A tribute to Madiba...what can African learn from the courage of Mandela

[Guest guest]

A tribute to Madiba...what can African learn from the courage of

Mandela

Chamberlain S. side, Ph.D Friday, July 28, 2006

Cpeterside@...

New York, NY, USA

A TRIBUTE TO MADIBA

……WHAT CAN AFRICANS LEARN FROM THE COURAGE OF NELSON MANDELA, TO

BECOME SELF-RELIANT AND RELEVANT IN GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS?

…Critical Moment

Over the past four decades as majority of African countries started

gaining political independence, their economic prospects have

continued to wane. For any realistic and knowledgeable observer, it

is apparent that African countries except for a handful are simply

non-starters in the global economic arena. These countries mostly

feature in the news if/when there is negative event to report.

Looking back, there have been a fair amount of bad news coming out

of that continent; ranging from famine in Ethiopia and Niger,

liberation struggle in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, genocide in

Rwanda, anarchy in Somalia, civil war in Liberia, Sierra Leone,

Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, coups and counter coups in

Nigeria etcetera, etcetera.

The brightest spot in sub-Sahara Africa and perhaps one of the most

pivotal moments in its history to me was in mid 1990s when South

Africa successfully transitioned to majority rule. Skeptics didn't

expect peace to last long. Some citizens actually migrated abroad in

anticipation that mayhem will be unleashed by blacks against whites.

Others simply could not bear the thought of living in a South Africa

run by a black President.

Thanks to the exemplary leadership of Mandela, the African

National Congress (ANC) in cooperation with progressive people of

all stripes and colors, that doomsday scenario has been successfully

averted and ten years later as we celebrate the 88th birthday

of " Madiba " ( Mandela himself), South Africa under President

Thabo Mbeki, remains a stable country on the path of prosperity,

albeit with abject poverty amongst most black township inhabitants.

The historical significance of that transition just before the

advent of the new millennium is enormous for the whole black

continent. Had things gone the wrong way after the dismantling of

apartheid in South Africa, it is unlikely that subsequent positive

outcome, nay creation of African Union, enactment of a critical

document such as New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) or

sweeping democratization and reform process in the region could have

taken hold.

…Burden of Leadership

Nonetheless, Africa remains on the fringes of international

politics, lags in economic development and technological

advancement. It is a continent still on its knees, yet there was a

time in history when Africa was more important to the global

community than it is today, especially for what it could offer, rich

cultural heritage and sense of pride by its people. All that has

changed and most of what we hear these days are plans by outside

world - international and philanthropic organizations as well as

foreign countries to rid African of poverty, offering debt relief or

combating scourge of HIV/AIDS. Whereas, there is a huge burden on

African leaders and ordinary citizens alike to bear more

responsibility for their demise and seek solutions that could enable

the region get back on its feet. Look deeper and you will find

enough lessons to discern from the single-minded focus of such elder

Statesman like Mandela or past leaders both within the

continent and in the Diaspora. The well-documented defiance by

Mandela against obnoxious apartheid regime, even at the risk of his

own personal freedom and existence (spending 27 years in jail), for

the most part led to the collapse of that inhumane system,

unleashing a chain reaction that has since been emancipating people

from the clutches of oppressive regimes at home and uncovering new

opportunities within the region. To be sure, since the 1990s, we

have seen the fall of Abacha in Nigeria, Mobutu Sese Sekou in Zaire

and in Liberia. Peace has returned in Angola,

Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.

…Lessons of History

You need to look back in history to understand some of the remote

causes of the current predicament. After all, the so-called great

geographical exploration by the Portuguese, Spaniards, British and

Dutch was mostly to search for and exploit natural resources in far

flung regions, secure essential raw materials for their budding

cottage industries and open new markets for finished and semi-

finished products.

A fertile ground was found in a " new world " called America as well

as in India and African continent. These exploits later translated

into the ugly episode in Africa's history, namely slave trade and

colonialism. Unfortunately the practice of commerce and colonialism

assumed its most dehumanizing dimension in Africa, the vestiges of

which are still very glaring today; whether in the infrastructure

system that was designed to produce/supply raw materials to the

western world or in the traces of psychological inferiority complex

exhibited by some Africans against " white people " .

I am still pondering what would have been of the US and Western

Europe without slave trade and colonialism or whether Africa could

have been any different today. Essentially, the developed world

attained a level of advancement that might have been unthinkable,

without the cheap labor, raw materials, and markets. The flip side

however is – were Africans asleep when the European invaders arrived

and took over? Couldn't have a more coordinated and potent

opposition helped avert the economic and political subjugation and

resultant backwardness?

