Africa Beyond Wars, Diseases & Disasters. Answers to the 101 Most Commonly Asked Questions

SIMPLE REALITY CHECKS

Part of life’s reality is that we are always afraid of the unknown. We are scared of people we don’t know. History and people that write them have share in this problem. We chose our friends and associate with people we want. Fortunately, the world is getting smaller with the information age and technology narrowing the gap that hitherto was unbridgeable. Products and services that were made in our backyards are now made thousands of miles away, manufactured and rendered to us at even faster speed and in larger quantity than when they were made in our backyards and neighborhoods.

This age no doubt calls for understanding and acceptance of ourselves for who we are. We are left with no option than appreciating our differences and working together towards improving human conditions especially in parts of the world that we take for granted. I guess that in very near future, historians will be saturated with telling stories from one perspective. They will be forced by circumstances and events to integrate history into one. Finally, there may not be anything like English, African and Indian perspectives. History may be blended to reflect the true events as they occurred and will continue to re-occur in multi-racial, multi-cultural designs.  In that circumstance, whether we accept it or not, development or underdevelopment in Africa has a direct effect on the health and well being of Americans as people and United States as a sovereign State.

Events that occurred from pre-historical times, even presently – good or bad have proved us over time and time again that Africa cannot be isolated from the rest of America or the world. From the Sahara desert dusts that breeze across Texas and Cuba, terrorists attack that killed African people when United States Embassy buildings were bombed in a deadly act in Tanzania and Kenya; terrorists cells across the world including some in parts of African continent. The spread of infectious diseases that cross both sides to each other. With all these and more, we are left with no option but to relate as neighbors in a global village.

Of course, Africa Beyond…. Is not one of those books that will tell you what you want to hear and read. As I answered your questions, I tried not to be defensive of a continent that I strongly believe have not provided economic and political leadership in recent times given the huge unexplored agricultural, human and mineral resources she is endowed to her advantage. She continues to lack the team sprit to make it happen.

I may have also included subjects and topics that some of my African kinsmen and women may say were ‘irrelevant or are taboos’ and ought not be discussed publicly. Some may be dissatisfied with the approach to these important subjects, but I tried to answer them to satisfy requests from readers. I strongly believe that I might reach more people in style I have adopted.

On the media image of Africa, there would be less hunger and poverty of African people if the accounts of past and present corrupt leaders are frozen just like the drug money and terrorist financial accounts in our present dispensations. And if the West stops treating some of these corrupt leaders as ‘allies’ when they (the leaders) instigate wars and chaos in Africa. Rather than our soliciting money through television images depicting poverty, people’s (African) wealth in overseas banks in Europe, United States and of recently in Middle East must be tracked and repatriated to the poor whose images we see often in our networks. Efforts to recover huge stolen billions of dollars should be the attraction, not the poor masses that some in Africa and according to the dictates of their African culture are cajoled, even when that is not the intent. Also they are some African countries without a single war or coup d’tat in their history. Lumping together these nations along with corrupt regimes when Africa is in the news or being discussed is economically devastating. Regrettably this style of reporting Africa deprives these nations the attention and investment that could add tremendous capital flow to these economies and help development and improve the lives of the people. However, few war lords and foreign war profiteers continue to benefit from unofficial and underground sales of African wealth during crisis in warring spots that attract headline news.