Attacks in SA call for rethink of priorities

Mr James Shikwati.  FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• Discussions about open African airspace should be broken down into how they will translate into increased job opportunities in the aviation sector, hospitality industry, and intra-African movement of goods. 
• The irrational dislike or fear of people from other African countries is fuelled by the nation-state approach much favoured by African leaders to lock populations in pockets of poverty for political expediency.

The ongoing xenophobic attacks in South Africa are a wake-up call to rethink what drives continental dreams.

The attacks against migrant workers are not a South African problem but an African one, as is the radicalisation of youth by militias and the hundreds of Africans fleeing the continent in search of a better life, some dying in the process.

African unity is threatened because it is built on the myth of history, not economic reality. African leaders proclaim “one Africa” for the prestige it affords them at international forums, but they are not keen to grow a unified economic dream for the benefit of the continent’s people.

Horrifying scenes of Africans butchering and burning fellow Africans simply because of competition for jobs and economic opportunities must force us to rethink our priorities.

Is an African, African simply because he/she is black and was born on the continent? The xenophobia playing out in South Africa is just a tip of the iceberg, a consequence of Africans sold on the beauty of the continent and left out of the economic dream.

Can the continent learn from history and forge forward?
Historical legacies should offer proactive investment in a people to effectively participate in economic platforms. Unfortunately, Africa’s political leadership thrives on the negative energy generated by such legacies.

The tragedy unfolding in South Africa is a pointer to the weakness of having a developed country with an excluded population. Pressure builds when the majority of the population becomes a mere spectator of the country’s economic growth that fails to meet individual aspirations. 

The African market of 1.2 billion people needs to be turned into real opportunities for African youth to participate in the economy and generate hope.

Initiatives such as the Maputo Development Corridor and the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport, for example, should give the youth opportunities for progress.

OPEN AIRSPACE

Discussions about open African airspace should be broken down into how they will translate into increased job opportunities in the aviation sector, hospitality industry, and intra-African movement of goods. 

Africans of goodwill should initiate “know Africa” campaigns, where youth exchange programmes can facilitate families hosting foreigners across the continent. The continental unity narrative must go to the next step — economic opportunities, not just unity by virtue of skin colour.

The irrational dislike or fear of people from other African countries is fuelled by the nation-state approach much favoured by African leaders to lock populations in pockets of poverty for political expediency.

If Africa has to grow its economic pie, democracy should cease being an avenue to nurture “herd mentality.” To be “African,” one must pass the test of having an “African software”, the Ubuntu.

The plight of South African youth calls for a recalibration of the economic order to spur growth in industry and work ethic on the continent. An African shared dream of economic prosperity should elevate Africans to be actors in the economy in any part of the continent.

Mr Shikwati is director of Inter Region Economic Network and publisher of The African Executive. james@irenkenya.com