Is Racism In The African Diaspora Sustained by The Poverty In Many African Nations?

Sylvanus A AYENI, M.D.
5 min readJun 28, 2021

Sub-Title: The Indirect Impact of Lack of Basic Necessities in Many African Nations on The Intensity of Racism In The Diaspora

The intent in this article is to highlight the idea that poverty and the scarcity of bare necessities like clean water in many African nations indirectly contribute to the negative perception and stereotype of the populations in the African Diaspora.

Therefore, the toolbox for the fight against Racism in the African Diaspora must include development of Africa by Africans. Why? Because, inter-alia, the African Diaspora is seen through the prism of economic, social, scientific and technological conditions in Africa.

The leaders of post independent African nations have failed miserably to develop their nations. My thesis is that this failure is one of the most underrated, under-reported and ignored reasons for persistent discrimination against populations in the African Diaspora.

That is why the basic necessities for decent human existence like clean water, 24/7 electricity, opportunities for sustainable farming and good roads in Africa must be provided by Africans. Success in this arena will be an indirect boost for the fight against Racism in the African Diaspora.

This article will focus on the impact of one aspect of poor infrastructure — clean water — in Africa as a contributor to the intensity of Racism in the African Diaspora.

In order to reverse this intensity, provision of decent infrastructure must be championed and accomplished by Africans, not by benefacors from outside the continent.

Africa has definitely made progress on the Millennium Development Goals, e.g. more children are enrolled in primary schools, particularly girls. However the region still has profound deficits.

Goal number six of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — SDG 6 is “Clean Water and Sanitation for all by 2030”.

According to the ‘UN GOAL 6’ clean water and sanitation site, “Sustainable Development Goal 6 goes beyond drinking water, sanitation and hygiene to also address the quality and sustainability of water resources, which are critical to the survival of people and the planet”.

Clearly, this goal cannot be met in Africa by 2030.

This is affirmed by data collected in 2020 by the UN-Water’s Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6 (IMI-SDG6) from nearly 200 countries: “New data on global progress towards ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030”.

In no region of the world is the lag in achieving the objectives of SDG 6 more evident than Sub-Saharan Africa. Indicator 6.1.1, documented here tracks the proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services.

Indicator 6.1.1 tracks the proportion of population that is using an improved drinking water source that is readily available and is free of fecal and chemical contamination.

The graph below shows that for the period 2000 to 2017, Sub-Saharan Africa has the smallest percentage of population in the world using safely managed drinking water services.

Progress over time for Indicator 6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water service (%) UN Water photos

Indirect Effects of Basic Deficits in Africa on Racism in The Diaspora

Racism is an uncomfortable topic to discuss among non-Africans and their descendants including politicians, corporate executives, scholars and even some in the clergy.

What is probably even less discussed is the correlation between unyielding racist attitudes against the populations in the African Diaspora and the poverty in many African nations today.

There are those who would prefer either to ignore it, dance around it or even claim it no longer exists in a systemic fashion.

I have spent most of the past 45 years outside my birthplace, Nigeria, mostly in the USA with brief periods of stay in Germany and Japan in the early 1990s.

Involvement in development issues in Africa mainly in the education and healthcare sectors during this period has totally convinced me that outside Africa:

  1. The negative narratives and stereotype surrounding the skin color of Africans is so profound that it cannot be extinguished by protests, legislation and the courts.

2. There is little or no plan to teach the population, beginning in kindergarten, the fundamental truths about the constitution of human nature. That there is only one human Race. That the color of the skin bears no relevance to the heart, mind and character of any human being. That humans are one body in one eco-system.

3. Yes, there are benefactors and genuine sympathizers of hundreds of millions of suffering Africans. However, there is no evidence that the other continents want Africa to match them, not to mention surpassing them in the economic, scientific, technological or research arenas.

So, the greatest gift Africa can give to its sons and daughters in the Diaspora is to work hard and emerge from its current position at the bottom of the human ladder of development. Furthermore, the efforts for the emergence must be powered from within the continent.

A critical part of that effort is establishment of first rate infrastructure which is lacking in many nations in the continent today.

As long as Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Chinese and Indians have to go to Africa to dig their bore holes for water, build their electric power grids, roads, bridges, airports and railways, Africans will always be regarded as second class or third class citizens in the world. By extension, the population in the African Diaspora will always be devalued and stereotyped as inferior human beings.

Take Away

Vigorous efforts to alter the stereotype of African Americans are happening through civil rights movements, legislation and the legal system. The Black History Month usually features inspiring role models and under-reported positive history of African Americans.

Prof. Agnes Binagwaho, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity, (UGHE), a health sciences university in Butaro, Rwanda wrote an article in MedicalNewsToday titled Black History Month: The pride of our true past fueling our future.

She states: “Together, as a community of people guided by equity, we should set goals and actionable steps that challenge the representation and narrative around Black history, culture, and contribution to humanity, to continue the fight for social justice and equity”.

Her statement affirms the view that setting development goals and achieving them in Africa will go a long way to improve the perception of the populations in the African Diaspora.

A critical armamentarium in that struggle is excellence in the classrooms and research laboratories in Africa.

Developing future generations of African leaders in settings like that of UGHE is precisely what is needed to promote sustainable African development by Africans.

The fruit of this type of endeavor will contribute to the mitigation of the negative characterizations of the populations in the African Diaspora, and hopefully help to reduce the sting of Racism.

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Sylvanus A AYENI, M.D.

Neurosurgeon. Founder, Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch(PACAW Inc) www.pacaw.org. Author: RESCUE THYSELF: Change In Sub-Saharan Africa Must Come From Within