Has Africa Failed?
Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, August 30
Africa is endowed with copious resources and wealth. It is known as the world’s pantry, given the great expanse of lands devoted to cultivating an array of crops. While this continent ought to be thriving, harsh realities make it one of the most forlorn. Natural disasters, epidemics, shortages of medical supplies, and inadequate infrastructure all sadly contribute to this condition. Politics, too, plays a key role in this reality, as many African countries struggle with ongoing conflicts. Believe it or not, news agencies circulated reports last week of yet another coup taking place in Gabon, making it the eighth coup in West and Central Africa in the past three years, following a previous coup in Niger just one month prior. Senior officers in the Gabon army have seized power in response to the announcement that President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third presidential term in highly questionable elections. According to reports, the internet was completely shut down in the country and there was no international or judicial monitoring. In a video, the officers declared the election results invalid and announced that they now represent all security and defense forces. Furthermore, they closed the borders, dissolved the state institutions, and nullified the election results. Gabon is a country more prosperous than its neighbors, boasting a per capita income four times higher than the average in Central African nations. Due in large part to oil production, this OPEC member draws from reserves estimated at 2 billion barrels, plus another half a billion cubic meters of gas. It is believed that there are 26 billion cubic meters of gas in reserve in the country, plus a wealth of minerals such as manganese, iron, and timber. The country is largely covered with tropical forests, estimated at 85% of its territory. Picture yourself living in a country that attracts tourists and has recently been ranked 51st out of 144 countries on the Global Peace Index. Despite an abundance of natural resources, more than 33% of its population lives below the poverty line and its unemployment rate consistently reaches nearly 27%, per the latest indicators. For the past 45 years, the Bongo family has clung to power, and the legacy of French colonialism continues to hold sway. Throughout the continent, this is an unfortunate norm. Coups wreak havoc across Africa, spreading violence and disaster. What a sad reality. And yet, we cannot ignore the obvious: the role played by colonialism in sowing this mess. Colonial powers deliberately abandoned the countries and people they subjugated without leaving them the tools to succeed and thrive on their own. —Abdul Latif El-Minawy (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
