RE: [malilink] La Cote-d'Ivoire a la derive

From: Broda Tounk (broda_tounk@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Oct 07 2002 - 05:02:18 EDT

 

>"The entire continent was the theater of East-West >rivalries leading to eternal wars, coups d'etat, >dictatorships that the people could not get rid of. So, >all in all it's been only about ten years that the >continent has gotten some sort of self-gouvernance."

I really agree with you and just wont to add that this sort self-gouvernance is finisht since The USA is more interested of the african oil plus the war against terrorist. You see wath is happening in Irak just because USA need a gas station.

Best regards,

/Sénou.



 

>From: "Moumine Ballo"
>To: nasaradjeli@yahoo.com, wane@intechs.net
>CC: malilink@mali.net
>Subject: RE: [malilink] La Cote-d'Ivoire a la derive
>Date: Sun, 06 Oct 2002 13:44:06 -0400
>
>Hello everyone:
>
>Mr. Friedli Kouyate wrote:
>
>>ever seen someone in africa who really invests
>>instead of buying a TV or a car for his home with the first money
>>he
>>gets ??
>
>I agree that investment is the way to go and that in Africa we are
>not particularly good at it. But I cannot accept the
>characterization of Africans as crazy about TVs and cars. After all,
>how many families on the continent have tv sets? Entire villages and
>even regions have no tv at all. Mali with it's 12M population has
>probably less than a hundred thousands tv sets. Most families watch
>tv with neighbors. Compared to the US- if I dare- where most
>families have at least 2 sets ( for the living room, the bedroom,
>for kids and console games, in the garage, for camping etc). And
>they are always on the look for better and bigger tvs- flat screen,
>HDTV, plasma etc. It's also worth noting that for most people in
>Africa, tv is the only source for information, mass education,
>entertainement. There's no home web-browsing, almost no movie
>theaters, no eating out etc. Even those who can read do not have
>what to read. Sometimes it takes just one good book to turn one's
>life around.
>
>As of cars, whoever has been in Africa and seen those super-packed
>mini buses knows that we need more cars. If owning a car in Europe
>where you have all kinds of descent public transportation with good
>and precise timetables is not a luxury, then unless we think that
>poor standard of living just suits Africans, we would see it as
>rather a necessity.
>
>Having said that I have also blamed Africans for not investing.
>People want to have a house, furnish it and just live there. But
>that's what most people do in most of the world. The difference is
>that in developed countries you have institutions and well known,
>accessible and favorable laws for business. Our governments in
>Africa are colonial-style governments. They just impose constraints
>on citizen without any regard for the impact on entrepreneurship.
>These constraints result in corruption and lack of initiative.
>Custom services, police officers, or any government clerc can
>harrass anybody even if you are a harvard graduate. Because no one
>knows the laws. Most of the time, you are even better of if you do
>not know the law but just pay-and-go. At leat you won't loose your
>mind.
>
>Mr. Kouyate also seems to dismiss colonialists as part of the
>problem. I must say that until the fall of the Soviet Union, no
>African country had the freedom to develop itself. The entire
>continent was the theater of East-West rivalries leading to eternal
>wars, coups d'etat, dictatorships that the people could not get rid
>of. So, all in all it's been only about ten years that the continent
>has gotten some sort of self-gouvernance.
>
>I agree that tradition is in the way in many respects. But it is
>mostly the lack of good and reliable institutions, that favors
>corruption. It is my conviction that when our states will mature by
>improving their laws, by educating their citizens, by developing
>their governmental networks for law inforcement and anti corruption,
>we will also find our way. Good news is: now we are let alone... or
>sort of.
>
>Though I have been critical of some of Mr. Kouyate's positions, all
>in all most of us have similar perception of african reality. But I
>believe we need to go deeper and realize that good governance is key
