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Opinions of Saturday, 13 May 2017

Columnist: Robert Viliam Baiden

Black Africa! Stop stealing someone’s hard work!

Some African elites are making relevant impact in parts of the world Some African elites are making relevant impact in parts of the world

Black African leaders and their societies must stop stealing someone else’s hard work!

It has become the habit of most governments of sub-Sahara African countries to constantly lay claim to the success of former citizens now based in the West, who excel in academics, sports, business and entertainments.

Yet, throughout the journey to success of these individuals, African governments and their ‘high societies’ never provided an iota of support! Everybody knows it’s the poverty conditions combined with the “pull-him-down” attitudes of most black Africans inherited from past extremely corrupt leaders that drives millions of talented black African men and women to flee their resource-rich countries to the West!

Today, instead of African elites in positions of power constructing a conducive environment to enable fellow citizens overcome ignorance and economic hardships, they rather craft policies that would sustain their excessive life-styles and power-base whilst the rest of the people wallow in deprivation and impoverishment.

It’s therefore absolutely ridiculous and disgraceful that African gov’ts after failing to provide opportunities for its people and causing many to flee to the West in search of “the good life” would be the first to claim glory of its former citizens adopted and given the chance by other countries to become distinguished individuals.

The credit belongs to Western countries since they provided the incentives that empowered these African adoptees to perform and exceed expectations. In fact, Western countries should be acknowledged and given Nobel prizes for “reconstructing” many broken black Africans “into the image of the white European” after being left in the gutters to rot by their unconcerned and reckless governments.

African leaders and their societies should stop the practice of stealing the glory of someone else’s hard work!

Is it not expected that an individual who have been a victim of racism/tribalism, poverty, prejudice and other hardships after he/she has emerged triumphantly would sympathise and act to remove or reduce INEQUALITIES among people?

Yet, these distinguished western trained Africans sometimes overwhelmed by home-sickness would profess love for Africa but their attitude is full of arrogance, hatred and a display of total disconnect with fellow Africans and the continent.

They see Africa as a juju-continent full of primitive, disease-ridden people ravaged by extreme socio-economic problems and only ‘fit’ for exploitation – exactly the perceptions most ‘creators’ have of the origins of these ‘renovated’ western European black Africans.


Most elites in sub-Sahara Africa and their western-based counter-parts by their attitude misinterpret the reality of the up and down movements on the social ladder.

They misconstrue a higher social rank to mean detachment from the roots and are permitted to maltreat their fellow Africans! Observe closely the behaviour and life-styles of African intellectuals and the wealthy with respect to the poor.

Also, examine the reverse, when the needy gets rich and climb up the social ladder – how they treat fellow impoverished neighbours. It’s cruel, shameful and repulsive!!!! All revolutionaries and freedom- fighters should rise up against these African “MUMUS and their bananaland manners” so we can create an all-inclusive prosperous Africa for Africans.