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I believe that globalization is only necessary because of the web and strings the rest of the world has made. It's not possible for Africa, or anywhere else, to be self-sustainable, which is sad. I only hope that Africans find ways to maintain their culture and make globalization mold to their ways of life. In what ways do you see this as being possible? How do you think people in any nation can try to "personalize" globalization? Isn't it important?
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Monica Vaughan, Ashland, Or 13 Mar 2002
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No
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I think that as long as we have leaders who only think of themselves and forget the whole reason why or how they got there, Africa will continue to suffer. My country is a good example. I am Zimbabwean, 28, and left the country at 17 to pursue the better education that my parents thankfully could afford.
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I have not been home since. I had hoped to go home after my education and a bit of work experience to contribute to my country. Now it does not seem possible. I thought that this kind of stuff happened to other countries. I never thought it would happen to mine. You hear about this in all those South American countries (El Salvador, or Columbia just to name a few and take no offense to this.) Now my country is coming to this and I'm sad to see it happen. [ show full text ]
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C.M., Brampton, ON, Canada 12 Mar 2002
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South Africa cannot lead since South Africa does not have a leader.
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John Smith, South Africa 9 Mar 2002
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I strongly support the opinion of the Nigerian Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, because he spoke the exact minds of millions of Africans when he said,"why do our leaders hate us so much."
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Yes, he has the right to be bitter because we've been striped of what is supposed to be our birth right. In Europe one is subjected to thousands of embarassments and humiliations being a black man.
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Worse still, when you come to your own continent,nothing changes. Take for example,the citizens of Ghana,Togo, Benin, Nigeria,Liberia, passing through Niger to another country were always subjected to heavy flogging(like primary school students!) sometimes spending days in the police post cell until you pay them some illegal amount of money. This will be perpetrated in each post you encounter in more than ten places in Niger. But when the Europeans or rather whites are passing by in their jeep as a tourist or God knows what, the officers quickly throw their flogging cane down and wave enthusiastically with their two hands grinning from ear to ear, as if their lives depend on it. That's wrong. The fact that we speak English does not make us English men. As Odinkalu rigthly said, "If we can not create a mechanism to eliminate these in African union we're doomed" [ show full text ]
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Akinridibo dare samuel, Tripoli,Libya. 7 Mar 2002
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Africa without the AU is doomed.
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Each and every time that I see the African children war refugees shown on TV, holding a plate of food with protruding bellies and without clothing, this makes me believe that we don't have enough caring leaders in Africa.
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The Ecomog soldiers spear-headed by Nigeria have done an award winning job in the Liberian civil war and also returned the lost peace to Sierra Leone alone. Other leaders should emulate this act and stop the wars in their various regions for the sake of the millions of Africans that look up to you. Release them from the vice-like-gripping hands of poverty. The leaders should know that affection demanded does not have the same quality as affection freely given. Millions of Africans, especially the youth, believe that the AU is an antidote to poverty. They have gone through a lot together for a long period. Common hopes and hardship have forged a strong bond of affection between them. [ show full text ]
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Akinridibo Samuel Dare, Ondo, Nigeria 7 Mar 2002
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I dont like this idea of African Union. I am from Botswana. My country is a shining example of democracy and we have a prosperous economy....I dont want to see a drug dealing Nigerian coming to my country in the name of African Union...no way!!! I am proud of my country. We dont have corrupt leaders and we have never had any civil war.
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Dr Tshepho Seabo, brisbane, australia
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I follow and read with interest the contributions in your forum. I wonder however if the real issues are being addressed and mostly if Africa is a lost cause?
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Although conflict and war are part of the historical life of any nation...they are not inevitable.
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We cannot change history. Fifty years or so after independence, Africans can no longer be justfied to seek explanations or solutions to the ills of the continent from outside!
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Africa only needs strong and enlightened leadership that can successfully set aside the confrontational approach to embrace the cooperation model and seek to anchor the continent into the world's modern information age economy.
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For this to happen, a full cost-effective utilisation of all available resources is paramount. In this respect, the only salutary avenue for Africa is for its 'rulers' to learn how their own people who under all circunstances remain the pillar of any progress... [ show full text ]
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Bimbabampisha, Heretown
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There is a game called THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. It is a capitalistic system based on return on investment (For every single dollar invested what is the quickest way of getting the highest return in the shortest period of time?). The individuals that place their capital in an investment endeavor for the most part are only interested in the biggest return their investment can produce. These individuals often hire very smart people to run these investment, and the only thing they have in mind is to make this happen (return on investment) and get the big bonus at the end of their fiscal years.
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Having this in mind, knowing that the world has become a very small village where New York has a cold and Swiss air goes out of business, what is the role of Africa, a market of 600 million potential customers? [ show full text ]
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Alioune Samb, Minneapolis, MN
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With the way things stand at the moment, it is a dream too far. But once we Africans get our act together, I believe we can at least speak of economic integration.
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Of course, there are lots of issues to consider before fully-fledged economic integration. Africans have shown the will to be united both economically and culturally many times in the past. Now it is time for the decision makers to realize those dreams.
