A Seminar at the Future’s Institute, London July 8, 2024, By Usman Bugaje A Synopsis
The understanding among contemporary African scholars is that the relationship between Europe and Africa, in the last few hundred years, has gone through three major stages: the stage of slavery, the stage of colonization and the stage of neo-colonialism. The Stage of slavery was actually the climax of the unfair trade that was going on since Europe emerged out of the dark ages, often called the middle ages (5th-15th centuries). The second stage of colonization was officially launched at the now infamous Berlin conference of 1884, where European powers met and divided Africa for themselves, rather shamelessly. The third stage was the stage where this exploitative relationship was given permanence through the installation of structures and institutions and continued manipulation of African governments and society. The talk today is focusing on this third stage of this great tragedy.
It is important we understand the nexus between these three stages. The first stage failed when the wave of slave riots in the American plantations made slave labor unsustainable. The history of the horrors of slavery have not yet been written. Europe had to find another way to survive off Africa. With industrialization for which the raw materials were in Africa, colonization became the easy, if sinful, way to get these cheap raw materials to keep the West afloat. The pillage and barbarism of the colonial period are yet to be compiled. The colonial period has to come to an end as local agitations were increasing and the myth of the European superiority was crumbling. The neo-colonial arrangements where hinged on a political independence, which only provides a mental relief, while economic and cultural grip continues to allow the imperialist to milk Africa dry. During this period, which still subsists, some of the most heinous crimes against humanity are being committed just to sustain the exploitation of African people and resources.
Why does Europe need Africa? it would appear that Europe cannot survive without Africa, at least not at the current level of affluence. Africa remains the greatest source of raw materials for Western industries, the list is long and the stakes are high. With time the wealth of Africa continues to unfold and this raises the stakes as not only the West but even China has found Africa indispensable. Africa has large deposits of some of the most sought-out minerals in the world like gold, uranium, lithium and cobalt; DRC Congo has nearly 50% of the world cobalt deposits. These minerals are the key ingredients of the green energy and IT gadgets the world increasingly relies on.
In terms of health the African land remains unpolluted hence a source of organic agriculture and livestock. In terms of pharmaceuticals research continues to show that Africa is a rich source of natural remedies. As the world body of fresh water dwindles, Africa is likely to be the largest resource yet. Africa has the fastest growing population in the world (expected to grow from its current 1.5B to 2.5B in2050) at a time when Europe is registering frightening fall in their population. All these and many more are reasons why Europe in particular, and the West in general, need Africa.
How does the West maintain its grip in Africa in this phase of imperialism?
- Culture and Education – The techniques are expectedly subtle and sordid. It started with education, which was carefully planned to keep African ignorant of their history and subsequently to adore Western culture. This makes the African mind susceptible to Western ideas and western subversion. Today it has reached a crescendo where the LGBT agenda is being pushed with economic aggression. Recall Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
- The Bretton Woods institutions of World Bank and IMF – The rules are never clearly written and the deals are often behind the scenes. You need to read John Perkin’s ‘The confessions of the Economic Hitman’, John Pilger’s documentary titled ‘War by Other Means’ and the writings and speeches of Jeffry Sachs, the development economists, formerly of the Earth Institute, to understand the mess these institutions are creating around the world.
- Food and Agriculture – in an effort to starve Africa and hold Africans to ransom many techniques were developed, the latest being the GMOs. It was tried with India earlier.
- Insecurity and Political Instability – This appears the in-thing where departments-of-dirty-tricks have been up to many things in many places. The assassination of Partrik Lumumba and Congo’s instability, the creation of Boko Haram and now banditary in the African Sahel and many more are all part of the War by other means to control Africa.
- Streams of NGO’s and Human Rights Organization – are largely espionage operations masking for humanitarian assistance to hapless Africans.
Way Out – The future of Africa is in its Past
As many now know, Africa was the cradle of civilization and had hosted great empires, like the Carthaginians, which for many centuries BC kept Rome on its toes. Following the spread of Islam a movement was born about 1050s, the Almoravids moved from Africa, which took over a good chunk of Europe with its base in Spain and ruled it for about 500 years. It is ironically this movement that sparked the renaissance which pulled Europe out of the dark ages into civilization. It is this awakened Europe that came back to conquer Africa and continued to this day to exploit it. Africa must go back to its past, understand its history and reinvent its political and cultural institutions and create a leadership that has the courage, character and competence to place it on a trajectory of genuine independence where it can deal with the rest of the world as an equal partner in the global community.
