Have the slaves left the master's house?

Thank you so much for the editorial: 'Have the Slaves left the master's house' by Amanda Alexander And Mandisa Mbali.

It is inspiring to see an editorial of such insightful critique. The "masters tools will never destroy the master's house". It is so clear! It is almost oxymoron to think otherwise. We have lived long enough to see all the games that are played. The disguising of enslavement, colonialism, exploitation and disempowerment into other forms and terminology. But we've still not changed our game! We respond to issues and agendas.

We respect only the institutions of others. We steadfastly refuse to innovate in thinking, in strategy, implementation and public service. We do not define our issues and put our heads down and work towards their resolution and take the pain ( no gain without pain) and persist to that greater freedom; of being truly the masters of our wealth creation, masters of providing for our citizens and masters of doing it our way! Reform, tinkering with existing ideas, concepts and structures and obedience to Western modes of operations and framework, institutions and paradigms will not work. They make the rules, in their favour! So clear! Children in the play ground understand that! 'Always be the rule maker'!

African leaders need to have independence of thought and do a lot of thinking or rethinking. Yes it is hard work, compared to taking off the shelf ideas and ways of doing things! Progress is elbow grease! There is no other way .....Those chains must be levered open and now, for heavens sake! I want to see it in my life time!

The Senegalese economist Demba Dembele's my hero - he gets to the point "... that the West will never develop Africa and that most African leaders do not care about the welfare of their citizens". When will our leaders get it and stop playing ball with the west and focus on carrying out their job description for the masses. As painful as the journey will be, As painful as the journey will be, As painful as the journey will be ( so true I have to say it thrice! We need to refuse engagement with the west (naive some will say? Show me where engagement has worked? We are still in a subservient position despite aid galore , commissions galore, developmental NGO's galore , what difference have they all made?) Tell them we will not pay any debt and concentrate on pan African trading, pan African creation of the goods and services. Rethink Pan Africanism, so that it informs our economic policies, our cultural outlook, our vision , our politics our philosophies and concepts!

We are skewered by European capitalism...! Why do we respect such philosophies and economic thinking... you cannot use a framework for which you did not participate in its creation or propagation? We do not affect, we react! The observation that by "...African leaders .. attending G8 meetings and producing a policy document endorsed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), are revealing that they 'fear freedom, as former slaves who walk back to their masters, not yet ready to leave the master's house'". Get the hell out ! Build your own house and make your own rules (forget globalism - it is not working for Africa!) Use a pan African framework.