Africa rising...then Ebola struck!

Exactly whose idea was it that Africa is rising? A simple Google search failed to turn-up a precise answer, there’s not even a Wikipedia page for a slogan that famous and now with the raging Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the slogan has been exposed for what it’s, hollow! It’s even possible that the phrase was originally coined somewhere in the West before it found wide acceptance among the African elite, a shame, if so. But I badly wanted to be wrong on this so I asked a few people within my circles that I thought would know; the effort drew blanks and pushed me closer to the conclusion that like most things, the ‘Africa rising’ mantra could be imported. The earliest major media use of the slogan was by The Economist, in one of its 2011 covers before being emulated by Time Magazine whose November 26, 2012 cover was also graced by the ‘Africa Rising’ motto. While African commentators often quote the slogan whose birthday is unclear, western scholars are studying it for deeper meaning. One such scholar is Professor John L. Comaroff, an Oppenheimer Fellow in African Studies at Harvard, who reportedly teaches a course on the theme, Africa Rising, with the help of his wife, Jean. Many believe Africa Rising was born out of the fact that some of the fastest growing economies in the world are on this continent, hence providing the next growth frontier like Asia a few years ago. But there are over 50 countries in Africa and not all their economies are enjoying fast growth therefore by saying ‘Africa is rising’ we risk consequences of generalization. For example, ten of the twenty countries with the highest projected compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2013 and 2017, based on the IMF’s estimates, are in Sub-Saharan Africa eight in Asia and two in the Middle East/North Africa. While this is impressive, it could also be misleading given that these projections may not reflect the realities in most of those countries. Economic projections alone are not enough for us to declare that Africa is rising and Ebola has ably demonstrated that for us to rise, we need stronger infrastructure to stand on. The reality is that most African states have weak national institutions, have governance problems, corruption, conflict, famine, poverty, disease and general poor public service especially medical infrastructure to respond to serious epidemics like Ebola. A few pockets of impressive GDP figures on the continent can’t cover-up for these glaring structural hand caps. While lugubrious, the outbreak of Ebola a few months ago has helped expose Africa’s unprepared health infrastructure and also exposed the emptiness of the slogan Africa Rising. In Ebola, we have learned that Africa is rising on wobbly legs and largely still at the clemency of former colonial masters to come to its rescue whenever the continent is facing a serious problem. Africa is like the vanilla plant on the couch of my house; it has risen high up to the rooftop by wrapping itself around the pillars supporting the veranda and I look at it piteously every morning I wake up because it can’t stand on its own. Just like my vanilla plant, this alleged ‘Africa Rising’ hypothesis is suspect because its growth is hinged on external pillars. Headlines of African presidents dying abroad after failed attempts to seek better healthcare outside their countries doesn’t reflect a continent that’s rising. Before Ebola struck, Sierra Leon economy was growing very fast but after a few months of the epidemic, those gains have been annihilated and now needs help to rebuild. Rwanda and Ghana are among the ten countries with the highest projected compounded annual growth rate. But Hanna Tetteh, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration went defensive during a BBC interview on Tuesday night when she was asked why her country, which has some of the best medical facilities on the continent, hasn’t been able to send doctors and other related aid to rescue Ebola stricken neighbours. In response, she said Ghana can’t afford to send doctors because it’s short of numbers to fully serve its own people; she also lashed out at the West whom she blamed for brain draining Africa. “Every year we lose our best medical personnel to your countries, they’re there treating you,” she ranted. But the likes of Ghana should be at the vanguard of Africa’s rise like Rwanda is showing in Darfur, CAR and now West Africa. Even with a smaller economy, Rwanda has taken responsibility by sending medical personnel to help contain Ebola in West Africa. It’s a shame that when Ebola struck, African herbalists who claim to cure tough ailments like cancer went silent and waited for a western vaccine.

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Africa rising...then Ebola struck!