Africa: China in Africa:

The report reflecting the discussions at the World Social Forum is an extremely serious one. I have seen in Africa the less than serious attention that Africans gave to their own problems and the eagerness with which the Chinese have taken to the tasks that the Africans have been indifferent about. No country , and one should emphasize the "no", has developed if ,as Chinweizu says, it does not have a theory to inspire its development.

A country must know what it wants in respect of development. It must then approach development agents to fill gaps in its own resources and capabilities. If there is not that clear plan, IT WILL BE RAPED. There are no development angels who will not exploit you to their heart's content if you are not alert. China is not an angel. It will be less exploitative than Exxon or BP because it is coming from a developing country experience and because China wants allies in the struggle against America. But the Chinese will rape Africa if Africa goes to sleep on its development goals.

Africa needs to come together at the AU and begin to think in terms of a development plan for a United Africa. There are more mineral resources in Africa than in any other continent. Africa has more hydro-power potential than perhaps any other continent. Africa has abundant oil and coal resources. Energy should therefore be cheap. Combined with its mineral resources, manufacturing should be pursued. There is , of course, tremendous potential in agriculture but it needs to harness its water resources to halt the drift of the desert. But I stop there because the Africans have to draw up their plans themselves.

Africans have to stop feeling inferior to other people. Their traditional governance systems have been destroyed by Europeans. Their links to the greatest civilisation of all times in Egypt have been challenged with the concept that the Egyptians were not Negro. The relics of the heroic deeds of the Kushite warrior champions are in great measure buried by Nasser when he drowned them in the Aswan Dam. Arabs and Europeans have been cruel to Africans. And yet, Islam is perhaps the fastest growing religion in Africa. Benin has recently returned to its voodoo tradition. That regeneration should be spread throughout Africa in respect of indigenous religions. As Eusi Kwayana said to me, the beliefs are there. Strengthening them will return confidence to the Africans . Not a single Muslim state has denounced Sudan in respect of Darfur. Mubarak is opposed to a United Nations force in Darfur. Chinweizu and Kwesi Prah Prah and others of their persuasion should be given every opportunity to propagate theories of African development that will challenge the corruption of the bulk of African leaders. The theories should be spread to the African universities and institutes and be used to inspire the development options and to put in place the mechanisms for technology transfers. The Latin Americans are pursuing their grand design pushed by Chavez. A similar visionary approach should come out of South Africa and Nigeria and Namibia and Botswana. Why do all the diamonds have to be cut in Europe when the Indians have expert diamond cutters that can impart those skills to Africans?

It is in this kind of context that we should address China's presence in Africa. The Chinese are at present in the driver's seat. They are steering to Beijing. Africa has to take charge of the steering wheel and steer internally to Nairobi and Dar-es-Salam and Lagos and Accra and Johannesburg. Then they will allow the steering to Beijing when African needs are met. That is what China did to America. At present Chinese imports are destroying African manufactures. Africa should not be afraid to impose tariffs on those imports. WTO rules allow tariffs in those circumstances.

We are all Africans. That is one thing of which we are certain. It is not too late to get hold of the steering wheel now under the control of China.