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Elshadai Negash , Addis Ababa
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The AU has a role in the integration of Africa. It should create a conducive atmosphere for the growth of factories and production anywhere in Africa, by Africans. They should make laws that protect industrial activities across today's borders and allow them to move production activities, resources, and output freely across borders as well. Then they should invest in transportation, telecommunications, electrical energy systems, and borderless education facilities to help bring Africa together.
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If Africa is ever going to make it to productive integration, the time is now. The Internet will not be free forever. Very soon new concepts will develop aimed at reducing abuses, or for economic reasons, a control system may be instituted to restrict use. The Internet is a gateway that Africa must utilize to bring her people together. By saying, ‘their people’, I am referring to the very young who will benefit from an integrated Africa. With the help of the Internet, companies in USA now maximize productivity, by moving parts of their production resources half way around the world. This permits a round-the-clock teaming of personnel. What it means is that the company’s white-collar team now works 24 hours a day. Work started in US is finished and reviewed by those in Asia by way of the Internet. Thus, customers get their orders faster, the productivity level is up, and the customer's activities are positively enhanced too. [ show full text ]
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Herbert E. Nwankwo, North Carolina, USA 3 Mar 2002
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The African Union ia a good idea on paper but we need to unite by region. West Africa, for example, should work together through ECOWAS. After this, we can logically talk about African unity.
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ECOWAS needs to succeed because its economic plan is good for Africa. Do not allow an illiterate like Gadafi to dictate African policy.
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Let him contribute towards refugees' needs. Then we can consider him a true African.
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Nasiru Koker, San Jose, California,USA 1 Mar 2002
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I strongly feel that we Africans should stop seeing ourselves as not capable of taking care of our continent. We have all the potential leaders and everything that we need, so why do we still depend on the West? Let us stop kneeling to them!
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Justin Tata, Norway 2 Mar 2002
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Unfair global economic and financial policies have contributed so much to the economic stagnation and decay of Africa. The most hostile one is the chronic cancer called "The foreign debt" which has drained the resources of the continent because Africa has to part with millions and billions of dollars and pounds to repay the principle borrowed sum and pay back the never-ending high interest rates.
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African countries have to come together and reject the repayment of these old debts(some as old as 30 years)until the time they will develop and have enough foreign reserves. If Central Banks and other financial institutions can write off huge debts as 'bad debts', why can't the Western countries and their Banks do that?
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It is only a clever way of making Africa dependent on them so as to determine the economic and political destiny of Africa. So Africa must not allow more debts with strings attached and should suspend the repayment of old debts in order to stop capital outflow and exploitation. Would they impose sanctions on the whole continent? [ show full text ]
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Godfrey O. Kerali , Stockholm, Sweden 2 Mar 2002
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The African Union ia a good idea on paper. But we need to unite by region; in West Africa, for example with Ecowas. Then we can talk about all African unity.
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Ecowas needs to succeed, because economic planning is good for Africa. Do not allow an illiterate like Gadaffi to dictate African policy. Let him contribute towards refugees, then we can consider him a true African.
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Nasiru Koker, San Jose, California,USA 1 Mar 2002
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An African Union is the sine qua non for a stronger Africa. However, we need to bear in mind that this idea is a threat to the rest of the world because they will not put up with the fact that Africa can speak in a single voice.
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I read other writers' essays and what worries me is the fact that all the debate seems to centre on an economic integration. This is not a bad thing since we live in a capitalist world. Nonetheless, I am of the opinion that Africa should, first and foremost, try and achieve a political union, and this will pave the way for a social and economic integration. I believe that most of our problems stem from the fact that our leaders have not entertained a political will strong enough to yield lasting effects in the positive direction. The opposite has been the prevalant factor and that is why we are torn apart. [ show full text ]
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Bolombe L. Joseph, London City/Surrey 22 Feb 2002
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Fellow Africans. Ambitious market integration along the lines of the European Union do not yet seem ripe in Africa at the present time.
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Given Africa's endemic problem with governance and economic management, taking a modest approach is highly recommended. Moreover, regional integration cannot be imposed from above, but be a commonly felt necessity supported by public concerns.
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Yet, many initiatives in the past and in the present have largely confined their operations to inter-governmental institutions, leaving out non-governmental institutions, civil society and the indigenous private sector, some of which are key actors in national economies.
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Finally, economic integration in Africa will not succeed in the absence of peace and stability. The socio-economic destruction and misery evident in the DRC and Angola testifies to the need for a regional consensus on the collective security needs of Africa. [ show full text ]
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Fantu Cheru, Washington, DC 20 Feb 2002
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The thing African leaders have not learnt and probably never will is that all political opposition is boosted by Europe for their own interest. Once the opposition is in power and realizes the harm done to his country by his angel protectors who brought him to power, and he finally wants to change things for the benefit of his own folk and land, another opposition is created and the story keeps on re-repeating itself.
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The enlightened leaders are then called by name like: dictator/terrorist/communist and the machinery of sanctions/insults goes on until new leadership comes to power.
