Macbeth wrote:
I tire of posting responses to these rambles simply because people insist on making absolutes out of examples. I DID NOT SAY that all of Africa is a s**thole because of the soviets. Some places have suffered because of the Communist/Capitalist issue.. not all. If you aren't going to read what I write properly, there is no point me posting anything is there? I might as well post random words and phrases and you can just pick and choose what you wish to see.
My sole and solitary point is this: Africa is a s**thole of a mess. This is not the sole responsibility of European Colonialism. That's it. End of story. My proof of this.. where did the greater part of the slaves end up? The middle east, and America. If it was all down to the evil europeans, that would not be the case.
Of course now somebody will inevitably argue that "Slavery is not the only reason and doesnt prove etc etc"... Because everybody here seems to be thinking in absolutes. This is an impossibility in an area the size of Africa.
I did read what you wrote, and slandering me because you disagree with my view doesn't help your argument. And yes, a large amount of slaves ended up in the Middle East and.. America? Wait, who colonized the Americas? Europeans! Who would have thought? To be fair though, a lot of these slaves were in fact traded to Europeans by Africans for guns or other things they needed, which you did mention. The biggest problem Africa currently faces is establishing multi-party democracy not based upon regional principles. Whereas in the USA the opposition parties are working together on opposite sides of a political spectrum, or in Canada, there is 'Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition', in Africa this concept does not seem to exist and as such, most parties will be based upon ethnic backgrounds, ensuring only one particular group will benefit and vote for them. Nigeria and the Biafra secession is a good example of this. This problem would not exist if African countries had been set up in regards to actual socio-economic and ethnic realisms in Africa and not colonial boundaries. There are many countries in Africa which really should not exist at all because they encompass many groups with opposing views. However, in some places this kind of regional nationalism has accomplished a lot of good, as if you look at the situation in Somalia, the Northwest area of Somaliland seceded in 1991 and is the only stable part of the country. I think perhaps, the solution lies in the African Union. If every nation of Africa were to join into one governmental body, then they could devolve national borders and create many autonomous regions, with overall African prosperity as the goal, rather then national rivalries or ethnic strife. This would take a long time to accomplish and moves must be taken to educate the society of Africa. Democracy cannot work in an uneducated society. In some places, for instance, the anti-retro viral drugs given to AIDS victims are stolen from them, crushed up and smoked in the belief that it makes them immune and gets them high. I can only shake my head at the stupidity this continent is producing. I don't expect anything positive to start happening for Africa for at least 50 years...
16 Dec 2008, 3:38 pm
