The scramble and partitioning of Africa at the Berlin conference of 1884 and 1885 could not have wrought any more darkness over Africa than it's current comatose state. To put it euphemistically, Africa was split like a giant cake on a scruffy Berlin table. This brazen act was premeditated by the Europeans and ultimately aimed at recreating unsuspecting Africans, themselves. Otherwise, it can simply be asserted without equivocation that only God can create.
Therefore, the Europeans by dividing Africa along artificial boundaries without consultation and representation, displayed a superiority complex tinged in racism. The self-arrogation of the monopoly of knowledge coupled with flagrant disregard for black people and their capacity to choose for themselves what suits them, still fills the air to this day and unfortunately, what is rather an unacceptable meddling in the affairs of Africa.
Such mindset is rooted in white supremacists ideology; a belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. Condemn white people all you want (of course the problem is the action or lack of it of the black race), in fairness to them, they are very smart people –bear in mind that a line must be drawn between some conscientious ordinary citizens and some soulless ones at the corridors of power.
Having studied the behavioral pattern of black people, they reached an easy conclusion – that blacks lack the discipline to organize and to self-govern, to say the least. History is replete with revolutions and creation of nation states. At no point has white people reached out to black people for decisions bordering on their future – as a community of people not as individuals. Few examples will suffice here. Switzerland, United Kingdom and Canada, are western countries with multi-ethnic and mult-ilingual cultures. The purpose of this article is not to explain in detail, the intrigues in Swiss, Canadian or UK geo-politics and socio-cultural landscape. The objective is rather, to highlight how cleverly the different cultures have been allowed representation and contribution. Whether it was Italian, German, French, Irish, Welsh, English, Scottish or Finish.
In contrast, the leadership structure Britain bequeathed her African colonies was interwoven and badly clothed in white supremacy. South Sudan, populated by the indigenous people was handed to the invading Arabs loyal to Britain in the same way the marauding Fulanis on a jihad, were gifted Nigeria for the suppression of the indigenous people. Ambazonia was not spared either. In all these events, Britain and her western accomplices are relying on the poor mindset and potentially fickle will of blacks to stand up and be counted without seeking permission from extrinsic forces. It is a fundamental natural occurrence.
But black people are mostly beyond nature. It does not matter their location but especially in Africa. While it is of utmost importance to point out the hypocrisy in the political arrangement foisted on Africa by western countries pretending to be anything but miss-appropriators of commonwealth, it is a duty to explain that Africa has allowed herself to be ravaged by acquiescence.
Therefore, the 1884-1885 Berlin Conference mentioned from the beginning was where Africa’s rain started beating her as penned by erudite Professor Chinualumogu Albert Achebe in his famous book, “There was a Country.”
The question now is, have Africans (and in general, blacks) become reasonable? Are blacks ready to do the needful by taking the gauntlet of decision making? Are Africans truly hungry for a better society?
For over four centuries, Africa has been made a cannon fodder. She has been put at the bottom of the economic ladder – a position she has tacitly accepted. There is a conspiracy as I perceive, to economically and politically emasculate Africa. There is a deliberate effort to portray Africa as a continent in dire need of aid. Concerted effort is being made to push a narrative of Africa in constant unending instability. It is therefore dangerous, even irresponsible, to seek permission from people that instigate civil unrest, support tyrants, exploit your resources and disguise infertility products (such as vaccine) as health care products in a bid to depopulate you. Such people cannot be trusted. Simply put, it is time to apply African solutions to African problems.
In summary, the single most important take away from this article is that the differences exemplified with the separate creation of France, England and Germany have been negated by the forceful yoking of dissimilar cultures in Biafra, Oduduwa and Arewa as Nigeria and Ambazonia with Cameroun, without proper political structure, beneficial to and serving the interest of all. Now is the time for the people directly affected to correct the anomalies without external interference. As a conservative optimist, the future is really filled with positive expectations. Africa shall indeed be free!
Written by Chibueze Daniel
Edited by Anne Uzong Okon
For Family Writers Press International
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