If you have been following the Transparency International court in France, you will be surprised that Africa has lost. Transparency International had filed a court order against the late Omar Bongo of Gabon, Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbaso of Guinea for stealing their countries’ wealth and storing it in France and other places outside Africa. The money, which was taken in hard cash, some in gold or oil to France was used in buying luxurious properties in France.  

The French court dismissed the case because there was ' lack of evidence’ to prove that the billions of euros taken to France were stolen from Africa. Since the accused had good government jobs in Africa, the court argued, the money might have been earned through their hard work. The countries in question also lack  laws that demand that illegally acquired money taken out of the country be returned.

Kenya is also another story: We see Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta using tax-payers’ money to buy land for IDPs, the same land his father allegedly grabbed from the peasants in the 1960s and 1970s. Buying land for the IDPs is not bad but how the land was valued is what is not making sense. Uhuru and his buddies just sat down over beer and decided on the price of the land. He then went to the Finance ministry pot and and collected how much he needed for the land and put it in his account. Did an independent body take part in valuating the land?

Now China is buying large parcels of fertile land in Africa, cheating Africans that they are after making the land more productive to produce food which will benefit Africans. What a crap! Let’s not forget that China is a superpower and in the world today, every 6th breathing person is Chinese. China will need more food than today in future and because it is overpopulated, it does not have enough fertile land to produce enough food for its people. Who will thus benefit ?

African problems cannot be solved by money. No money will make Africa a safe heaven for its citizens. Something should be done- but what is it? Since the 1960s, Africa has been receiving money in terms of loans, projects, aid, you name it - even African descendants outside Africa have been pouring money back home almost every year, but has the situation changed? There is still constant, starvation, poverty, HIV/AIDS, child abuse, death from curable diseases and corruption.The common citizen has  not benefited from the 'well intentioned' projects. As donors pour money into Africa, Africans are busy pumping their tax-payers’ money plus natural resources back to Europe, USA and Australia among others. The value of the money and property taken away from Africa is much more than what the continent receives. Africa is consequently becoming poorer and poorer. Look at Ethiopia which was never colonised, for 25 years in a row, it is being given food aid by the international community. 

What should the younger African generation do to make the continent a safe place for its citizens:? What should it do to make them  not dream of flying out to 'safe heavens' outside Africa? Some USA officials have made it clear that USA is already full, there is no more space for immigrants. Europeans are saying it everyday. Look  at the recent boat accident which killed African immigrants in the Mediterranean Sea headed to Europe. Evidence is now coming out that their lives  might  have been saved if the European guards really wanted to save them, but because of hate, the guards  were not in a hurry.

The recent event in the German court of Dresden also shows the hate against African descendants. A pregnant Egyptian born female was with her child outside in a park and a German national insulted them.The woman filed a case against the man. In the court room, this white man stabbed the poor pregnant woman  sixteen times in the court room. When the woman’s husband tried to defend his wife from the monster, the court policeman took his gun and shot the husband. The policeman said that he thought that it was the woman’s husband who was stabbing the wife.  

Well, who knows how a white policeman thinks? Maybe he thinks that only dark skinned people do commit crimes. Why should a husband kill his wife in a court room? How did this white monster smuggle a big kitchen knife into a court room with metal detectors? The poor Egyptian woman- with child in the womb- died right there in the court room from massive bleeding.  Well that is just a tip on what diasporas have to go through outside Africa. 

By Paul Nyandoto.

Mr Paul Nyandoto can be reached at  [email protected]