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.
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
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