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Today it is Zimbabwe, tomorrow S. Africa and after tomorrow Nigeria. Places like Sierra Leone are already colonized this time by a joint British/French force. [ show full text ]
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Dina Weber, Switzerland 1 Mar 2002
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Africa is the richest continent on earth and yet the poorest. Unless those of us who live outside of Africa wake up, our continent will continue to be "used and abused".
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It is up to us to educate the less priviledged back home. We just need a few good people with ideas pressing the right buttons!
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Ceasar R Kerali, London, United Kingdom 1 Mar 2002
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-The Vision for African Optimism-
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As the Continent of Africa develops into a Federation of Inter-dependant African States, we envision an organized effort in the United States, working throughout the local, state and national levels, building alliances and communities to re-establish relationships with descendant Africans of the Diaspora and native Africans.
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Our Vision includes the elimination of negative fiction, myths and interludes about African people and the establishment of sound knowledge and principles on the basis of truth in order to encourage mutual understanding. This is a necessary process in order to reconnect and socially bond these groups into one.
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Positive social bonding helps forge the foundation required to establish sustainable economic, technological and cultural unions.
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Inclusive in this process is the reversal of the existing Western based political ideology of Afro-Pessimism. We contend that "optimism" has more absolute utility than an ideology established on "pessimism." [ show full text ]
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Daoud Shariff, Boston, Massachusetts USA 28 Feb 2002
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I am very happy to see that Africans are now realizing the importance of African integration.
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I agree with one of the writers (see previous contributions) who said that Africans need to redefine themselves. As Africans, we need to think in terms of African ways of survival. We have been cheated for too long.
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First of all, African nations need to implement a new educational curriculum so that Africans understand who they are and why they need work together for a common end.
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The West can be a very good example to Africans, but our leaders have been blinded by their own power, thus, they don’t think about the future of the people and the nation as a whole. Instead, the leaders have been used by the Western nations to destabilize not only the nation, but all of its neighbors as well. [ show full text ]
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Kipkeny Julius, Marietta GA 28 Feb 2002
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The question I would like to ask is can Africa succeed without economic regional integration?
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In the past in Africa, or at least in large regions within Africa there was a high degree of economic integration. Perhaps if we recognize that Africa's present economic problems have been, at least partially, created by the artificial division of the continent into States, then we might accept without question the formation of continent-wide bodies aimed at producing greater economic synthesis, and accept that this process is necessary.
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Dr. Gideon P.E. Cohen, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 27 Feb 2002
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I think it's great, and long-overdue for the African Continent (all independent nations/peoples) to organize for the continued existence of humanity and the entire planet. I feel that such an historic event can lead to more opportunities for a peaceful, healthy, and just environment in which African countries and it's people (children, women, men), plants, and animals are allowed to develop.
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Kwesi Olafemi, Los Angeles, CA 26 Feb 2002
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An African parliament at this time is a very ambitious idea. Integration should start at the regional level, as planed by ECOWAS in West Africa, for instance. Other regions like Southern Africa can do the same thing. Then gradually, the idea can spread throughout Africa.
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I thing those who are rushing Africa into this have a hidden agenda.
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USL Economist, Nasiru Koker, San Jose, California 25 Feb 2002
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- Open AU fund now -
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While we keep getting views from people concerning the AU, I have the suggestion that let donation centers be opened worldwide for the AU FUND. The AU should not rely on foreign governments only. There are a lot of good-hearted individuals and corporations willing to help other people in one way or another. Any amount of money is important and will make a big difference.
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Also we should encourage all Africans in the Diaspora to seriously contribute to this fund monthly, yearly or otherwise.
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A central and separate independent account to that of the "AU main account" should be opened, and the fund, I suggest should be designated for the major projects of the AU (e.g. Pan African Parliamentary Building, Pan African Court of Justice, Pan African Headquarters, etc) other than salaries and/or allowances of the AU staff. [ show full text ]
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Pirach Yang, Chicago,IL-USA. 25 Feb 2002
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Yes, economic integration can be achieved in Africa. Some preconditions are to:
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- retake full leadership for Africa's development process;
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- retake ownership for Africa's development process;
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- regain self-confidence and release the energy of African people to develop from their inner strength;
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- reform both political and economic partnerships between Africa and the rest of the world so that development in Africa is based on collective self-reliance and equity at the international level, and
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- avoid taking NEPAD to the international community. Actually, Africa should deprive the international community the use of its preferred weapon: development assistance, which causes more harm than good to African people.
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Africa has the resources to develop sustainabley within the framework of human and economic integration. [ show full text ]
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A.N., Addis Ababa Ethiopia 24 Feb 2002
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The African Union will not fail only if the following happen:
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1. Unity should be based on mutual trust and love among Africans. For this to happen also, we need to adopt a common language. So long as we feel "more civilized or important" than other Africans just because we speak English, French or Portuguese which others do not, there will be no mutual trust. An economic union will come later without any effort if we first break the language barrier among Africans. Why can’t we adopt one African language and let all the leaders encourage it to be taught in their respective countries?
