My Believe and Unbelieve

I am push to this rambling after reading an exchange of book sorry, comment published by two walking encyclopedia on a post….@ http://www.livelytwist.wordpress.com.

The comment in parts reads…
“And who helped the white man steal the slaves that crouched in the belly of the whale on the way to the plantations in America? Tell me who? The white man has gone and Africans stagger, drunk from the rich red of millions that flowed in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria.” (Stacilys)
“A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent”. (MLK)
“In any case, I guess it’s time for us to take responsibility we have dreamt of the past, we need to see the future and live”.(Timi)

Now, my thoughts aloud… What then is the problem with Africa’s backwardness. Could it be as a result of slavery or the long stay of the Whites?

                 My unbelieve

I don’t believe it’s from slavery. Every nation in the world had a form of slavery for longer than the transatlantic slave trade. For example, the Hebrews were taken from Israel by the Babylonians for years. Egypt had entire slave classes. In Eastern Europe the racial designation “Slavic” comes from the word Slav or “Slave”. Slavs as a culture were slaves for 1400 years. First by the Byzantines then by the Rus or Vikings. Not until the Communist Revolution were the Slavs free. They were owned by their Rus masters. I don’t believe it’s from the long presence of the White either, South Africa boast of being the most developed country in the continent is credited to the long overdue presence of the white man.

I don’t believe Africa is undeveloped because of the imperialism in Africa by Europeans. Europe may have; enslave,rape,colonize, brought diseases and stoled all of Africas resources like a thief at night. I Accept they attack Africans with their backs turn and now whites are paying the stupid Africans to kill each other for blood diamonds. Just so they can enjoy their diamonds in their western world. Yes, but it is the Africans who accept the pay to kill each other; it is them who kill each other not the guns handed them by the whites. Hence, gun don’t kill people, people kill people (DMX), it is them who bent their back to be ridden by the whites. Its them who are impoverishing themselves.(ask the hutu and tutsi people of Rwanda)

I don’t believe Africa is backward as a result of slavery. I believe it is a reason, but also because european colonization completely disturbed the political systems in many african countries. Few were able to avoid it like Ethiopia because they were strong militaristically and were led by good rulers, but the deterioration of the last Emperor due to Old Age, and the unwillingness to give in to a changing Ethiopia led to a coup and the placement of a corrupt Marxist government. Now the country is corrupt and not as mighty as they once were. The same could be said of many Eastern European countries who were occupied by the Soviet Union. Once the Soviets left, the new countries governments were left very weak and in the hands of the corrupt because many did not know how to run a country effectively and were looking out for their own self interests. When controlled by a power for so long, it is hard to establish a prosperous, stable, efficient government. (The case with my country).

                My believe

Different cultures have different stimuli, and react differently. Europe was lucky enough to benefit from both technological breakthroughs and mental attitudes that promoted exploration and conquest. In Africa those factors played out differently….Had West Africa not brought the idea of reserving a very fertile land for the gods therefore forbidding the cultivation of such land at the time agriculture was booming, perhaps history would have played differently in the field of agriculture for them….Had they value female education as much as male and never indulge in killing of twins, perhaps more brain would have been made available to contribute to nation building…..In many parts of Africa, they could wonder around and pick food, no effort, little thinking, no need to develop too much….. Had Islam not dominated northern Africa. limiting trade and information exchange , perhaps history would have played differently. It is one of the fun things about history. We can speculate endlessly on the what ifs and the might have beens, as well as the why did it happen in the first place….but at the very end we should learn to take the blame for our state of being is our doing and the earlier we stop looking back and pointing accusing fingers..the better for us….now over to you…tell me your believe and unbelieve……peace.