There is a legend in Africa about how the colonization of our continent began: The Europeans read Africans the word of God, asked them to close their eyes for a prayer, and when the Africans opened their eyes they found their land in the hands of the Europeans.
More than a century later, there is a sense of déjà vu. Only this time its Asia, not Europe, thats leading the second scramble for Africa. In the past decade, Asian countries, led by China, have increased their presence in the continent, seeking influence over minerals, oil, and food production.
Just last week, India, held the India-Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, an apparent attempt to win favor over its global competitors. Even Bangladesh not a country likely to come to ones mind when talking about Asias emerging economic powerhouses has been at the forefront. Bangladeshi companies have acquired close to 100,000 acres of farmland in Uganda, Tanzania and the Gambia, and they plan to lease an additional 1.5 million acres in Kenya, Mozambique, Ghana, Senegal, and Liberia, according to the Bangladeshi government. Some of the leases are as long as 99 years and give the south Asian country at least 60 percent food from the farms.
Unlike a century ago, there arent armed marauders roaming the continent to drive Africans out of arable land at least not yet. Instead, the Asians are using a more peaceful tactic, but one thats just as effective: cash. In Addis Ababa last week, for instance, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged more than $5 billion over the next three years in loans to African countries.
It doesnt take a genius to figure out that Asian countries have become the darlings of African governments because their loans come the way corrupt African leaders like them: with no expectations of accountability, and no demand for respect of human rights. Deals are often made without seeking input from citizens or their representatives, and at times with governments that lack the legitimacy to carry out the business on behalf of the people.
Other than in Madagascar, where in 2009 an agreement that would have given a South Korean company nearly half of the countrys arable land led to the overthrow of the government, opposition to Asian deals elsewhere in the continent has been insignificant. This is mainly because the cash flowing from Asia has created a new African middle class, which has become indifferent to the long-term consequences these agreements will have on the continent.
Africans in the United States, too, are so removed from the continent that they dont appear to be giving much thought to the issue. In fact, many of them defend Asia, saying that, unlike the West, its giving Africa the attention it has long deserved. They point to the roads China has funded and built in Africa, unaware that we have been duped into taking loans to build infrastructure mainly aimed at guaranteeing speedy delivery of African resources to the ports that will ship them to Asia.
Years down the line the impoverished section of the African population will realize that, while they languished in poverty, their governments were busy giving away their land. Its possible that such an awakening will bring another phase of violent uprising. But this time around, regaining self-rule will be more difficult, as Asian governments will surely do everything including subversion of political institutions to ensure their investments are protected.
Africa has already had a taste of what is likely to happen to local people who might want to stand up against this new order. Last year, in Zambia, workers protesting poor conditions at a coalmine run by a Chinese company were met with bullets, injuring 11 of them. Two Chinese managers were accused of opening fire on the protesters, but were recently acquitted without an explanation.
History has shown, again and again, that the collapse of empires begins when a section their citizenry gets fed up and begins to demand policy change. The freedom of citizens to express themselves and to organize is necessary for this process to succeed. For example, slavery was abolished because a few citizens in England had the constitutional right to free speech, and to petition their government. The struggle that followed in the 20th century to end European rule in Africa prevailed because citizens of the Western empires were free to question the morality of colonialism. And the fight to end segregation in the American South could have lasted an eternity if white activists hadn’t joined and supported the civil rights movement. Had the company in Zambia been European or American, you can bet that activists in the West would have risen by the millions to demand an investigation by their government.
People in most of Asia lack such freedoms. India, the worlds largest democracy, is home to some of the most destitute people in the world. Bangladesh ranks close to the bottom in the list of the worlds most corrupt countries. And need I say anything about Chinas labor and human rights record? It would be naïve to expect citizens from any of those countries who are engaged in struggles similar to Africas to monitor their governments foreign policies to ensure they dont violate the rights of Africans.
Africa can learn from successful Asian countries without having to forfeit the rights to the continents wealth. Fifty years ago, many of the Asian countries now leading the economic invasion of Africa were just as insolvent as some of the Africas nations are. None of the emerging Asian economies became wealthy by relying on agriculture, as many African countries tend to. Rather, it was by investing in innovation and exporting goods and technology.
Africans, too, are capable of turning their continent into an economic power. Contrary to popular myth, Africans are just as intelligent as other people. African immigrants, for example, are one of the most educated groups in the United States, mainly because attending African schools makes them better prepared for college than most American students. Visit any distinguished university in the West and youll find African-born professors. Outside academia, there are African doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists, architects, accountants, managers, and artists. But we remain silent as foreigners continue to perpetuate the condescending stereotype that the only skill Africans are capable of learning is how to produce more food to feed their hungry selves.
If African intellectuals dont demand a seat at the table where these deals are made, its possible that the clever legend future generations will weave will be about how Asian money made us too intoxicated to resist the second scramble for our continent. They will wonder why we cried, African solutions for African problems but put our destiny in the hand of people, who like us havent quite figured out how to solve their own problems.
Edwin Okong'o, 
cyrillus, and 
coolgath are discussing. 
Mimi is discussing. 
tiga wana