British colonialism still plays a major role in the tragedies and disasters we see in Africa today, writes Osaki Peebe Harry
African migrants aboard a Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue boat, after being located on a punctured rubber boat in the Mediterranean, about 12 miles north of Sabratha, Libya on 23 July 23, 2017. Photograph: Santi Palacios/AP
Tuesday 1 August 2017 19.15 BST
Sam Akaki’s letter (Africa’s tragedies aren’t a result ofcolonialism, 28 July) is interesting, but lacks certain facts. Any careful analysis will show that British colonialism still plays a major role in the tragedies and disasters we see in Africa today. Take the migrants’ deaths in the Mediterranean, and the continued hardline policies being pursued by the British government toward migrants, and say this is not colonialism at its worst.
Today’s waves of migration are a direct result of Britain’s disastrous intervention in the ousting and killing of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. This is a fact many in the corporate and government controlled media choose to ignore. Before the disastrous events in Libya, the government and its people accommodated many migrants from all over Africa, who went to Libya to better their lives.
The current situation is down to the failure of western powers, particularly the US and British governments, who feel they’re the custodians of almighty power and believed could do as they wished in Africa without any blowback. Most African countries are blessed with vast natural resources. These countries would, for the most part, not go begging for aid if their natural resources were not being mismanaged, and their revenues stolen and allowed to be kept in British banks and as investments in real estate.
The media also plays a major role. One easily finds stories about devastating problems in Africa caused by famine and other disasters on the BBC, but you cannot find news and analysis that informs you about the billions of dollars stolen out of Africa and kept in British banks. These are colonial era tactics, still employed with regards to who controls the revenues from Africa.
As a result of this loss of revenue, there is a lack of development, and people face the hard fight to survive in countries rich in natural resources. The Americans, with their war on terror, have a system in place to track terrorist monies. The British government, if it wants to end its colonial control, could do the same for all illegal monies coming out of Africa. But it will not do so because a huge part of the British economy depends on it.
Only when the British government acts to stop the thievery by corrupt governments and business leaders, and return this money so it can be used for development, will there be ease in migration and aid.
Osaki Peebe Harry
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Source – The Guardian