Africa Rising 21st Century

               Much has been written and said about how the world’s big powers have squeezed Africa into the middle of their global conflicts – from the Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s to the current impact of the Russia-Ukraine war. However, recently reading the book Modern Africa , one of the series of Captivating History book series, reminded me that these situations were not historical outliers, but rather part of a tragic trend that has plagued the continent and its inhabitants for more than a century and a half.             The Scramble for Africa in the late 1800s was motivated by the desires of European countries to become the dominant world power at that time. European conflict with Muslims in the Middle East inspired a search for the legendary Prester John, whose attraction was as an ally in the Crusades in the Middle East from the 11 th to the 13 th centuries. He was said ...

               I attended the first Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) in New York recently. It was well produced and well attended, and I got a lot out of being there. In addition to the many government and international institution dignitaries, successful businesspeople and civil society leaders speaking, there were numerous people in the audience well worth knowing. It was unfortunate that all the networking sometimes drowned out the speakers, but connections were made that should lead to enduring collaborations. For myself, there were several themes I found compelling.             Zain Verjee, Executive Producer of GABI, started it off by quoting the late Bishop Desmond Tutu, who once said: “We need to stop just pulling Africans out of the river and turn to seeing why they’ve fallen in in the first place.”             The New...

                 A lot of attention has been given to China’s involvement in Africa, and of course the ongoing involvement of Europe’s former colonial powers continues to be scrutinized. However, the longstanding connection between Japan and Africa has not received sufficient attention despite recent significant Japanese involvement on the continent.             We know the Arabs and Europeans have had a long history of contact with Africans, and the Chinese have had quite an extended contact as well. But the Japanese have known Africans for much longer than one might have suspected. As it turns out, the Japanese have had contact with Africans since the 16 th century. In fact, the first African people who came to Japan were believed by scholars to be Mozambican. They reportedly reached Japan in 1546 as shipmates or slaves who served Portuguese captain Jorge Álvares. According to...

                 Between 1870 and 1900, the so-called “scramble for Africa” resulted in almost all the continent coming under European colonial control.   The United Kingdom (UK) and France held the most African territory, but Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy also seized African territory.   To minimize or end this clash for land and resources such as gold, rubber, ivory and cocoa, the colonial powers entered into the Berlin Agreement in 1885 to allocate their African territories regardless of how it divided existing African societies, which has led to disputes and contention that still exist more than a century later.   Only Liberia, settled by freed Africans from North America, and Ethiopia (a historic empire that fought off Italian colonialism, resulting in the 1896 Treaty of Addis Ababa recognizing its independence).             Coloni...

                 Agency is defined as “the sense of control you feel in life, your capacity to influence your own thoughts and behavior and the faith in your ability to handle a wide range of tasks and situations.”   There is a lot of talk about African institutions recently as regards their perceived lack of agency.   The African Union turned 20 in July, and there are many critics who rushed to say that the continental organization of nations has not lived up to its promise.   The various conflicts and dissonance from member states is offered as proof that the AU is not as functional as promised.             This criticism misses the difficulties inherent in melding various legal and monetary systems and even forms of government.   Efforts by the AU such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) were cr...