A German Philosopher of the 18th century, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, might have influenced the mindset of the west up to date. He never accepted that Africans are capable of being captains of their destiny.
Hegel believed that Africans were trapped in a continent of perpetual childhood. In his own words, he superciliously remarked that Africa was a “gold land compressed within itself –the land of childhood which is lying beyond the day of self conscious history and is enveloped in the dark mantle of the night.”
This flawed belief was also to be shared by the likes of the former apartheid South African President, Pieter Willem Botha who claimed: “Intellectually, we are superior to the Blacks; that has been proved beyond the any reasonable doubt over the years.”
The outrageous statements by the two racists are a microcosm of the contemporary western mentality. Thus, the west believes that Africans should be chaperoned in every human activity they partake.
Events that unfolded prior and during the recent African Union 24th Summit in Addis Ababa reflected this mentality. The West vigorously attempted to influence the election of the AU chairperson. They determinedly tried to oppose the unanimous choice of Africa.
The ‘big brothers’ cunningly tried to leverage on the financial support they extend to AU. It is not always the case that the one who pays the piper calls the tune. Africa has come out of the so-called childhood and has defied the time-honoured adage.
If Hegel and the like-minded racists were alive, they could have been shocked to death on Friday as Africa proved beyond any reasonable doubt that it is not trapped in perpetual childhood.
Although the West calls President Mugabe all sorts of names, in Africa he remains a hero, statesman, role model, Pan-Africanist, great teacher, revolutionary, diplomat and father of Africa.
Africa knows what is best for itself. In President Robert Mugabe, Africa sees hope. Africa wants to tap from the wisdom and wealth of experience accumulated by the revolutionary icon over the years. He was there when the AU, then the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was founded in 1963. In his acceptance speech, the Zimbabwean leader took the younger heads of state down memory lane.
“More than five decades ago, I had the unique privilege, as a representative of Zanu, a liberation movement then, to attend the historic occasion of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 here in Addis Ababa. It was indeed a momentous occasion at which Africa decisively took destiny into its own hands,” President Mugabe told the delegates who appeared more like his students.
Thus, electing President Mugabe as the AU Chairman, Africa was spot on, for it had increasingly become imperative for the bloc to go back to its founding principles. An alignment with the founding principles, of course needs someone with a first-hand experience. None other than the Zimbabwean leader has such familiarity.
In electing President Mugabe, it is, therefore, time for the continent to enjoy dividends. The man is not a newcomer to the office. He was the Chairman of the bloc, OAU then, in 1997-8. Hence, he knows every corner of the bloc and he can assertively locate where AU began to deviate from its founding principles.
In President Mugabe, Africa is set to benefit from his tried and tested leadership. The AU theme for this year centres on the empowerment of women. President Mugabe’s government has already done a lot in this regard. There is a fully-fledged ministry of woman affairs, gender and community development that deals with gender equity.
Even the revolutionary party has a standalone wing (the women’s league) that looks at women issues. Therefore, the issue of woman empowerment is at the heart of the revolutionary icon. The empowerment of women will not be a hurdle for him as he already has a successful template.
One of AU’s objectives is to promote co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise the living standards of African peoples. President Mugabe fairs exceptionally well in this regard. He has raised the living standards of the people of Zimbabwe through the land reform programme and other affirmative policies like the indigenisation and economic empowerment act.
It is through this vast experience that he has already realised that the funding structure of the league was not sustainable. AU only gets 28% of its half a billion operational budget from member states and it has to source an additional US$750million for peacekeeping.
This leaves the funding gap being filled by the West, especially the United States, European Union, World Bank, China and Turkey among others. If member states implement the flurry of taxes proposed at the Summit, AU will begin the journey to self-reliance.
Life should go on for AU even when the West withholds balance of payment support and humanitarian aid. After all, the Western funding mostly goes towards peacekeeping operations in wars that they (West) would have ignited.
It was agreed at the Summit that member states should charge US$10 on air tickets and US$2 levies on night spent in a hotel. These taxes are projected to raise US$730million per year. About US$1.6 billion is expected to be raised through sms where half a cent is to be levied on every sms exchanges. By 2016, Africa is expected to fund its operations to the tune of 65%.
Once Africa is capable of meeting its financial requirements, it will be equipped with the clout to challenge the Western hegemony. Even the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, agreed that dependence on foreign funding is a profound handicap and an impediment to the continent’s momentum.
It is obvious some people are bound to complain that these taxes will affect tourism. When former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, proposed these taxes in 2013, there was a huge outcry especially from the tourism players who thought the levies would make tourism very expensive.
At times one has to sacrifice first to enjoy great benefits later. One handicap with the taxes proposal is that it will be implemented on a voluntary basis. In some member states, business calls the shots and such taxes are bound to be resisted.
The AU can model its funding structure along that of the European Union, which gets most of its revenue indirectly by payment from treasuries of member states. One way they do it is through import duties on goods brought into the EU, which member states collect and channel directly to the bloc.
There is also an EU charge levied on Value Added Tax (VAT) in each member state. The largest contribution to EU funding comes from a levy (less than 2%) on the Gross National Income (GNI) of each member state.
Once AU introduces such revenue sources, it will be self-sufficient. Africa will no longer look for the Western goodwill to solve its challenges such as Ebola, terrorism, floods and other catastrophes.
Therefore, Zimbabweans should bury their political prejudices and support one of their own for landing such a prestigious position. Zimbabweans must grab the opportunities that come with the holding of that position and make full use of it in order to benefit the country and the entire continent. They must be proud that their own able president will control Africa’s key leadership institutions.
People like Cde Didymus Mutasa must learn a lesson from what happened at the AU Summit. While Cde Mutasa thought African heads of state would take action against President Mugabe, they instead passed a vote of confidence in his leadership and subsequently gave him an early birthday present.
Tafara Shumba, Harare