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 Oprah’s Dream, Africa’s Shame
By Fred Igbeare
It is worthwhile to give honor where it is due. So, today I honor Oprah Winfrey for spending her time and money to educate the little girls of South Africa. Her Leadership Academy brings hope to the lives of impoverished children who otherwise could have abandoned their educational dreams.
As I honor Oprah, I say shame on you to Africa, its leaders and its peoples! This shame is mine as well. It is very sad that we continue to neglect many of our precious little ones. The excuse of limited resources holds no validity whatsoever. Africa has enough money to ensure that every child gets an education even to University level!
You see, Obafemi Awolowo got it right. You may disagree with his politics. But you cannot argue successfully against his plan to give free education to all. No country can accelerate its development without heavy investment in human capital. It doesn’t mean throwing money blindly at the problem to end up with anything but quality education. It means using wisdom to set up a dynamic system of training people to move a country forward.
Africa was colonized largely because it had a deficient educational system, if any at all. As an example, it remained backward technologically while the rest of the world moved ahead in many ways. Our ancestors maintained a system that mostly stifled the creativity of our youth. We still do that today.
The African environment doesn’t nourish much original thought or intellectual excellence that translates into concrete steps of progress. What we have is a predatory system that squanders the future of our children. Do you know what kind of progress would come from all the billions that rulers like Mobutu and Abacha stole? And that is just the tip of the iceberg. African governments have spent billions on projects that either do not see the light of day or end up being monuments to idiocy.
Look for instance at the huge military budgets that result in weapons that end up killing Africans. Yet, none of these countries (except maybe South Africa) can withstand the type of onslaught that culminated in the colonization of Africa. If countries from the West (and the East) band together today to re-colonize Africa, it could be done probably in a few days, if not hours. So, who is being protected by all that military expenditure?
Much of the overall African national expenditures are directed at importing goods and services. Local content is very minimal. The talk of technology transfer from the developed countries to African countries is a fool’s dream. Why would the USA, for instance, transfer technology to an African country so that country can stop buying American products? Can you find a better definition of stupidity?
The huge trade deficits that plague African countries derive from a huge deficit in intellectual capital. True, trade deficits can arise from bad economic policies too—agreed. But the nature and content of the African deficit can be traced to a population that is largely either uneducated or mis-educated.
Change can come quickly when more Africans worldwide wake up to realize what priority number one is: mass quality education. Illuminated minds give birth to elevated visions that can transform any society for the better. Education is the best chance for moving the ‘Dark Continent’ into the sunshine of its full potential.
Thank God for people like Oprah. But for her, the children in her Leadership Academy would probably have been doomed to a life of destitution. This is the kind of destitution that today plagues African countries for neglecting so vital a priority. Personal misfortunes do add up to become national tragedies. One cannot be separated from the other.
A nation filled with ignorant people can only become ignorant, ill-informed about its surroundings and ill-equipped to deal with adversaries. Yes, this is the kind of ignorance that facilitated the slave trade. It is the ignorance that allowed the capture of Africa by bands of poorly-equipped soldiers, to go by contemporary standards. These soldiers today could not possibly capture the Brooklyn Bridge from the NYPD or a New York street gang! Alright, I exaggerate, but you get the picture.
Oprah’s adopted daughters have troubled backgrounds that reminded her of her own deprived past in wealthy America (another topic). It reminds me of mine where but for the grace of God the fate of so many African children would have befallen me. My predicament wasn’t because I hadn’t excelled as a brilliant student. It was because I was born in a country where the people had almost squandered their wealth in pointless pursuits.
The stories of Oprah’s girls should touch your heart. This world has so hardened many of us that we fail to show compassion to others who are suffering. Some may even criticize her effort as being part of a publicity stunt. I say, no, no! This woman truly has a big heart. She is God’s hand extended to help these children. We can be His hand too!
May we all strive harder and join Oprah in giving our young ones better educational opportunities. Thank you, Oprah! May God bless you and replenish your resources so that you can do even more to help those in dire need of rescue! Please check her website to see how you can help (www.oprah.com) and for details of the Academy (http://www2.oprah.com/presents/2007/academy/dream/dream_main.jhtml).
(fredlintaz@yahoo.com)
For other articles by this writer, please go to: http://digg.com/users/fredlintaz/news/dugg
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Posted by Robot| 27.02.2007 12:46