A Letter to Us Ordinary Africans

Over the past several weeks, the international community has been speaking out loud and clear against Africa’s poverty in the wake of the G8 summit at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland this week. Previously, the Africa Commission set up by the British Prime Mister Tony Blair produced a report on Africa’s poverty, the causes and what to do about it. Many reasons have been advanced for Africa’s poverty, among which are poor governance and corruption by our African governments. Africa’s governments seem to be less worried about the poverty of their people than the G8 governments. The people of the world are holding concerts and demonstrations in their streets to make Africa’s poverty history. What are we ordinary Africans, the victims of bad governance, of government corruption, of poverty, doing in response to this global awakening about our plight? I challenge you to rise up and speak out loud and clear against bad governance, against corruption, against poverty. For it is bad governance and corruption that are the sins that those who are hesitating to write off Africa’s debts, to increase aid, and to practice fair trade, are citing to deny us of the much needed reprieve, to keep us under the bondage of poverty. I challenge the African people, from Nairobi to Darker, and from Cairo to Cape Town, to hold peaceful demonstrations across the continent for good governance, against corruption and against poverty. For, if the people of the North are now demonstrating in their streets to influence the decisions of their G8 governments to seriously address our plight, why then, may I ask, cant we ordinary Africans respond, and demonstrate to influence the decisions of our governments: for good governance, against corruption and against poverty? As we keep mum, we keep dying from poverty! Come on, Africans, stand up to be counted, stand up for your lives! Our African governments are meeting in Libya, and are asking the G8 for fair trade. But they are mum about bad governance, and about corruption, the twin evils they practice with impunity to our graves! Can we ordinary Africans afford to be mum about these? Only at the risk of our lives!

By Adrian Mukhebi