warah.

            “Africa is not poor; Africa is being impoverished” wrote Aminata Dramante Traore.  Born in 1947, Aminata was minister of culture of the Republic of Mali (1997-2000); she is a pan African militant, author, and entrepreneur; she owns the restaurant-gallery Le San-Toro and the hotel Le Djenne in the Capital Bamako.  In 2008, Aminata published “Humiliated Africa” denouncing France policies that support dictatorial regimes to maintain its multinational exploitation of the continent: colonial powers still sustain the same contemptuous and contemptible discourse of the same colonial mentality.

In 1999, Aminata published “The vice (L’etau)”; she details the intellectual swindle and institutional mechanism of the Western powers (such as the neo-liberalism that structures the International Monetary Fund) that produce disastrous effects.  Under the cover of “liberty”, neo-liberalism is annihilating Africa competitiveness to the benefit of developed State funded subsidies of agricultural industries. Aminata is militating for the cancellation of fraudulent international debts and for Africa to set up selective protectionist programs that the developed nations applied for centuries.

In “The rape of the imaginary” Aminata denounces cultural oppression of the North to the South: Africa has just got to dig into its intellectual and social vision in order to draw and design proper sustainable economic development. Practically, Aminata works with local associations, peasants, and artisans.

            “Africa is poor: Africa is not free” stated the Ghana born professor of economics George Ayittey: He teaches at Washington University.  Ayittey published in 2005 “Africa in chains: project for development” that promote the ideas of improving infrastructures and the renegotiation of external debts.  George is more concerned with contradictory political actions performed by international aids since development cannot be “imposed from the outside”.

George focuses on absence of ethical conducts and lack of sense for general interests among the African politicians: many State governments are vampires.  In Africa, the richest individuals are politicians or ex-politicians.  The politicians are like “hippopotamuses (lazy, slow, and wicked) that ruined post colonial Africa”.

(As usual, authors keep hopes on newer generations “the cheetah” but this hope we have heard it many times in every generation). Ayittey created the “Foundation for free Africa” with headquarters in Washington and uses his connections among universities and the international institutions to defend his propositions.

            “Africa suffers of 4 fundamental deficits: confidence, knowledge, leadership, and communication” stated Celestin Monga.  Born in 1960 in Cameroon, he was imprisoned for 6 months by President Paul Biya for sending an open letter in 1991; Monga was released due to mass demonstrations and mobilizations.  Monga settled in the USA in 1992 and works at the World Bank in order “to design concrete projects” such as establishing a private university in Cameroon. 

Celestin said: “Educational systems in Africa are prolonging the colonial system of producing functionaries who are semi-literate.”  Monga published “Anthropology of Anger (1995)”; “Money of others (1997)”; “Getting out of monetary trap (1999)”, and “Nihilism and negritude (2009)”.

In “Arts of living in Africa” Celestin Monga interrogates the philosophy that the “multiparty administrations in Africa are incapable of generation new ideas since oppositions joined the governments; African civilization lost terrain in the last century; only infusion of renewed energy cam make a difference and Africans have got to revolt against skeptical thoughts; idealistic critics among the oppositions have to give way to pragmatic transformations.”

            “There are no lack of potentials and resources in Africa. The real evil in Gabon is bad governance, bad distribution of budgets generated from forest, mines, and oil exploitations” said Marc Ona Essangui.  Born in 1962, Essangui graduated in “genetic psychology” in 1991 because he had no access to university of law for disabled students since he is paraplegic from polio at the age of 6.

Essangui presides the association Brainforest and contributed in the creation “Publish” in 2002. Publish denounces secret contracts done by governments and multinationals (for example, the mine in Belinga and the controvertial victory of President Ali Bongo in 2009; Publish was suspended, its members imprisoned, and facilities ransacked. Essangui managed to get an exit visa to receive the Goldman Prize in San Francisco for his ecological engagements.

            “Development programs in Africa are planned poverty” claims Rasna Warah.  Born in 1962 in Kenya, Rasna is an Indian descendents from the early waves in the last century. There are currently over 70,000 of India origins who are gathered in communities after suffering reprisals after the Independence of Kenya; the arrival of Chinese entrepreneurs is exacerbating the social tensions.  Warah is a photographer and contributes to the Kenyan Daily Nation and the BBC; she said “It is exhausting to be Asiatic in Kenya”

Rasna published “Triple Heritage: A journey to self discovery (1998)”.  She denounced government inactions during the food crisis in 2008.  Warah participated in the UN-Habitat report “Status of cities in the world (2006-07)”.  Working at the UN encouraged Rasna conviction to interrogate the foundations of development in Africa.  Rasna gathered 15 authors in East Africa who witnessed the cases of “Missionaries, mercenaries, and misfits: An Anthology (2008)”; this book pleads for re-enforcing local institutions and the dangerous trends of “depoliticizing poverty”