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2. Complete mental independence
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Even today, It is common for many African leaders to be misled by the former colonial masters and other western powers. Even some who think that they have an independent mind actually don't. An opposition leader for example, thinks it is easier to get the presidency if he gets the backing of the western countries. This is just an example of how dependent we are, even now. With this weakness, it won’t be difficult for Non-Africans to recruit puppets who will finally disrupt the union. Africans should first be taught and encouraged to believe in themselves. We should know that it is still possible to develop without the West although maybe, at a slower pace. [ show full text ]
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Thanks Jilisa Mwalilino, Zhejiang University, China Hangzhou, P.R.China 24 Feb 2002
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I do agree with Christine Kaluma (see previous contribution):
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"Let our men pretend they are away. I suggest the African Union must be headed by a woman. Then since women are the majority on the continent this drastic change may herald wisdom and magic!"
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African women should be at the forefront of the African Union project. In the past, Women have illustrated their tendency to organize in small groups and support structures, which has proved effective for development. Where these worked well they provided much needed support and a sense of worth to the individuals involved.
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Women see it as vital to educate children for a new society. Some would go so far as to say that it is all they can reasonably do. To attempt a revolution as a tiny minority is just not on and with the best of intentions could lead only to a new slavery. [ show full text ]
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Joram, Kabale, Uganda 24 Feb 2002
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Thank you, Allafrica.com and ADF, for giving us this space; hopefully this culture will last long. Reading the vast and diverse comments, I appreciate that there are a number of intelligent arguments on the way forward.
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First and foremost, I would like to concur with Financial Mail editor-at-large Jabulani Sikhakhane that South Africa's economy, which is the largest in the continent, should not shoulder the burden of our development strategy.
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A recent report by UNCTAD on investment and development in Sub-Sahara Africa revealed that the region is much poorer today than it was ten years ago (during the advent of free market economies and Russian collapse).
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The report stated that, despite efforts by African governments to lure foreign direct investment (FDI) from Western investors, not much has been coming in and even those who have come to invest in the continent are taking away more in terms of profits, dividends and bank interest. [ show full text ]
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Finnigan Wa Simbeye, Paris, France 23 Feb 2002
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I have read with interest the comments posted here by my fellow Africans. I must say that everyone has made a lot of sense even though I disagree with some. The great news here is that at least we are all finally discussing what needs to be done and how we need to go about changing our beloved continent.
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My personal opinion is that Africa's current problems can be attributed to a combination of factors. It seems to me that everytime we discuss the causes we tend to mention only three and ignore the rest. The discussed ones are slavery, colonialism, and bad leadership. Of course, we can all agree that these three contributed immensely to Africa's current demise but those are not the only ones. [ show full text ]
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Banka, Atlanta, GA 22 Feb 2002
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Africa's moral, tribal, and religious issues need to be resolved before real talks about economic development start. One may agrue that reviving the economy first will improve those relations. This might be true, but look at Nigeria in the '60's and today. When Nigeria was at the tip of economic development and wealth, these issues still existed. Education is needed to improve the lives of the people first. An educational program including courses in diversity, ethics, and technology should be the initial focus. Then we can start looking at other things. Nothing will change if we look at economics without looking at education. Africa's development becomes a vicious cycle of death and corruption.
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Dan Gowon, Utah 22 Feb 2002
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Africans are believers in magic. This time African juju will not work. The African Union can only function if infrastructures are put in place all over the continent.
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Uganda must be willing to develop its neighbour. Ghana must love good things and wish it for Nigeria. Wars must stop. Being agents of super powers to destabilize your next neighbour or kill the leaders of Africa in order to share the loot with western looters and colonialists must stop.
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Are Africans all blind? Can't someone see what a child is seeing that the king or our leaders have no clothes! How are we to see our mistakes if the same blind leaders that lead the OAU are the same with the African Union? [ show full text ]
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Christine Kaluma, USA 21 Feb 2002
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African Union, what Union? Let's deal with concepts here. The Union'll be a collection of rigid rulers that attempt to corral democratic behavior within ever narrowing definitions of legality. People'll demand that the Union be rigid, they want no latitude for compassion within the Union.
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Therefore the Union must constantly be interpreted, and with each new interpretation it'll become more solid and unbending to the complexities of African interaction it was designed to address in the first place. The Union'll be the Union! It won't be denied, even when common sense tells us it shouldn't.
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Even the good things that the present African states have "done" are actually harmful. They've prevented us from creating the genuine, self-managed communities geared to our needs. African States (Uganda, Libya, Zimbabwe etc,) that deal in suppression tend to strengthen what they seek to suppress by forming a "union". These very repressive regimes also attempt to shift responsibility. Only you can be responsible for your actions. If there is a law against corrupting your masses, and you do it...who is responsible for this action? You are of course, but the action of the Union is to attempt to insure that responsibility for their acts rests with you and me. Perhaps the best way to say this is that most super states formed by repressive regimes are set up to punish rather than achieve balance. The African youth is more concerned with punishing State criminals than with achieving a union of state criminals. [ show full text ]
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Joram, Kabale, Uganda 21 Feb 2002
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Why Africa should unite?
