Page 22 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 15

Economy

saw themselves as agents of civiliza-
tion. This meant that Africans had
to be taught different values, goals,
and modes of behavior. This was
a deliberate destruction of African
cultural values and customs. This
was probably the greatest legacy
Europeans left in Africa. The delib-
erate destruction of African cultural
values resulted in the seperation of
African culture and imposed-eco-
nomics. European economism is
embedded in European culture,
whilst Africa economincs, since it
was imposed on Africans, remains approach was sociological. For him,
seperated from their culture (see community, self-sufficiency and
Bhengu’s writings: Africa Institute justice were focal concepts.
for Cultural Economy, 2013 – 2014).
Such a vaccuum definitely creates Prof. Adebayo Adedeji, former Sec-
problems for Africans. Prof Herbert retary for African Economic Com-
Vilakazi (2005), Karl Polanyi (1944), munity (AEC), argued that Africa
George Ayitteyi (2005) Adedeji continues to be in search of a devel-
(1982), Nkrumah (1963), Hunting- opment paradigm that would rid it
ton (1966) elaborate more on this of abject poverty, the bug of disease
point. and the quagmire of ignorance after
over four decades of such endeav-
As a result, Africans had to abandon ours. In pursuit of that goal a series
a lot of their values, including their of theories and concepts of devel-
ways of doing trade and business, opment have been advanced, and
and they were forced to do trade tried to no avail. Most of them have strengthening his capacity. This is
and business in European-cultural been grounded in Western political exactly what the modern economics
ways, rather than in their own local and development traditions that do to an African, and the challenge
for us all is how do we embed the
African ways. This change created failed to take cognizance of Africa’s
problems for African economy, cultural and historical background. modern economics into our African
since European values of doing Adedeji’s advocacy of holistic hu- culture and society.
business are not compatible to Af- man development is based on the
rican values. Hence, people want to general concept that society can only Huntington (1996) argued very di-
rectly that ‘for an African civilization
emancipate themselves not just from develop with the mobilization of its
poverty and shrinking opportunities, people: hence Africa would need to to have universal power, it would
but from governance systems that set in motion a process that puts the have to have a strong African-ori-
do not allow them meaningful voice individual at the very centre of a de- ented economic philosophy, rooted
and responsibility. This conference velopment effort that is both human in an African idiom. We believe that
Africa has a relatively strong uni-
is about developing our own eco- and humane, without necessarily
nomic utopia for EAC. softening the discipline that goes versal power, but still economically
weak’.
with development and enhances the
For Africa to have a real economic human personality.
emancipation, it has to have her own But the fundamental challenge we
are faced with, firstly, is that we need
economic philosophy developed Such a development process, argues
within an African idiom. Adedeji (1982), should not alienate to find out why is it that Africa is
Aristotle argued that man was not the African from his society and cul- still economically weak? Secondly,
an economic being but a social ture but rather develop his self-con- if we want to achieve a ‘universal
being. Man’s economy was, as a rule, fidence and identify his interest power’ we need to have a relevant
consciousness. The question is:
submerged in social relations. Man’s with those of his society, thereby

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