The dark continent.. it was called for ages. A continent which has been ruthlessly abused by human civilisation.
A continent which has greatest diamond mines, most fantastic wildlife and a rich cultural heritage literally lives on alms of the rest of the world.
Thousands of children and pregnant mothers perish because of too much poverty. They still go to untrained village nurses instead of modern medical facilities either because of poverty or because of lack of education. Another darkness closely related with poverty.
It was sheer misfortune of this continent to be sucked in the slavery, that most probably stopped all the growths thereafter. I am not an expert but somehow I think that must be the reason. Each and every able bodied man and woman was used as a slave for centuries, the shoulders which build countries were slaving away. The remaining just survived.
Their resources were used by others and they were slaves even in their own countries. Naturally their economy crashed when these people left the rule in their hands and they become busy in squabbling among themselves.. one bloody war after war ravaged them.
Then the menace of AIDS gripped it as the latest blow. It will be really very tough job if their own people don’t wake up and pull themselves up like their asian counterparts have done.
In today’s violence torn world people are so busy saving their own homes that they are slowly losing the tendency to go out and help others.
Wake up Africa before its too late, and rest of the world, please cast a glance at them.
Kingmaker 14 on 16th Jan 2011
13 years ago
Dear friend,
ReplyDeletebefore even reading this article, I was thinking of including Africa into one of my writings (a small passage). The draft is ready and i would like you to have a look at it ASAP.
I loved this post and your position concerning Africa. People who lived there for a long time said they fell ill with Africa. I am one of them to become in the future, I feel.
If you go to Africa's map (I know you hate to do that), you could see that it was divided into rectangles and triangles and pentangles. It is how Africa was made into colonies - using a ruler. Nobody cared that one African kingdom would be splitted between 5 colonies. At the time of colonization African kingdoms had certain relations with each other, which also nobody care, but which later caused lots of problems to the "white people".
Here the problem with African wars lie. A modern African state may consist of parts of 5-6 bordering ex-kungdoms, who were in war at the time of colonization, and still are. The official state has no or nearly no control over such processes.
As for development, the continent has always had harsh climate, which could provide for survival only. Of course, there are other components, which require a lengthy discussion.
One of them is slavery, which is a unique thing, inherent in people, who are more in spiritual life and nature than in the material world. This referres both to Africans and American indians. When colonizers came, they were turned into slavery before even being aware, that they had to transform their conciousness from total absorption with nature and spiritual practices.
What people neglected at the time of colonization and still do, is the huge cultural heritage, Africa possesses. It is the ancient culture along the bank of Nile, as well as the original ethnic culture of hundreds of people, inhabiting the continent. Wild nature is on the top of everything, being neglected.
Focusing on this values of Africa advanced humanity (if such term is appropriate) could bring prosperity to the continent. Intending on preservation of nature and culture, they could make more knowledge and social benefits to the indegenious people.
A question, however, still remains: what do majority of Africans think about their lives and culture preservation?
Without their consent and joined intention, outer efforts may be in vain, what do you think?
With love
S
Dear s,
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding this priceless information to the post, it somewhere made the post complete.
I too feel really sad when I think that how many priceless cultures has been sacrificed on the altar of growth. It might have been worked in some other way.
I have seen only movies on africa, a friend of mine once asked me to write something on africa, as you know I don’t do research or studies, I only write from sentimental angle, too much study bores me..:)
i too agree that they will have to feel the hunger to change.. but may be people will have to tell them that they are starved.. they seem comatose just like majority of indians.
Your contribution is priceless thanks a lot dearest friend for reading it and sharing so much .. you are a real angel.
With lots of affections,
My dearest friend, I love your sentimental angle, this is why I read your posts with great pleasure. We can contemplate and explore together on the similarities and differences of comatose state, which Indians, Africans and Armenians share. It would be fan... and make this post even more complete.
ReplyDeleteTell your friend I really appreciate his/her suggestion for you to write this article. See, how much interaction and positive thoughts it contains.
My contribution is adequate to both to the idea and its embodiment.
dear s,
ReplyDeletei will certainly tell my friend to read this article and your comment on it. right now he is very busy with his own life, i will tell him when he is free, if i remember it then.. :)
with warmest affections,