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Is is for economic or political reason?
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Is it achievable?
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These are critical questions. Are we running to duplicate Europe's way of integration or do we have our own local way? Things in Europe and Africa are totally different.
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Here I want to add a nice comment given by somebody:
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'What is the point of integrating African countries economically, socially, politically etc., when few of them are actually surviving?Taking a bunch of politically and economically unstable countries, throwing them together and expecting them to flourish is grasping at straws where there are none, or attempting to reach some sort of Utopian ideal.
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How can the different African countries be expected to live and work in harmony when they are clearly unable to do so within their own countries? The "weaker" countries are likely to cripple the "stronger" countries, thereby ensuring the mass infrastructural, economic and political breakdown of Africa. [ show full text ]
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FBT, Addis Ababa 21 Feb 2002
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The AU is long overdue. In my view the sytematic fragmentation of Africa to serve the needs of its colonial masters was the single most devastating set back on the continent. We need integration to improve our continent. What is happening now is that we are competing among ourselves to better serve the Europeans. This has led to the devaluation of our National currencies when our governments knew that our balance of trade with the West is still a deficit- thus lowering the standard of living in most African countries.
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I must admit, the current set of leaders will not deliver, but I am very optimistic about the future leaders. The way to start, is to eliminate the barriers. Geographical as well as psychological barriers would have to be removed between the countries. This will lead to more understanding and collaboration between citizens in their endeavors towards better lives. The West will never help us solve our problems and we must be weary of organizations such as the UN, IMF and the World Bank. These are the real problems disguising as our friends. [ show full text ]
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Lamin , Gambia 21 Feb 2002
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The question before us is not as whether we will have an African Union (AU) but rather how unrelentingly we will support it. Remember, it is not Africa against itself but rather African against the world.
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It's naive to suggest that South Africa will suffer economically with the continent's economic integration. This is tantamount to suggesting that South Africa is unique and therefore separate from Africa. If that's the case, then, South Africa should not be called by its name.
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In the United States, for example, there are some barren states, which are economically obsolete and some states are economically sound but all combined, they make the USA a super-power. The issue of African Economic integration as it relates to South Africa should neither arise nor distract our focus to uniting Africa. All African states and their peoples have suffered economic exploitation, political oppression and social degradation through colonialism, imperialism or otherwise. We're in the same bed and boat. If resources from Nigeria or Kenya can save a child's life in Somalia or Lesotho, then All Africa will stand tall and face the world with dignity. None, is going to lose. It's my hope that soon we will tranform the African Union into the United African States (UAS). [ show full text ]
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Julius Kenyatta, Atlanta, USA.
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Rebuild Africa with the people
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I have read all the comments that precede mine. I am addressing my remarks to those who support the AU (OAU) plan. I believe that South Africa made a good start. However, it failed to make use of the grassroots' potential for rebuilding the country. It started with a top-down liberation plan. If it had harnessed the considerable experience grassroots people possessed and integrated it with the top-down process, it would have made a great deal more progress.
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This is my suggestion for the AU: buy materials and liberate resources that could be used by grassroots people to participate in rebuilding the continent.
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For example: purchase material for people to build their own homes instead of imitating the public sector of economically strong countries, where they go and build homes. People would appreciate the economic problems that governemnts face, but also feel motivated because government cares. In other words, engage ordinary folks in the magnificent task or reclaiming Africa. [ show full text ]
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Elizabeth Thaele-Rivkin, Syracuse NY 20 Feb 2002
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It is boring and unprogressive to read negative comments from racists doubting that Africans can unite and form a political and economic union. The debate should centre on how best to achieve union, not whether we should have one or if it is possible. If Europe, the incubator and battlefield for so many wars can unite, so can Africans.
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Specifically, I want to endorse the need for broadening African unity to include the African Diaspora, both old and new. Investment, tourism, trade, information exchange, advocacy, etc are all worthy areas for cooperation between Africans at home and abroad, but we should also consider the more innovative trends such as repatriation and reparations.
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If the Jews and the State of Israel could get so much aid as well as special compensation,from the European countries, including Germany, and from the USA, then Africa is owed a great deal for the Slave Trade and Colonization, by those who benefited most from those eras, at the expense of Africans and of the continent's past, present and future state of development and integration. [ show full text ]
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Lorna Davidson, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 20 Feb 2002
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Can economic integration be achieved in Africa?
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--To whose benefit?
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--At Whose expense?
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The question of economic integration must be addressed by assessing the two following afore mentioned questions. If economic integration means the economic power houses stand to benefit at the expense of the poor, then, integration is actually counter-productive. However, it can be a noble idea if integration guarantees the creation of stimulants for economic growth vis-à-vis economic cooperation/integration.