....The King Jaja Experience

As an illustration of this defiance lets consider a local ruler in a

small community on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria, called Opobo Town

(my ancestral home) – King Jaja of Opobo was the " man-in-charge "

then. He ferociously asserted his influence over the rights to

trading routes in mid to late 19th century in the Niger Delta.

Virtually forbidding British traders from penetrating into the

hinterland to purchase palm produce. Thanks to his business savvy

and military clout he became recognized even by the British crown as

the bonafide sovereign in that territory. The foreigners were under

contractual obligation not to proceed beyond the Atlantic coast so

had to procure this vital raw material from King Jaja at a mark-up

price.

After the infamous Berlin conference of 1885, where the colonial

powers conspired and carved up Africa, Jaja's trading rights was

abrogated, but not without a fight. Ultimately he was tricked to

board a British vessel anchored in his coastal waters (supposedly to

negotiate a deal), was later dethroned and exiled where he died. I'd

argue that events like this might have bolstered confidence to quell

opposition, penetrate further inland and eventually colonize much of

Africa.

…Current Dispensation

First of all, it is unconscionable that a conference convened in far

away Berlin (Germany) was where the fate of African territories and

people was sealed. Secondly, the fact that the colonialists had the

temerity to arrest King Jaja in his own homeland for daring to stand

up and defend his economic right and legitimate authority, indeed

smacks of pure arrogance that pervades relations between sub-Sahara

African and its partners. That inequity persists even in modern

times, albeit on a subtle or more civilized scale.

The current situation in global geopolitics and commerce is no

different than the experiences of King Jaja less than two centuries

ago or Mandela few decades later. There is always bickering

amongst powerful countries based on their perceived best interest as

well as the urge to sustain superiority by dominating other people

and markets. Africa is typically a theater where economic and

political influence peddling is played out live. It is imperative

therefore, that African leaders recognize these facts, but until

they do, the region will remain nothing short of an appendage in

global dispensation accounting for a measly 1,6% of international

trade volume, whilst supplying major natural resources.

Rather than improving over the years, Africa has continuously lost

grounds to other regions. Isn't it time decision-makers in Africa

took a cue from the likes of Mandela by being courageous and

refusing to be cowered, working hard to capitalize on comparative

advantages, whilst moving up the global value-chain? Recent United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report showed

that all but one of 18 countries with the worst economic performance

are located in Africa. Their main source of income remains export of

agro products and raw materials with unstable/low prices in the

international market and little or no impact on livelihood. As a

strong advocate of economic empowerment I find that simply

disheartening.

Unfortunately even with the clamor for fair trade in World Trade

Organization (WTO) and elimination of agricultural subsidy by the US

and European Union, most countries on the continent won't get too

far and can hardly function without international aid. Unless they

implement new methods for adding-value to their commodities and

processing agricultural produce the situation will not dramatically

improve soon. …Mission Possible

A driving force in current global commerce is information and

intellectual capital, which is increasingly at our fingertips. Still

not a lot of countries in Africa realize that or are ready to take

advantage of the sea-change. Rather than rolling up their sleeves

and getting down to work, politicians have continued to rely on aid

and handouts, which more often than not are mismanaged or embezzled.

Meanwhile the price of main exports – agro produce/raw materials on

an inflation-adjusted basis hasn't kept pace with rising cost of

living worldwide.

According to this new report, there is a need for paradigm shift if

poor countries (most of who are in Africa) want to survive or thrive

in the new world order. The focus of activity should be on breeding

an educated workforce, looking inwards for untapped opportunities,

whether its better utilization of available resources or adaptation

of basic technology to local needs and channeling foreign aid to

sectors that could generate multiplier effect on the economy.

The impact of mobile telephony in Africa clearly reveals that

through adaptation and accessibility, modern technological gadgets

can help improve productivity and change lives even in poverty

stricken communities. In most poor countries today, mobile phones

are used through text messages to transmit time sensitive personal

or business information such as commodity prices, crop yields and

weather conditions. Just as some others have devised means for

sending/offering credit through cell phones minutes. Even where

people are unable to afford handset or pre-paid calling card,

makeshift call-centers around the neighborhood often come handy.

In summary, this analogy provides an empirical evidence of success

that could be replicated in other aspects of live through out sub-

Sahara Africa. The more this happens, at the end of the day it is

possible that even local people can become increasingly self-

reliant, get assimilated into modern economic process, thereby

improving overall living standard. Africa will be more relevant if

it could uplift most of its people, 70% of whom are living below the

poverty line – I am sure that Madiba will find that quite pleasing.

Chamberlain is the Founder & President of New Era Capital Corp. and

MyCompleteFinance.com, a New York based financial services group. He

was previously a Financial Advisor in the Global Private Client

Group, of Merrill Lynch.

