Page 63 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19

Re-Education

African leaders are driven by (1) a
house slave mentality that inspires
them to be like their former mas-
ters; and (2) a lack of prophetic
African vision coupled with lust for
personal power and money. Just as
Booker T. Washington represents
the internal enemy who helped to
stunt the revolutionary spirit of
African Americans, African leaders
too have stifled the African thirst
for freedom by oppressing their
own people. Some of our leaders,
and our intellectuals, were not only
Western-educated but Westernized.
Even when they led revolutions,
their ambitions were anti-revolu- dence, the local structure is inten- marily because Ethiopians and the
tionary simply because they fought sified because the leaders iden- people of Africa have reignited the
to make Africa a clone or replica tify their role locally rather than dream of Pan Africanism.
of Europe and the USA. While the nationally. This has given birth to
children of Africa fought to re- parochialism, when political power Even as African nations and their
claim their authentic African iden- translated into sectoral or ethnic leaders are attacked singularly, the
tity, their leaders were house slaves hegemony over the rest. Post-inde- pattern of Western intervention
who idolized their oppressors. pendence Africa, accordingly, em- shows that each attack is carried
braced the ‘divide and rule’ system out to undermine the whole of
Regrettably, even when leaders of colonizers, making them house Africa. Mahmood Mamdani em-
such as Thomas Sankara, whose slaves that perpetuated colonial phasizes further, “Every movement of
souls were stirred by love of systems on their own people. resistance was shaped by the very struc-
freedom for Africans, had risen ture of power against which it rebelled.
to power, it was the house slave Neocolonialism and westernization How it came to understand this historical
usurpers that allied with neoco- continue to menace our continent fact, and the capacity it marshaled to
lonialists to kill the revolutionary because house slave mentality transcend it, set the tone and course of
dream. Until now, the freedom remains a mental pestilence of the movement.” For the house slaves,
of African nations and the grand African politicians and intellectuals. it means organizing and struggling
dream of Pan Africanism remains Even a historically independent through colonially organized sects
just a dream thanks to westernized nation like Ethiopia is not safe, and ethnic groups, and favoring
house slave African leaders. since we have our share of house these factions by subjugating the
slaves who cannot imagine life rest of the people after victory. For
The house slave may have actually without Western ideologies. TPLF genuine Africans, the organization
embraced the revolutionary spirits, and every pseudo intellectual and and resistance assumes a conti-
as did most African leaders who politician who currently threat- nental shape, and independence
led the anticolonial struggle for ens our national unity by seek- is pursued for the unity of Africa.
independence. But the struggle was ing western solutions to African Simply stated, we are attacked as
formed through the colonial orga- problems expresses the house slave Africans, and so we must struggle
nizational structures. As Mahmood mentality. As the former rebels of as Africans with a vision of unity.
Mamdani in ‘Citizen and Subject: TPLF came to power with the will
Contemporary Africa and the and guidance of Western powers, The time for freedom is always
Legacy of Late Colonialism’ points they still function to serve Western the present, and so as Ethiopians
out, “The form of rule shaped the form demands, which translates into a and Africans, we should remove
of revolt against it.” For this reason, submissive role for Ethiopia and the house slaves from the center
the revolution was, at times, carried Africa. Western powers try to stage, and allow genuine Africans
out in locally organized ethnic or sabotage Ethiopia and undermine to voice the tangible aspirations for
religious manner. After indepen- our current democratic leader, pri- African independence and unity.

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