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This is only achievable through the aspirations of a progressive elite class empowered with the vision that creates avenues and institutions of exchange albeit political, economic, or social, for long-term sustainable growth. The question that must follow then is how progressive are the leaders of Africa? Is their progressive nature a facade to appease western demands, or is it a genuine sensitivity to the plight of the African peoples? [ show full text ]
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Axel M. Addy, Los Angeles, CA 19 Feb 2002
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Economic integration cannot succeed without political stability. Any African Union must maintain an all african military which would have the right to intereve to restore and prevent coups and the such. As Nkrumah said Africa must first obtain the Political Kingom-unity, and then everything else will fall in line.
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DA, blackstate.com
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The idea of an African Union is the way forward, but if we are going to pin our hopes on our corrupt leaders to implement this idea, then we are going nowhere.
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The AU leadership should be shared not through party politics, but by intergrating traditional authorities in the leadership chain. Then we will see some changes. Let us not forget that this discussion/debate is being carried out by a small minority who have Internet access. So the message is not getting through to the people in general, who should also take part in this powerful discussion.
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When are we going to stop discussing and start acting? When are we going to stop talking and start doing? We can have this discussion for as long as we wish, but it won't have any effect unless things start moving. We have all the resources that we need. So what are we waiting for? [ show full text ]
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LK, UK
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I am skeptical about the so-called African Union. Ghadaffi of Libya, was told by Arab dictators to carry his whacky ideas of Arab Union somewhere else. Where do you think he picked? He picked Africa because, there he finds a bunch of hustlers who masquerade as Heads of State. Ghadaffi foots the $1m bill to launch the African Union. All he wants to do is to control people.
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I think African governments must work hard to take care of their people in different countries. This, they have not done. They cannot even provide the basic needs of their citizens. Why do you think they will succeed in forming a union of 54 countries? Be for real.
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Sesay Ahmed, USA
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My comment on this issue is that Africa does not care for her citizens. When a group of people are in power with their political party, they only think of their family or how to send all the country's money overseas. The money stays in the bank and if anything happens to the sender, the foreign bank will take the money; if the country of origin wants to get the money back, the bank will refuse, and that's all. I am just trying to say that Africans can help themselves if they want.
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Abele, Las Palmas de Gran Canarias Spain.
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I am glad to see that we are having this debate (though I see it's serving as a soap box for most people rather than a debate forum). Therefore, I'll like to add my personal contribution (however small it may be) to a few of the ideas presented above.
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Since I heard about the AU, I've been measurably excited about the prospects of Africa finally rising from its depths of tribalism, colonialism, failed governments, military leaders etc. Measured, because there is no guarantee that the AU will succeed.
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Which Plan?
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Some of the comments posted here have advocated Africa coming up with its own plan. It is my understanding that the AU is Africa's own plan. I presume they are really saying that Africa should come up with another plan, perhaps because, based on its proposals, they do not like the plan or simply because a similar plan has been implemented by the EU and they would like to distance Africa from the "colonialist" as much as possible. [ show full text ]
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Mark Peters, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Africa`s teeming problems(bad leaderships) will neither be solved nor alleviated, even if this integration factor were to be achievable. It is a fantasy soaked in foolhardy and wanton disregard for analysis.
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To attain such a cultural and economic climax is presently outside the reach of our blessed continent.
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The problems besieging our beautiful and majestic continent are still those which the facilitator of this debate on a wasteful and un-achievable topic of "Integrating prodigal-led African countries" gloriously exhibits.
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African countries have to individually discover for themselves that the enemies of the African people are the European and American institutions and governments that continue to underhandedly meddle in African affairs, to the detriment of Africa and its people, who help to install bad and worthless leadership in Africa. [ show full text ]
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Dr. Ike Regals, Atlanta, Georgia
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Whatever it's called - African Union, Organization of African Unity - the idea of economic integration is only as effective as the commitment behind it. So it's not a question of the idea, it's a question of whether African governments have the resolve needed to take advantage of the well-known economies of scale to provide the average man, woman and child in Africa with a better chance at living.
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Nwabu Nnebe, USA
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It is clear that first, infrastructures must exist and second, must be integrable before one can realistically speak of integration.
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Given Africa's lack of same, it would seem that infrastructures must be specifically designed to fit into the overall plan, that is, if one expects to compete globally. I do not think Africa has the time to meander toward a globally competitive economy.
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So, how does one design an infrastructure? Is it done with the participation and cooperation of the people? Or is it imposed? Who will volunteer to be a "loser" in order to advance the economic "good" of the continent? I don't see such a thing happening en masse.
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Africans should consider carefully whether they have to follow, so exactly, the Western pattern of development. [ show full text ]
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Jesse Hutton, USA
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If you create an African Union to solve your state machine problems, you merely create a new state machine problem.
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I firmly accept the motto: Corrupt regimes are best which govern least; and African governments are best that govern not at all.
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The desirable transitional path for an African union is problematic. It is hard to support expansion of the state when it is the state that one opposes so fervently. Also, it is difficult not to advocate the abolition of Corruption, IMF and World Bank, tribalism, wars, etc, which are an important means of subsistence for the ruling classes of African society.