[Guest guest]

A tribute to Madiba...what can African learn from the courage of

Mandela

Chamberlain S. side, Ph.D Friday, July 28, 2006

Cpeterside@...

New York, NY, USA

A TRIBUTE TO MADIBA

……WHAT CAN AFRICANS LEARN FROM THE COURAGE OF NELSON MANDELA, TO

BECOME SELF-RELIANT AND RELEVANT IN GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS?

…Critical Moment

Over the past four decades as majority of African countries started

gaining political independence, their economic prospects have

continued to wane. For any realistic and knowledgeable observer, it

is apparent that African countries except for a handful are simply

non-starters in the global economic arena. These countries mostly

feature in the news if/when there is negative event to report.

Looking back, there have been a fair amount of bad news coming out

of that continent; ranging from famine in Ethiopia and Niger,

liberation struggle in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, genocide in

Rwanda, anarchy in Somalia, civil war in Liberia, Sierra Leone,

Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, coups and counter coups in

Nigeria etcetera, etcetera.

The brightest spot in sub-Sahara Africa and perhaps one of the most

pivotal moments in its history to me was in mid 1990s when South

Africa successfully transitioned to majority rule. Skeptics didn't

expect peace to last long. Some citizens actually migrated abroad in

anticipation that mayhem will be unleashed by blacks against whites.

Others simply could not bear the thought of living in a South Africa

run by a black President.

Thanks to the exemplary leadership of Mandela, the African

National Congress (ANC) in cooperation with progressive people of

all stripes and colors, that doomsday scenario has been successfully

averted and ten years later as we celebrate the 88th birthday

of " Madiba " ( Mandela himself), South Africa under President

Thabo Mbeki, remains a stable country on the path of prosperity,

albeit with abject poverty amongst most black township inhabitants.

The historical significance of that transition just before the

advent of the new millennium is enormous for the whole black

continent. Had things gone the wrong way after the dismantling of

apartheid in South Africa, it is unlikely that subsequent positive

outcome, nay creation of African Union, enactment of a critical

document such as New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) or

sweeping democratization and reform process in the region could have

taken hold.

…Burden of Leadership

Nonetheless, Africa remains on the fringes of international

politics, lags in economic development and technological

advancement. It is a continent still on its knees, yet there was a

time in history when Africa was more important to the global

community than it is today, especially for what it could offer, rich

cultural heritage and sense of pride by its people. All that has

changed and most of what we hear these days are plans by outside

world - international and philanthropic organizations as well as

foreign countries to rid African of poverty, offering debt relief or

combating scourge of HIV/AIDS. Whereas, there is a huge burden on

African leaders and ordinary citizens alike to bear more

responsibility for their demise and seek solutions that could enable

the region get back on its feet. Look deeper and you will find

enough lessons to discern from the single-minded focus of such elder

Statesman like Mandela or past leaders both within the

continent and in the Diaspora. The well-documented defiance by

Mandela against obnoxious apartheid regime, even at the risk of his

own personal freedom and existence (spending 27 years in jail), for

the most part led to the collapse of that inhumane system,

unleashing a chain reaction that has since been emancipating people

from the clutches of oppressive regimes at home and uncovering new

opportunities within the region. To be sure, since the 1990s, we

have seen the fall of Abacha in Nigeria, Mobutu Sese Sekou in Zaire

and in Liberia. Peace has returned in Angola,

Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.

…Lessons of History

You need to look back in history to understand some of the remote

causes of the current predicament. After all, the so-called great

geographical exploration by the Portuguese, Spaniards, British and

Dutch was mostly to search for and exploit natural resources in far

flung regions, secure essential raw materials for their budding

cottage industries and open new markets for finished and semi-

finished products.

A fertile ground was found in a " new world " called America as well

as in India and African continent. These exploits later translated

into the ugly episode in Africa's history, namely slave trade and

colonialism. Unfortunately the practice of commerce and colonialism

assumed its most dehumanizing dimension in Africa, the vestiges of

which are still very glaring today; whether in the infrastructure

system that was designed to produce/supply raw materials to the

western world or in the traces of psychological inferiority complex

exhibited by some Africans against " white people " .

I am still pondering what would have been of the US and Western

Europe without slave trade and colonialism or whether Africa could

have been any different today. Essentially, the developed world

attained a level of advancement that might have been unthinkable,

without the cheap labor, raw materials, and markets. The flip side

however is – were Africans asleep when the European invaders arrived

and took over? Couldn't have a more coordinated and potent

opposition helped avert the economic and political subjugation and

resultant backwardness?

