The words of the Tunisian President and the acts of barbarism committed against Africans from south of the Sahara following these words should lead us to carry out a deep reflection on ourselves and on our relationship with others, and particularly with our brothers in North Africa. There is what history has done and bequeathed to us, there is this present that this history has shaped, but above all there is this future that we must build, alone or with others. History has led to part of the population of sub-Saharan Africa being deported to North Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas to serve as slaves. We are not proud of this part of our history and it hurts us. We, the Black people of Africa, have no choice but to get out of this story. Leaving it does not mean erasing it, which would be impossible, or forgetting it, which would be unforgivable. Getting out of it means building a present and a radiant future, which make us proud of ourselves. Some countries in Asia, including Japan, India and China, have had painful histories with Western countries. They have not forgotten them. But they got away with it by building countries with economies so strong that the rest of the world now depends on them. They did not spend their time whining, nor throwing bombs in the countries that had dominated them. They assumed their identities, their cultures, their histories, set to work resolutely, relentlessly, even cooperating with the countries which had dominated them, and today they are the ones who in many areas have taken over. They did not get carried away by emotions, but listened to their reasons. Only, they no longer accepted the slightest discrimination or the slightest lack of respect towards them.
What is our problem? We like to say that at the time of our independence, we were on the same economic level as countries like South Korea, Malaysia, the Maghreb countries, and in many ways China and India were more backward than We. Today how many migrant workers from the Maghreb do we have in our countries? How many students from these countries are in our universities, how many citizens of these countries come to be treated with us, or simply visit our countries? So what happened? Why do they despise us so much? It's because we haven't done anything to earn their respect. If we had worked to build our countries with a little more seriousness, we would not be here. What can countries like Ivory Coast, Gabon, Congo or Nigeria have to envy countries like Morocco or Tunisia in terms of natural resources? Nothing. But who has given up their cultural and spiritual identity to try to ape the other? Who will study or receive treatment from the other? Who will beg from the other? Every time I go to Morocco or Tunisia and I see young Ivorians in good health begging in the streets of the big cities, or trying to cross the barriers of Melilla and Ceuta at all costs by wiping the blows of truncheons police officers, I am both ashamed and sorry for my country.
Racism, we said, has a lot to do with history and the ideology that founded this history. But it also depends on social conditions. A text from the holy book of a religion has been interpreted to mean a Black man's curse by the creator of the world. As a result, the Black African has always been considered as a sub-human, a slave in essence, by the peoples referring to this religion. Until our days. And, let's face it, the African himself has done little to challenge this idea that others have of him. To this racism forged by ideology was added that based on social conditions. To this day, the poorest people are Africans. And Africans seem to like it. Eternal beggars, unable to take care of themselves or to exploit their wealth, they are in tow of the rest of the world, wiping their scorn and their spit without flinching.
It is time for us to work on regaining our dignity.
By Venance Konan
*This article has been translated from French into English by Marcus Boni Teiga