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Perhaps the most viable intermediate alternative would be to expand voluntary alternatives to oppressive state machines, such as self-help projects, cooperatives, worker-owned firms, or whatever else free people might establish to fulfill their own needs while they enlighten others. [ show full text ]
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Joram, Kabale, Uganda
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What is the point of integrating African countries economically, socially, politically etc., when few of them are actually surviving?Taking a bunch of politically and economically unstable countries, throwing them together and expecting them to flourish is grasping at straws where there are none, or attempting to reach some sort of Utopian ideal.
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How can the different African countries be expected to live and work in harmony when they are clearly unable to do so within their own countries? The "weaker" countries are likely to cripple the "stronger" countries, thereby ensuring the mass infrastructural, economic and political breakdown of Africa.
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Let the progressing countries grow as they will, at their own pace, so that they can assist their neighbours, rather than dragging them down for an ideal that is doomed to failure. [ show full text ]
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Chantelle de Nobrega, Cape Town, South Africa
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Perhaps the most important factor that will determine the success of the African Union is our relationship with former colonial powers.
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Us africans need to realise that colonialism is not yet over. We need to state our case and do so clearly. Today we are under colonial rule in the form of economic slavery. Every cent that Africa has the ability to generate belongs not to us but to the IMF and the World Bank. We need to mobilise a serious resistance to this debt trap which is continually being worsened (deliberately, I might add) by their punitive economic reform policies.
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How can the US, which spends billions of dollars subsidising lazy, loss-making farmers in their agriculture sector, tell us we are not allowed to subsidise our starving, hardworking subsistence farmers? [ show full text ]
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Gama Bandawe, Malawi
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Aren't you ashamed of yourself for still fooling the African people with senseless discussion that will never be put into action? Please stop these lies and ironies and leave us alone. The funniest part in all of this is that most of the ideas you have posted come from Africans or people staying everywhere in the world but the continent itself :Big and Beautiful Africa . peace
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AB, Africa
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The African problems will never be over unless the Africans themselves put away their greed for money and stop the corruption of the wealth of their people. I tell you, the AU can only be powerful unless the leaders respect their own views and work towards it. Without that we will only be putting old wine in new bottles.
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During the old days of Africa our people never knew that diamonds were money making, so they sold our people for material things. These days they have turned to stealing the diamonds and putting the money in their pockets. They must first of all respect the laws of their own countries before they can respect the laws of the AU that they are going to put together. [ show full text ]
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Douglas Pailow, Sweden
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As long as Africa is reliant on the bankrupt IMF, World Bank and any present dying monetary system nothing will work. Africa must scrap the whole system and start anew.
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For the system to work, each national state must have banks that protect their people first. Payment of the debt has to be no.
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Two: Africa must ask Lyndon LaRouche , the genius International Economist and forecaster, for a good plan. You must go and learn New Economics as propounded by Larouche Jr. now. Visit his website.
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Africa is only being used and genocide is happeing through disease, IMF etc and is the order of the day. All this can change if people and their welfare are put first.
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African minerals must be used to improve African lives. Shame on African leaders just like they sold fellow Africans in slavery. History repeats itself again. They have squadered Africa's riches and eslaved Africans again with a debt. [ show full text ]
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Christine Kaluma, USA
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The African Union is the best idea that has come out of the continent in a while. Europe is uniting. So is Asia. The same thing is happening the Americas. They are now building strong economic blocks and if Africa is to survive, they also must come together.
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I believe the African Union will succeed because never has there been so much suffering inflicted on a people at a single point in history. It is imperative that we succeed because only then can we check the excessive abuse of power by most African leaders. The ordinary African is tired. He is tired of being exploited by his own brother in whose hands he has placed his economic and political future. Our leaders have raped our economies and taken all the money to foreign banks for themselves and their families. That era is fast running out. [ show full text ]
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Takor Takor, United Kingdom
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These are a few thoughts on Africa before we can engage on any constructive debates. Africa needs to change its worldview and attitude about its painful past.
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AFRICA MUST MOVE ON
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On October 4th 1994, the former economic development minister in Tanzania, A.R.M Babu, published an article in the New Vision entitled: CRISIS WILL UNITE AFRICA.
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In his article, Mr Babu argues that the bloody crises that were occurring in Africa, were the result of the failure, by the African leaders after independence, to undo the pseudo-nation-states that colonial rulers had left behind. In other words, he argues that African leaders, those who took over from the colonialists, kept colonialism intact, in the absence of the colonialists.
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There seems to be both moral and ethical implications to such an argument, and if it is proven to be correct, it must raise multiple questions for the present day African thinkers and their leaders. Suspiciously though, there seems to be a tendency to try and explain any present failures as emanating from the colonial era rather then finding meanings in both the continuous colonial legacy and the present challenges that the young states of Africa are facing in the ever changing international system. [ show full text ]
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Bolombe L. Joseph, London
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The African Union, a new wine in an old skin?
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Africa has been the subject of many development prescriptions and lofty visions, which some people may have lost count of. We have had the Lagos Plan of Action, APPER, UN-PPARED, UN-NADAF,UNTACDA I, UNTACDA II, IDDA, UN-SDI, TICAD I, TICAD II, Lome Conventions, SAPs, AF-SAPS, etc. etc. In 1991 when the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Commuity (the Abuja Treaty), was signed, there was a belief that the continent had at last settled on a final blueprint towards its transformation through integration. That was not to be.