>today in Africa.
>People need everyting, have nothing but still should be entitled to
>some basic living standard. I remember an alarming report posted by
>Abdoul/Bakary Sylla about the number of mentally ill in Mali. Anyone
>cares why?
>
>Moumine Ballo.
>
>>From: "L. J. Friedli-Kouyaté"
>>To: "Amadou O. Wane"
>>CC: malilink@mali.net
>>Subject: RE: [malilink] La Cote-d'Ivoire a la derive Date: Fri, 4
>>Oct 2002 07:30:39 -0700 (PDT)
>>
>>Well I think I can respond to that one too, since my french is
>>not as good as my english (i'm a white Swiss German married to
>>a Malian woman)
>>
>> > I can understand his frustration, but not his self-hatred.
>> > Africa problems are human problems. Every people in human
>>history
>> > went
>> > through this agony.
>> > African mentality has to change before Africa can change.
>>
>>Right. I happen to try to work with senegalese and malian friends
>>in informatics and i can tell you after 3 years we haven't gotten
>>anywhere. while we invest, nothing comes back and goes to "the
>>families" instead. ever seen someone in africa who really invests
>>instead of buying a TV or a car for his home with the first money
>>he
>>gets ??
>>
>> > Unfortunately we
>> > are not as a people, ready to take our destiny into our own
>>hands.
>> > There are
>> > internal and external forces that contribute to that; but I
>>would
>> > rather
>> > focus on the internal obtacles within ourselves.
>>
>>thanks for not blaming the "colonialists" alone. there's a lot of
>>us young (well i'm 44....) whites that don't care about race,
>>origin or
>>background but see the one world we all live in.
>>
>> Unfortunately we are
>> > very
>> > efficient at eliminating any potential good leader.
>>
>>first of all a new leader has to bribe so many people who helped
>>him to
>>get into power that the state is poor afterwards :)
>>but think about who gets the power: it all rests in the family or
>>in the caste, no matter what education (well forgive me not
>>mentioning
>>Bush....). tradition is what blocks. tradition has a lot of good
>>values
>>to it, but as it is everywhere: first the family, then the ethnie.
>>But
>>this is normal since in Africa societies are based on the family,
>>and
>>the "state" or "country" is for many people an unreal imagination,
>>something too abstract. here in switzerland my wife tells me:
>>"why should i pay taxes to the swiss government while my family in
>>bamako suffers" ? well frankly spoken i agree.
>>
>> > So in short, we are not psychologically ready to move forward.
>>
>>i wouldn't say that. forward to where ? if you're talking into
>>our direction (i.e. like Europe or the US) - ok. first of all
>>Africans
>>and us have different ways of thinking. even if the Africans like
>>to copy our behavior, our clothes etc. inside they stay as they are
>>and that's good. take me for example. Im Bamako, I can live without
>>TV,
>>car or whatever entertainment - i chat with people, sit in fromt of
>>the
>>house and drink "the baro". I lack none of this. But here i need
>>it.
>>Our societies are too different and are not at all compatible.
>>Since
>>the 1800's we have changed society to a ever more faster pace. We
>>work,
>>consume, produce, work consume produce. Try to stop one of these
>>components - society doesn't work anymore. Right now here in Europe
>>a
>>deflation is beginning. But we can't turn back unless we stop and
>>start
>>thinking about what we're doing. It's us that have to think, not
>>Africa.
>>But my wife says: "You had it all already (Cars, TV's, Stereos etc)
>>and
>>have become anti-materialist, now let me make my own experience".
>>what
>>can I say ??
>>
>> > Reality must
>> > first take shape in the mind. I am confident that our time will
>>come;
>> > but
>> > how soon?
>>
>>what do you mean by reality ? everbody has it's own....;)
>>
>>lassana
>>
>>
>>=====
>>*********************************************
>>S W @ X E (Swiss-African Axe Communications)
>>Development for a better understanding
>>Dakar : P.O.Badji / papaoumar.badji@swaxe.com
>>Zurich: L. J.Friedli / jurg.friedli@swaxe.com
>>Homepage: www.swaxe.com
>>*********************************************
>>
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