Unfulfilled potential. Years ago I wrote these very words on a student’s paper I was correcting. The feeling I had writing these words were of despair and wonder. I had a student that had all the academic potential in the world but did not fulfil it and preferred to play basketball rather than grooming his intellectual skills. Both my feelings of despair and wonder came from one question I could not understand. Why? Why would he not work to fulfill his potential and abilities?
For the student the answer was lack of motivation. And here defers the student from Africa. In the case of Africa the west, the teachers of this talented student, have failed it. Instead of handing the right tools for success the “teacher” is acting in a selfish way by depressing his student and not enabling him to truly grow.
Africa, a continent that stretches over 30.2 million km², and has a massive population estimated at about 1.1 billion people (15% of the world’s population), has many talents that are sadly used for the rest of the worlds’ interests and benefits.
It is located in the center of the world, and is as we know the source of all human beings. It has gold and metals, diamonds and oil, unique and diverse climate and hundreds of cultures that date back thousands of years ago!! It is rich in resources and landscapes, and rich in culture and history.
Yet this “rich” continent has the poorest people in the world with about 48% of Africans (Sub-Sahara Africa) making a bit over a dollar a day. This “rich” continent has the average life expectancy of 52 years of age, while the Global average is 66. In Sub-Saharan Africa the life expectancy can be a merely 42 years of age as in Zimbabwe.
The state of health in Africa is unbelievably lacking with over half the Africans having no access to drugs that are vital to their lives. Not to mention the lack of basic equipment in the hospitals.
The state of Africa is known to all, and I am not writing anything new. The question I raise is similar to the one I raised regarding my student, why? Why isn’t Africa reaching its potential?
In my opinion this question has several answers but one that is the essence of injustice is as mentioned above the place of the teacher i.e. the western world.
The reality is that Africa is receiving a lot of aid but unfortunately NO help.
What do I mean?
To the hunger problem we send food but do not help create societies that do not depend solely on local agriculture or handouts of different charity organizations. Big pharmasutacles send thousands of cocktails against HIV/AIDS that so many depend on, but no one is telling Africans how to manufacture it themselves.
We believe we help Africa by donating money for medication and care when in fact we should find ways to offer better incentives to the local doctors to stay and open clinics in their region. Therefore we should invest our time, energy, and money in building good medical, economic, and political infrastructure and not just fix what comes to the surface.
It is clear that when we try to achieve this goal we face two dominant challenges.
First, the help and motivation of the locals that is hard to bring about and maintain as they are forced to deal with their daily difficulties and focus on survival rather than reform.
And second, the attempt to bring to a change in countries that are filled with corruption and self-interests of the leaders.
These challenges can be overcome If we help build a stronger more outspoken society in the different African countries to stand against the corruption and offer another layer of society that is honest, transparent, professional, and knowledgeable. Many African countries already have this society in its younger student population. Here is where I believe our money can help. By creating programs that make the young African students able to stay in their country and achieve financial success we create the future of a continent. From my limited experience talking to African students it is clear they are the hope of Africa as they are true to their cultures but also aware and educated to how the world works today.
I suggest sharing the west’s knowledge with them and guide them to offer a new leadership to their countries.
Many might read this post and say it is impossible to make a change and bring “blossom to the dessert”, but I come from the living proof that it is possible. Israel was not so long ago a dessert land. For example it had no real infrastructure. It could have easily become another third world country as it was for years, except the west (US mostly) decided to give Israelis the tools to create a modern prospering land. Israelis did not receive drugs but were taught how to make them. We were not to rely on the local agriculture (thank god..) but were given the knowledge of modern agriculture and industry.
Today we can all agree that Israel is as modern and successful as it is thanks to the deep investment and knowledge sharing of the USA.
The same can be done for Africa, except the results could be much better, as Africa has unbelievable natural resources and Israel simply doesn’t.
The next question – why doesn’t the west do the same with Africa – is very easy to answer.
They simply don’t because they won’t.
A strong prospering Africa would “harrow up our souls”, that is make the world as we know it change completely. If the talented child will live up to his potential, the teacher would not only lose control over the child, but will also lose his powerful position.
Whereas a physics teacher can smile when his student becomes an astronaut, Europe and the USA I’m afraid will not put their pride or position in the world to enable the talented kid, I.e. Africa to role in their place.
If so the way to really help Africa is to give it the toolbox that will make it rise even on the west’s expense. I am ready to do so, and thankfully many NGO’s are also willing, but I doubt the powers of the world are.
One thing is certain; Africa is the biggest injustice I ever wrote on.
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