Page 141 - A People Called Afrika

Afrika’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems

influences of Capitalism and the way the world does things.

Looking backwards, obviously there were economic activities
that were ongoing in Afrika prior to colonialism, even involv-
ing long distance trading with the use of barter or simple forms
of currency, and even though the world tended to classify Af-
rika’s economic activities either as non-existent or primitive,
in reality Afrikan traditional economic systems were simply
different from those of the West. These unfortunate classifi-
cations that demanded that Afrika’s ways be measured just like
everyone else’s robbed and corrupted her own approach to
economic pursuits. Furthermore, the nature of and motive be-
hind production and exchange in traditional Afrika was much
simpler and based on different priorities. It was driven by
need for essentials and not for profit and waste, as such it was
self-sustaining for the families and communities in question.

The present day system the world uses - and that Afrika is try-
ing her best to measure up to -as compared with the past, has
become overly laden with greed and self-interests, so much
so that the current global economic system can be classified
as draining at every level: psychological, physical, social, po-
litical, spiritual, resource, environmental etc. The love of
money (greed) and the acquisition of wealth and status has
overrun every single decision made by people and systems (or
rather the people who run the systems), to the detriment of
the heart of love, brotherhood and compassion in mankind.

Hospitals, for instance, instead of being centers for healing,
have become commercial entities, either denying treatment to
or imprisoning those who are unable to pay their bills or pro-
viding unnecessary treatments in order to make more money

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