- Oct 25, 2005
- 1,210
- 23
Are African Americans the continent's disgrace?
May 24, 2006, 1 hour, 42 minutes and 11 seconds ago.
By Peter Moyo
AND Africa - African Americans who live in the US are said to be worth US$800 billion, yet little or nothing at all has trickled back to the continent
The black Americans are a strong force in the US political game. Over the centuries, they have managed to revolutionalise the music and film industry. They have played a large part in shaping America's urban culture, yet they have done little for the continent which gave birth to their ancestors.
Many a time we hear a black American rapper coming back to Africa to say, 'I am back home' before he sings to a sold out concert and vanish with the profits back to the confines of the US.
If anything at all, white Americans know Africa better than most Africans (American) who live among them. Tour operators, tourist destinations break their backs to impress the white tourist who has ventured more to spend money on the continent. Trade and Industry ministries across the continent spend more time trying to lure investment from the developed world and all that the continent has seen is large conglomorates like Anglo-American, Shell, BP and many others owned by the white capital.
Not that white capital is not welcome to the continent - but that it seems that besides the billions owned by sons of the soil - the African Americans and the disapora at large, little is coming to the motherland.
Many a media has reported that talk show host Oprah Winfrey is worth more than a billion US dollars - that is more than enough to settle some of the African countries' debts. It is difficult to pinpoint if her capital has ever trickled to the continent. If anything, her last show in South Africa was worth about US$100 for a ticket. It was sold out.
Some would come out and say, at least Oprah supports an orphanage in Africa. At least she sends them computers. Isn't this the same mentality of donor organisations which has not helped Africa out of the quagmire over the centuries? The stereotyping of Africans as people who need humanitarian aid instead of investment!
If Oprah would bring her billions and invest in Africa, it would go a long way in making sure that those kids she is buying computers and food for would have jobs when they finally graduate from high school.
It is not Oprah alone. Many like Alicia Keys, Danny Glover and some respectable Hollywood actors have come with their schemes of helping the motherland through sending money to orphanages - the half measures which seem concentrated in South Africa - the only country as developed and beautiful as Western nations.
Former African heads of state have tried to appeal to Africa's diaspora to come aboard and help Africa, help build fuel refineries, oil rigs, diamond mines and finished product factories to make sure that profits stay on the continent. There have been no takers. If anything, television programmes are living testimony of the lavish lives Africa former sons are living far away.
There has been mooted concerns about stability and security of investments on the continent. But then how have BP, Shell, Anglo America and many other managed to milk the continent of its resources over the centuries of conflict and disease and hunger on the continent?
Maybe it is time black Americans and others in the diaspora who have a direct link with the continent come out and be honest if it is the word 'African' that only links or remind them to what they used to be. With a total worth of US$800 billion of Africans in the US alone, Africa could have started reaping the rewards long back.
AND Africa
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Little does anybody know but those 100's of billions of dollars are in "ruthless" white hands and accounts with a WORLDWIDE network probably used for every villainous thing around the world.
So this article is junk.
May 24, 2006, 1 hour, 42 minutes and 11 seconds ago.
By Peter Moyo
AND Africa - African Americans who live in the US are said to be worth US$800 billion, yet little or nothing at all has trickled back to the continent
The black Americans are a strong force in the US political game. Over the centuries, they have managed to revolutionalise the music and film industry. They have played a large part in shaping America's urban culture, yet they have done little for the continent which gave birth to their ancestors.
Many a time we hear a black American rapper coming back to Africa to say, 'I am back home' before he sings to a sold out concert and vanish with the profits back to the confines of the US.
If anything at all, white Americans know Africa better than most Africans (American) who live among them. Tour operators, tourist destinations break their backs to impress the white tourist who has ventured more to spend money on the continent. Trade and Industry ministries across the continent spend more time trying to lure investment from the developed world and all that the continent has seen is large conglomorates like Anglo-American, Shell, BP and many others owned by the white capital.
Not that white capital is not welcome to the continent - but that it seems that besides the billions owned by sons of the soil - the African Americans and the disapora at large, little is coming to the motherland.
Many a media has reported that talk show host Oprah Winfrey is worth more than a billion US dollars - that is more than enough to settle some of the African countries' debts. It is difficult to pinpoint if her capital has ever trickled to the continent. If anything, her last show in South Africa was worth about US$100 for a ticket. It was sold out.
Some would come out and say, at least Oprah supports an orphanage in Africa. At least she sends them computers. Isn't this the same mentality of donor organisations which has not helped Africa out of the quagmire over the centuries? The stereotyping of Africans as people who need humanitarian aid instead of investment!
If Oprah would bring her billions and invest in Africa, it would go a long way in making sure that those kids she is buying computers and food for would have jobs when they finally graduate from high school.
It is not Oprah alone. Many like Alicia Keys, Danny Glover and some respectable Hollywood actors have come with their schemes of helping the motherland through sending money to orphanages - the half measures which seem concentrated in South Africa - the only country as developed and beautiful as Western nations.
Former African heads of state have tried to appeal to Africa's diaspora to come aboard and help Africa, help build fuel refineries, oil rigs, diamond mines and finished product factories to make sure that profits stay on the continent. There have been no takers. If anything, television programmes are living testimony of the lavish lives Africa former sons are living far away.
There has been mooted concerns about stability and security of investments on the continent. But then how have BP, Shell, Anglo America and many other managed to milk the continent of its resources over the centuries of conflict and disease and hunger on the continent?
Maybe it is time black Americans and others in the diaspora who have a direct link with the continent come out and be honest if it is the word 'African' that only links or remind them to what they used to be. With a total worth of US$800 billion of Africans in the US alone, Africa could have started reaping the rewards long back.
AND Africa
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Little does anybody know but those 100's of billions of dollars are in "ruthless" white hands and accounts with a WORLDWIDE network probably used for every villainous thing around the world.
So this article is junk.
