EDITORIAL: Evading the ‘typical’ African road
“We can’t think like Africans in Africa generally. We are in Johannesburg. It is not some national road in Malawi. No.”
Former South African president Jacob Zuma, notoriously known for his general lack of diplomatic etiquette, hit a raw nerve when he made those remarks in 2013 and attracted a barrage of criticism both at home and abroad.
But as the old saying goes, truth is better when served cold. Diplomacy aside, it is true that Malawi - which gained independence 56 years ago in 1964 - remains one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s not Zuma’s fault that Malawi remained what it is – poor.
There was a time when Namibia looked very different to the rest of Africa in many respects. Namibia doesn’t have to look far to see how corruption and incompetence of leadership have reduced a lot of African countries to non-entities.
There is nothing wrong with ‘looking African’, but only in the true image of the Africa we want – not the one we currently have, blighted by endemic corruption, war and hunger.
To avoid being a typical African country, Namibia must embrace tolerance and keep her democratic machinery in a constant spin.
On the economic front, we must contain the downward spiral and put the masses of our people at the centre of our economic policies. We cannot afford to retrogress further, like many African states did after their colonial masters packed up and left.
Former South African president Jacob Zuma, notoriously known for his general lack of diplomatic etiquette, hit a raw nerve when he made those remarks in 2013 and attracted a barrage of criticism both at home and abroad.
But as the old saying goes, truth is better when served cold. Diplomacy aside, it is true that Malawi - which gained independence 56 years ago in 1964 - remains one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s not Zuma’s fault that Malawi remained what it is – poor.
There was a time when Namibia looked very different to the rest of Africa in many respects. Namibia doesn’t have to look far to see how corruption and incompetence of leadership have reduced a lot of African countries to non-entities.
There is nothing wrong with ‘looking African’, but only in the true image of the Africa we want – not the one we currently have, blighted by endemic corruption, war and hunger.
To avoid being a typical African country, Namibia must embrace tolerance and keep her democratic machinery in a constant spin.
On the economic front, we must contain the downward spiral and put the masses of our people at the centre of our economic policies. We cannot afford to retrogress further, like many African states did after their colonial masters packed up and left.
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