Stomach Politics

For generations Africa was referred to as a “dark continent” though the continent is considered to have the largest mineral reserves. It is also known for its rich mineral resources and has significant deposits of various minerals that are crucial for industrial use and economic development. Some of the key minerals found in abundance in Africa include; Gold, diamond, iron ore, coal, platinum, copper, cobalt and phosphate to mention the few, yet Africa is considered a continent where high proportion of countries have significant poverty levels.

Several African nations are facing socio-economic challenges including; limited access to education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic opportunities. Some parts of the continent is ravaged by the scourge of civil wars, which are fuel by high levels of poverty, income disparities, unequal access to resources, deep-seated ethnic or religious divisions, weak governance, corruption, authoritarian regimes, support for rebel groups by external actors and arms trafficking all that contributes civil unrest and civil wars.

With all the socio-economic challenges faced by an average Africa daily, politics are still the most lucrative career in Africa with some of its political leaders ranking in the top 50 of the richest presidents in the world. Political positions come with patronage, access to natural resources of the country and in some countries, it secures lifetime salaries and benefits for the presidents all that at the expense of the poor citizens. Most of Africa’s political leaders shop in foreign countries be it United States of America (USA), European countries and their recently found shopping destination in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They will flaunt their ill-gotten riches and material in the faces of poor unemployed masses and continue to sell them a pipe dream of better tomorrow.

Most African leaders and their political parties when they got to power they inherited infrastructure from their former colonizers and have since allowed the infrastructure to be destroyed because it does not serve them and their families but the poor. Typical example is when most of these leaders get sick they seek medical attention outside their countries in either the Western or the Asian countries. Recently the former president of Zimbabwe died in Singapore while seeking medical attention. Most of this countries their health infrastructure conditions is deteriorating, with shortages of medical equipment, supplies, inadequate facilities, they experience a shortage of healthcare professionals including; doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. This shortage of healthcare professionals is partly due to emigration, as many skilled professionals sought better opportunities abroad. The same thing can be said about education system in most of African countries, as most of the political elites sent their children to study abroad to avoid their children been part sub-standard education system that the poor masses in their countries are subjected to.

With most countries financial reserves been emptied by these leader and consumption spending continuously on the rise, most of these African leaders will approach the first world countries with a begging bowl for financial assistant. Some of the financial assistance will come in the form of donations, grants and loans. The intention of those financial aids would have been to address socio-economic challenges in those African countries but it hardly ever reach the poor as those aids end up financing the lavish life styles of the political elites and their families, then the cycle continues. Funny enough, most of these African countries are heavily indebted because of loans taken from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) yet the life of an average African continue to go down into poverty and hunger.

One can say that stomach politics among African leaders is enabled by lack political education, fear, poverty, lack of transparency and ignorance among citizens. Some of the citizens live with hope that one day they will arrive at the feeding trough and that the opulence their leaders display will soon rub over them. Africa leaders don’t hold each other accountable for the ills that are happening their respective countries, they will rather been seen arrayed in lavish attires attending World Economic Forum and United Nations meetings. One can only wonder if these African leaders have always envied the lives of their oppressors or they just like to live like rock stars. To an average African tomorrow might not come and the promise of better tomorrow might be a far-fetched idea.