....The King Jaja Experience

As an illustration of this defiance lets consider a local ruler in a

small community on the Atlantic coast of Nigeria, called Opobo Town

(my ancestral home) – King Jaja of Opobo was the " man-in-charge "

then. He ferociously asserted his influence over the rights to

trading routes in mid to late 19th century in the Niger Delta.

Virtually forbidding British traders from penetrating into the

hinterland to purchase palm produce. Thanks to his business savvy

and military clout he became recognized even by the British crown as

the bonafide sovereign in that territory. The foreigners were under

contractual obligation not to proceed beyond the Atlantic coast so

had to procure this vital raw material from King Jaja at a mark-up

price.

After the infamous Berlin conference of 1885, where the colonial

powers conspired and carved up Africa, Jaja's trading rights was

abrogated, but not without a fight. Ultimately he was tricked to

board a British vessel anchored in his coastal waters (supposedly to

negotiate a deal), was later dethroned and exiled where he died. I'd

argue that events like this might have bolstered confidence to quell

opposition, penetrate further inland and eventually colonize much of

Africa.

…Current Dispensation

First of all, it is unconscionable that a conference convened in far

away Berlin (Germany) was where the fate of African territories and

people was sealed. Secondly, the fact that the colonialists had the

temerity to arrest King Jaja in his own homeland for daring to stand

up and defend his economic right and legitimate authority, indeed

smacks of pure arrogance that pervades relations between sub-Sahara

African and its partners. That inequity persists even in modern

times, albeit on a subtle or more civilized scale.

The current situation in global geopolitics and commerce is no

different than the experiences of King Jaja less than two centuries

ago or Mandela few decades later. There is always bickering

amongst powerful countries based on their perceived best interest as

well as the urge to sustain superiority by dominating other people

and markets. Africa is typically a theater where economic and

political influence peddling is played out live. It is imperative

therefore, that African leaders recognize these facts, but until

they do, the region will remain nothing short of an appendage in

global dispensation accounting for a measly 1,6% of international

trade volume, whilst supplying major natural resources.

Rather than improving over the years, Africa has continuously lost

grounds to other regions. Isn't it time decision-makers in Africa

took a cue from the likes of Mandela by being courageous and

refusing to be cowered, working hard to capitalize on comparative

advantages, whilst moving up the global value-chain? Recent United

Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report showed

that all but one of 18 countries with the worst economic performance

are located in Africa. Their main source of income remains export of

agro products and raw materials with unstable/low prices in the

international market and little or no impact on livelihood. As a

strong advocate of economic empowerment I find that simply

disheartening.

Unfortunately even with the clamor for fair trade in World Trade

Organization (WTO) and elimination of agricultural subsidy by the US

and European Union, most countries on the continent won't get too

far and can hardly function without international aid. Unless they

implement new methods for adding-value to their commodities and

processing agricultural produce the situation will not dramatically

improve soon. …Mission Possible

A driving force in current global commerce is information and

intellectual capital, which is increasingly at our fingertips. Still

not a lot of countries in Africa realize that or are ready to take

advantage of the sea-change. Rather than rolling up their sleeves

and getting down to work, politicians have continued to rely on aid

and handouts, which more often than not are mismanaged or embezzled.

Meanwhile the price of main exports – agro produce/raw materials on

an inflation-adjusted basis hasn't kept pace with rising cost of

living worldwide.

According to this new report, there is a need for paradigm shift if

poor countries (most of who are in Africa) want to survive or thrive

in the new world order. The focus of activity should be on breeding

an educated workforce, looking inwards for untapped opportunities,

whether its better utilization of available resources or adaptation

of basic technology to local needs and channeling foreign aid to

sectors that could generate multiplier effect on the economy.

The impact of mobile telephony in Africa clearly reveals that

through adaptation and accessibility, modern technological gadgets

can help improve productivity and change lives even in poverty

stricken communities. In most poor countries today, mobile phones

are used through text messages to transmit time sensitive personal

or business information such as commodity prices, crop yields and

weather conditions. Just as some others have devised means for

sending/offering credit through cell phones minutes. Even where

people are unable to afford handset or pre-paid calling card,

makeshift call-centers around the neighborhood often come handy.

In summary, this analogy provides an empirical evidence of success

that could be replicated in other aspects of live through out sub-

Sahara Africa. The more this happens, at the end of the day it is

possible that even local people can become increasingly self-

reliant, get assimilated into modern economic process, thereby

improving overall living standard. Africa will be more relevant if

it could uplift most of its people, 70% of whom are living below the

poverty line – I am sure that Madiba will find that quite pleasing.

Chamberlain is the Founder & President of New Era Capital Corp. and

MyCompleteFinance.com, a New York based financial services group. He

was previously a Financial Advisor in the Global Private Client

Group, of Merrill Lynch.