The Biden Administration And The “Not-Shithole” Homeland of Mankind — Mother Africa
Subtitle: America’s Foreign Policy Beginning On January 20, 2021 Must Include a Different Perception of Africa
Needed: A Reset of USA-Africa Relationship
At noon on January 20, 2021, most of the world will welcome the world’s only superpower, the United States of America — USA — back to genuine brotherhood and sisterhood on the world stage. This welcome will be most notable in language, actions, and hopefully in perception cordiality.
However, it would be naive for African nations to expect changes of policies towards Africa by the new administration in Washington to produce wholesale de facto increase in the development of their nations. Just as it did not happen during the eight years of the Obama Administration, (2008–2016), the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Harris will be no different, even in two terms in office. Please stay tuned for a few minutes for the reasons for this bold statement.
Nonetheless, the good news is that with the Biden- Harris team, the inhabitants of the second largest, the second most populous and the youngest continent on earth, Africa are assured of decent, dignified, respectful and empathetic language. Language that is both penned and in tongue from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, USA.
No more “Shithole” portrait of a whole continent; no more “I never want to meet someone (President) so lifeless again” — A Months-Old Trump Insult of Buhari Surfaces Prior to ...
To some, this may sound simplistic and inconsequential. But language matters. Indeed, quite often, language defines relationships, cultures, civilizations and yes, nations.
The Greek word, Episteme,(knowledge) from which we get the English word Epistemology — the study of how you know anything — defined the Classical Period or Golden Age of Greece. The quintessential metaphor for the Biblical Hebrews was Light. “God is my light and my salvation”. Language matters.
Yet, this upcoming new chapter in USA-Africa relations goes far beyond language, economics, trade or diplomatic dance. Fundamentally, it is about recognition and respect for the humanity and dignity of 1.3 billion fellow human beings by the most powerful leader on our planet, his deputy (Vice-President), their team and by extension, the nation itself, USA.
Although there are still some holdouts, the debate among scientists, archeologists and paleontologists is virtually over. Africa is Humanity’s Homeland. The “Out of Africa Migration” of the human species occured about 60,000 years ago.
“The finding of a greater genetic diversity within Africa, when compared with outside, is now abundantly supported by many genetic markers; so Africa is the most likely geographical origin for a modern human dispersal”. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2012 Mar 19; 367(1590): 770–784.
Whether you are a creationist, an evolutionist or a member of the “chance theory club” it should come as no surprise that this massive expanse of land — Africa — is so rich in the basic elements ascribed by atomic physics to our physical reality. By this I mean all the rich endowments of nature necessary not just for the survival of our species but for the inhabitants to flourish.
Will The 2nd Half of the 21st Century Belong To Africa?
With its very young population, African youths are well positioned to significantly alter the course of human events in the 21st century.
Really, are you serious? The reader may ask. Yes, I could not be more serious. Because sooner or later, a new group of African leaders would emerge that would unleash the potential of the 1.3 billion brains — and counting — in the continent and the enormous natural resources. The timing of the leadership transformation is anybody’s guess but it would eventually come to pass.
Skeptical persons may say this is wishful thinking. Afterall, Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa has such profound deficits in all areas of human development indices as revealed by available data. Also, the continent is burdened by mammoth corruption, leadership failure, conflicts and wars. Thus, the skepticism is well founded.
However, let us look at the stereotypes that have misinformed humanity for centuries about the nature and essence of human beings. Specifically, the pervasive misconception as to the authenticity of a linear relationship between skin color and the output of the human brain. A relationship based on an artificial, bias-laden dogma that assigns “whiteness” of skin color to brilliance and civility and “blackness” of skin color to stupidity and malefaction. Sadly, by their actions and inactions, many of the woeful African leaders who have decimated their nations in the past several decades have bought into these stereotypes.
What is clear in recent decades is that many Africans who have migrated to Europe, the Americas and other continents have excelled in their chosen fields. Indeed, in some countries, Africans have significantly outperformed other immigrants.
“There are some black and Hispanic groups in America that far outperform some white and Asian groups. Immigrants from many West Indian and African countries, such as Jamaica, Ghana, and Haiti, are climbing America’s higher education ladder, but perhaps the most prominent are Nigerians. Nigerians make up less than 1 percent of the black population in the United States, yet in 2013 nearly one-quarter of the black students at Harvard Business School were of Nigerian ancestry; over a fourth of Nigerian-Americans have a graduate or professional degree, as compared with only about 11 percent of whites”. Amy Chua on Success and ‘The Triple Package’ — Knowledge …
So my prediction is that some African nations will take off, catch up with other developed nations and even outperform them in some areas if and when the endemic corruption and widespread leadership failure are resolved. Granted, this is a tall mountain to climb. Hopefully the sons and daughters of Africa in the homeland and the diaspora will answer the call with courage, perseverance, and spirit of selfless service.
African Leaders Must Step Up
Now back to my statement in the second paragraph that the accomplishments of the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President elect Kamala Harris on the “African front”, even in two terms in office, will be modest at best, just like that of the Obama Administration.
Under the auspices of the first USA President with parental root in Africa, the US-Africa Summit took place in Washington, DC, USA from August 4 — 6 2014. Forty five heads of African nations accompanied by scores of entourage participated in the Summit.
The August 4 events included sessions titled: “Investing in Women, Peace and Prosperity, Investing in Health, Investing in Africa’s Future: Resilience and Food Security in a Changing Climate and Combating Wildlife Traficking”. Does anyone really believe that anything discussed in these sessions has mitigated the pain and suffering of millions of Africans?
Was it prudent for these heads of state and their large entourage to spend hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of US dollars to travel thousands of miles from their homeland to get advice about how to invest in women, peace, prosperity, health and the future of Africa? The tragedy of this collossal waste is that about 40% of the citizens of Sub-Saharan African nations live on less than $1.90 a day. What’s it like to live on less than $2 a day? | Bill Gates
Yes, the optics of the relationship between the USA and African nations will significantly get better under the Biden Administration. However, as the minuscule yield from the August 2014 US-Africa Summit in Washington, DC hosted by President Obama has shown, positive and sustainable changes in Africa can only originate from within the continent.
It is up to the leaders of African nations to extinguish the endemic corruption, malfeasance and cronyism in their societies. They must establish a culture of honest governance, meritocracy, solid institutions, and selfless public service in their nations.
The thinking process involved in tackling all the issues on the USA-Africa Summit agenda in Washington from August 4–6, 2014 must originate within Africa, not in Washington, London, Paris, Beijing or New Delhi.
When African leaders own the destiny of their nations, improvements in various sectors, coupled with the goodwill of the Biden Administration will help to assuage the development deficits in the continent. This will produce a more stable, safer and prosperous Africa which will certainly benefit the world at large.