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Whether or not we now have the "Eureka" in the AU and NEPAD remains to be seen. I think what is most needed now to move this continent forward is more on action and less on words. Many hope that the AU and NEPAD will be the last of these "deja vus". The EU set out to have a single currency by January 2002, and they surely did have the Euro as planned. Let's hope the AU and NEPAD will deliver on their promises for an integrated and a better Africa. [ show full text ]
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Dan Frank, Addis, Ethiopia
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An African Union is a novel idea. However the pertinent questions that need to be addressed are at whose benefit? If integration means uniformity for a creation of a bigger market for transnational domination, then integration is neocolonization and the NGO's are our new 'missionaries' there to pacify us for the world order?
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Integration is positive only if it means that Africans are no longer the chauffeurs of but the drivers of Africa's destiny. African unity can only be materialized when Africans are in absolute control of their resources. So long as transnationals continue to dictate the policies of our governments, unity only stands to enslave us in our own homes.
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One then may ask about some prescriptives. Well, unity in Africa can not be defined by Western interpretation. Unity thus must mean first social integration and mutual respect. Africans must learn to know their neighbors and create conditions for ideological exchange. [ show full text ]
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Axel Addy, Los Angeles, CA
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If we haven't seen any changes the OAU has bought about for decades for the African nations we do not have any confidence in the proposed AU. With the old selfish presidents we have in power, we are still going to lag behind when we are the major continent with all the resources.
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All the propositions of the AU are just a theoratical imitation of the EU model that would never work in an African setting. Africans should come up with their own model that is suitable for the African people but not grab some kind of European or Western system and impose it on poor Africans. The transition of the European Union has been implemented after a couple of decades! Do these African Presidents think it's something thats going to happen overnight? [ show full text ]
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Luvaga R, Charleston S.C
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Its true that only Africans can solve their problems. What is inportant here for all of us is why Africa the way it is today.
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The aguement is very long as long as we live on the face of the earth. But history has shown Africa problems from slavery, colonialism and to present day lack of good leadership. Slavery and colonialism are of the past, but good leadership is what is still Africa's biggest problem.
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Most African leaders lack political maturity and have no regard for the people they govern. There is no proper check and balance system in place in order to scrutinize the activities of our leaders. They only surround themselves with praise singers to rape our economy more and more. [ show full text ]
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A Nasso, United Kingdom
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The idea of an African Union is a good one. Africa needs to be able to compete with the other world economic powers on an equal footing and the only way that is possible is when African countries present a united front representing all of Africa's interests. It is a long term process which, I believe, is possible because all across the continent,you will find young Africans that are progressive thinkers who are more than capable of grasping this idea and propelling to reality in the years to come.
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Franklyn T. Khoza, Lilongwe, Malawi
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The lofty idea of Africa Union was a brain child of President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, now of blessed memory, before some of us were born.
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As history has it,this idea led to his exile and death because his African brothers and sisters did not understand him or acted as robots to their colonial masters.
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These same colonial master are still in control of all our God-given natural resources after over forty years of so-called independence.
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Today if we think we are ready to stand for the idea of Africa Union, we must start opening Mental Schools for our leaders and most of us, for a change of mentality, to love, feel and behave African.
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If we all love Africa, then patriotism will follow suit and it will eliminate greed and selfishness which are the crux of our problems in our part as Africans; and in the part of all the multi-national co-operations doing business with countries of Africa the continet. [ show full text ]
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Esimo Yamboka, Alexandria VA
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Africa's problems are Africa's problems and it is up to African countries to solve these problems as and when they arise. Every time there is a problem, Africa tends to turn to the western world to solve its problem. This to my mind is unacceptable in this day and age, it does not give Africa the sense of independence it deserves, a lot of us see it as colonisation in the new age.
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One example that would fall under this category is Uganda's Museveni and Rwanda's Kagame who were ushered to London and asked by the British Gov't to either get along or else. The plundering of mineral resources in the DRC by Uganda and Rwanda, which has also claimed thousands of lives is one which should have been dealt with by African countries; but the fact that they have failed to do so, leaves a daunting image for future leaders of Africa. [ show full text ]
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Samuel , United Kingdom
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The problem with economic integration in Africa is bringing together very diverse economies -- those which rely primarily on agriculture vs. those with mineral resources, for example. They tend to have different economic cycles, requiring appropriate economic policies for individual areas.
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In a union, there could only be one set of policies, which would, at different times, have a very positive effect on some areas, while other areas are affected very negatively. This also makes it much harder to control inflation. Thus, economic integration will work for some countries, but not for others.
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It will also mean much hard work by national regimes. Common trade practices must be tightly bound together. Imports must be closely tracked. There must be no room to get around the system -- somewhat of a cultural change which may not be viewed favorably by those carrying out the programs. [ show full text ]
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PS, Arlington, VA
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