The Need for Africa to Evolve her own Civilization

From Agbadua Bamidele

I woke up this morning reflecting on Africa and her place in a globalised world. Are we progressing or retrogressing? This sounds rhetorical, but wait a minute: you can answer the question by the time you finish reading this seemingly lengthy thoughts of mine.
I agree that the West is way ahead of Africa in many spheres of life. However, development is not absolute. My elementary  Economics also taught me the theory of *comparative advantage*. This means Africa certainly has comparative advantage in certain things . Unfortunately, we have been conditioned not to believe in ourselves.

An average African child is well brought up with good virtues of respect for elders, but they came and told us a child has the right to greet or not to greet his parents in the morning. They even said a child can stretch his hands at his father for a handshake. For them, anything goes! Sadly, we have since copied and pasted this as a new way of life.

They will give you a dress and call it 'bullet proof' vest. They will never tell you how they made it. Truly, you wear it, and it repels bullet! Now, a man in your village makes some incisions on your body at a cheaper price and, indeed, it also repels bullet.  He calls your own fetish and superstition and you agree with him. Your legislators are already considering  a bill for an implant of microchips in your body in the name of vaccination; to us, that is not superstition!

About 8yrs ago, my little baby  had cough which seemed to defy various cough mixtures.  I told my mum, who burnt a piece of bitter kola, mixed it with red oil and, in 3days of administering that on the child, the cough stopped.  Yet we cannot package that and sell, if not to the whites but, at least, to us Africans.

Look at the recent case in Madagascar where they found a cure  for coronavirus but WHO  is saying don't use because it has not passed through scientific processes. Yesterday I got an sms from our own NCDC that we should not use it. To me, I think what is going on in their mind is: who is Madagascar to discover a cure for a disease plaguing the whole World? Many people have laid claims even in Nigeria to having remedy for coronavirus but the government is not even interested because our minds are conditioned in such a way.  In as much as I commend the scientists in Madagascar for their efforts, I, most importantly, thank the President of that country for the courage to endorse the adoption and usage of that tea for treatment and prevention of the dreaded pandemic.

Where was China in global affairs 30yrs ago? They evolved their own pharmaceutical, medical technology( in some cases they copied!). I watched a video where a Chinese was flogging an African in Africa. Imagine China of yesterday! African leaders don't have respect for themselves. First, it was Europe and America, now it is common China that has come to  underdevelop, impoverish and rape Africa because of loans they give to us. Just imagine China! The thing dey vex me!

This is a wake-up call to African leaders. There is no way others will love us more than we love ourselves. Until we evolve our own form of civilization, Africa will  remain as pawns in the hands of the rest of the World.
Just my thoughts.

 Dr Agbadua oyakhiromhe Bamidele, ACIB, ACS, is a lecturer and public affairs analyst. He sent this piece from Edo State